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THE POLITICS of THORNTON WILDER's DRAMA by Wesley “IMPORTANT THINGS TO GIVE EACH OTHER”: THE POLITICS OF THORNTON WILDER’S DRAMA By Wesley Stewart Longacre B.A., Baylor University, 2004 M.A., Wake Forest University, 2013 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Theatre & Dance 2017 This thesis entitled: “Important Things to Give Each Other”: The Politics of Thornton Wilder’s Drama has been approved for the Department of Theatre and Dance Dr. Oliver Gerland Dr. Beth Osnes Date The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation ABSTRACT Longacre, Wesley (Ph.D., Theatre) “Important Things to Give Each Other”: The Politics of Thornton Wilder’s Drama Thesis directed by Associate Professor Oliver Gerland Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) was one of the most celebrated U.S. authors of the 20th century. As a dramatist, he wrote one of the most frequently produced plays in American dramatic history, Our Town. Given his fame, it is surprising that very little has been written about Wilder’s dramatic works from a political perspective. My dissertation aims to address this oversight by unearthing a family-based social and political ethic in his dramatic works. Through close study of his plays, interviews, letters, influences, and other writings, I have found that he promotes a democratic ethic through his drama. He creates the utopia that he longed to see in our global political climate and imagines what the world would look like if we truly ascribed to democratic ideals. He promotes a dialogue that engages differing viewpoints without discounting someone else's world view. He gives a road map towards an idyllic democracy through his theatre and through the theatrical event. In the divisive political reality that we live in today, it may be more important than ever to consider voices like Thornton Wilder. He lived in a time that was arguably the most volatile global climate we have ever known, yet he remained steadfast in his belief that humanity will continue to adapt, grow, and change for the better. He believed in listening to one another. He believed that we should challenge the assumptions of the things we think we know and the ways we treat others. Wilder felt his place was to write, create and promote democratic ideals through his writing and, in doing so, provides a blueprint for others to follow. iii DEDICATION To my family and friends whose love and support have made everything in life possible, including this project. Thanks for carrying me, always. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Deepest thanks to Dr. Oliver Gerland, whose guidance and support during this project have been invaluable. There are no words to describe the depth of my gratitude to you for the time and energy you put into helping me realize this project. I would not be here without my wife, Amanda. Your constant support, care, and love have shaped me and this work more than you will ever know. Also, many heartfelt thanks to my committee: Dr. Beth Osnes, Dr. Cecilia Pang, Dr. Omaar Hena and Dr. Brook Davis. Thank you for your openness, honesty, and willingness to be a part. Finally, to all of the faculty, friends, family and students who have been a part of my academic journey. There are too many to list, but know that I fully recognize I am standing on your shoulders. Thank you for the part you have played. It means the world. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: Introduction………………………………………………………………..1 CHAPTER TWO: Wilder’s Biography……….………………………………………..…..18 CHAPTER THREE: Wilder’s Feminist Sensibility…………………………..…………...66 CHAPTER FOUR: Wilder’s Cosmopolitanism………….……………………………….114 CHAPTER FIVE: Wilder’s Democracy………..………………………………………….156 CHAPTER SIX: Conclusion………………………………………………………………..196 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………….…...207 vi CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION “If the planet Earth begins to understand its basic unity, since we are probably the only inhabited star, it will be full of promises and wonders. East and West have so many very important things to give each other. If we could only be about twenty years older and were then able to acknowledge this essential unity, this would undoubtedly have become true.” --Thornton Wilder1 Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) is one of the most celebrated U.S. authors of the 20th century. As a dramatist, he wrote one of the most frequently produced plays in the American dramatic canon, Our Town. Given his fame, it is surprising that very little has been written about Wilder’s dramatic works from a political perspective. My dissertation aims to address this oversight by unearthing a family-based social and political ethic in his dramatic works including Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth, and some of his shorter plays like Pullman Car Hiawatha and Bernice. Wilder’s work has been a formative part of my own theatrical journey. While many people have read Our Town in high school or seen a local or professional production of it, I had somehow not seen or read the play until I was well into my twenties. My first exposure to it was the highly regarded Barrow Street Theatre production of Our Town, directed by David Cromer. My experience seeing that production marked me; it is hard to describe how significant it was. I was inspired again by the power of the theatre, reminded of the significant live-ness of the theatrical event: live performers communicating a story to a captivated audience. It was an incredibly intimate setting, with actors mingling with audience members and the Stage 1 Wilder expressed his views on the Cold War when prompted in an interview, elucidating his thoughts on the division between “east” and “west” (Wagner 57). Longacre 2 Manager having direct and close communication to audience members. I was captivated by the daily goings-on of Grover’s Corners. I was intrigued by the play’s representation of family, marriage, love, and the mundane. But most of all, I experienced the profound commentary on grief, loss, and death in Act III. I will more fully describe the action in the play later in this work, but the final act portrays Emily, one of its central characters, going back to re-live one of her days on earth after she has passed away. She joins the land of the dead only to wish to go back to the land of the living; in doing so, she recognizes the tragedy of never fully knowing how significant, how meaningful, and how powerful our everyday interactions with those around us can and should be. I continue to carry her final lines with me in my daily interactions, my own theatrical practice, and my philosophy of life itself: Oh, earth, you are too wonderful for anybody to realize you. Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it—every, every minute? The production inspired me to jump headfirst back into the theatrical world. It moved me to try and appreciate how valuable our time here on earth can be. It forced me to appreciate the relationships we so often take for granted. It encouraged me to “realize life” more and more. And as I started to explore Wilder’s background and the ideas and philosophies informing his dramatic writing, I found a writer who had a depth of understanding, an optimism towards humanity that was inspiring and worth further investigation. When asked in 1953 by a German interviewer about his views on the Cold War, Wilder responded with the statement that serves as epigraph. Wilder places an emphasis on political unity rather than division: “planet Earth” has a “basic unity” that transcends the divisions between “East and West” (read “Soviets and Americans”). He employs the imagery of Longacre 3 reciprocity and exchange: “East and West” have “important things to give each other.” It is not a dissemination of material or ideological goods from West to East, or from East to West; it is a reciprocal exchange between the two. Finally, note Wilder’s optimism: if people could only acknowledge their “essential unity” at some point in the future (“twenty years”), the planet could be filled with “promises and wonders.” The perspective suggested by this remark is reminiscent of that pronounced by the residents of the cemetery in the third act of Our Town. Seen from beyond, the divisions and strife of daily life dissolve in awareness of an essential human one-ness. The desire that Wilder has to see a basic human one-ness promoted and realized often made him a man ahead of his time. Much of his political ideology seems to come so naturally to him and he has an optimistic view of the human ability to eventually move past many of the societal ills, prejudices and harm that was happening during much of Wilder’s writing career. In his literature and later in his teaching and speaking engagements, Wilder adheres to a political ethic that, in many ways, was revolutionary for the time in which he wrote. His plays, in some ways without consciously recognizing the fact, argue for gender and racial equality, for recognition of the other in society, and ultimately for a system of social and political thought that values everyone’s voice as equal. He asks his reader to put aside old ways of thinking and adopt new realities, a reality where all humankind can pursue freedom, truth, relationship and love. Wilder’s drama becomes a place where he begins exhibiting his political ideas, ideas that were second-nature to him. There is little evidence to suggest that Wilder was attempting to prove a political point through his drama; that was not his fundamental preoccupation.
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