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Our Town Drugs and Alcohol Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue.

Quote #4

SAM CRAIG: He was organist at church, wasn’t he? – Hm, drank a lot, we used to say.
JOE STODDARD: Nobody was supposed to know about it. He’d seen a peck of trouble. Behind his hand. Took his own life, y’know?
SAM: Oh, did he?
JOE Hung himself in the attic. They tried to hush it up, but of course it got around. He chose his own epy-taph. You can see it there. It ain’t a verse exactly.
SAM: Why, it’s just some notes of music – what is it?
JOE: Oh, I wouldn’t know. (III.58-65)

Simon’s suicide coupled with his alcoholism shows that there were heavier issues in his life than most other people knew about or, as the music notes suggest, could even understand.

Quote #5

Been rescuin’ a party; darn near froze to death, down by Polish Town thar. Got drunk and lay out in the snowdrifts. Thought he was in bed when I shook’m. (III.179)

Simon Stimson is not the only person with drinking problems in the area.