Importance of Rehearsal in Our TownWilder was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1897, to Amos Parker Wilder and Isabella Wilder. In 1906, Amos Wilder was appointed American consul general and his family moved with him to Hong Kong. Thornton Wilder lived in Hong Kong for only 6 months, returned to the United States with his mother, then in 1911 joined his father in Shanghai for a year. Wilder attended Oberlin College for two years, moved with his family to New Haven, Connecticut, and entered Yale University. He wrote his first full-length play in 1920, which appeared in the Yale Literary Magazine. After receiving his BA from Yale, he traveled and taught French. In 1926, he received his master's degree in French literature from Princeton. Thornton Wilder effectively illustrates the importance of the repetition of life in Our Town through the cycle of life, the love of George and Emily, and the play "Blessed Be the Tie that Binds." Wilder's spectacle of the cycle of life in Our Town illustrates the importance of the repetition of life. In Act I, the beginning of the cycle of life is shown when Dr. Gibbs returns home after giving birth to twins. In the act "Love and Marriage," which follows three years later, the stage manager describes children growing up and learning to speak, and people who were once athletic discovering they can't do what they used to do. He goes on to say that most young people felt ready to get married and start a family. This was also true for George Gibbs and Emily Webb. They went from being children to being adults. In Act III, which takes place nine years later...... middle of paper ......ral sings the song to show the gap between the dead and the living. “Blessed is the tie that binds” makes the play and life easier to understand. Thornton Wilder effectively demonstrates the importance of the repetition of life in our city through the cycle of life, the love of George and Emily, and the game of "Blessed is the Tie that Binds." The cycle of life repeats itself from birth to life, then to death, then to birth. George and Emily's love is repetitive and never-ending, even after Emily's death, demonstrating the importance of life. As “Blessed Be the Tie that Binds” is heard repeatedly throughout the piece, it serves as a bridge across a void of time or place, which is important to understanding the piece. It's no wonder Wilder won a Pulitzer Prize for his life's in-depth work..