Little Town

Note: Hi, long time. :P I have no inspiration. Let's just conform to the fact that my life is essentially very boring, with little bursts of miracles now and then, but overall quite a drag. As I write this, I take a mental vow to publish this post no matter what (my eyes keep flitting back and forth between my writing and the publish button, and it's very distracting). I will consider this to be the goal for today. 

I've watched (and read) a lot of shows (and stories) which revolve around the concept of that 'Little Town' and I am very, very fascinated by this. What do I mean by the Little Town? This is in fact a term coined by myself for the stories which take place in small towns/cities and literally the whole life of the character teeters on the periphery of this town and never, ever leaves it. At least not until they land a job/school elsewhere.

Good example(s) for this would be (to the best of my knowledge), Wuthering Heights, Heidi (to some extent), Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the list goes on. All these stories take place in a small town (almost) and extend from the childhood of the protagonists to their adolescence and sometimes even beyond. There are (at the most) two or three important houses (for the sake of exposition) and a countable number of characters interacting with the hero/heroine. Of course, that has little to do with the small town. What really matters is how well you know this place.

And this, from Beauty and the Beast.

                 

For instance, what must it feel like to walk out of your house into the streets and know that even if you were to be led blindfolded to a shadowy nook of this town, you'd still find your way back? Of course, incredibly boring for the adventurous, mysterious kind. But there's a certain degree of nostalgic beauty in walking round a corner and knowing every neighbour, every shop which sells breads and sweets, mostly because there are only that many. Of knowing that there is only one pharmacy for your occasional trifling colds, and it's exactly two meters right from the Police Station. Knowing that there is a glaringly large scarlet Post Office which can be seen from atop the tallest building in the area, the grand Railway Station. At every hour, the Church Bell tolls and the loud yet gentle sound ripples all the way to the very furthest spot in town. There's one or two confectioneries where we choose the birthday cakes from, and maybe that one bar/restaurant which everyone frequents after school ends. And talking about school, there is probably just one or two such institutions and you eventually grow up knowing all the kids around you. And in an event which is highly unlikely to happen normally, you may end up finding a childhood soul mate. 
                     

Dorfli is the small town where Heidi takes place.

                               

The complex with this Little Town is everyone just wants to GET OUT OF IT. It's always the center of every climax and nobody wants to be involved in that kind of nonsense. The Little Town isn't just a pretty spot for making memories, it is a symbol of freedom. Everyone who grows up there, and gets their heart broken, will want to leave. Everyone who grows up there and faces a certain degree of oppression will want to break free. The conclusion of such stories is usually quite definitive; the character either bursts into a lightning speed, or walks away gently, right out of the Little Town. Although in some cases, they stay and save their home, but that's asking too much of Tom Sawyer (who was the problem in his town) and Anne Shirley (who had ridiculously accusatory acquaintances). 

To Kill a Mockingbird

                               

Everyone moves to the cities to pursue their dreams, leaving the Little Town behind, forgetting that the basis of all dreams are childhood loves and hopes. I know, because when I think about becoming an author, the first thing I think of is that moment back in my suburban home, when I was writing letters to my future self and hiding them within the pages of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. That's why I love that Tolkien made Frodo and Bilbo return to Hobbiton after their respective adventures, because the idea of Hobbiton and Bag's End is the idea of a Little Town. And every Little Town has its own Bagginses (and Sackville-Bagginses).  
       

Hobbiton *cue Concerning Hobbits*

                             

I've spent a greater fraction of my life moving in and out of cities, and therefore, I've traded some beautiful opportunities for (perhaps) even better ones. But I've always longed for a permanence, the kind which lasts in home, friendships and family and that which is so aptly exemplified in the Little Town. And even so during childhood, when these impressions last for a lifetime. But I think we all have the ability to create this town within us, and for everyone who goes back home with a happy heart, this is indeed a quivering reality.