Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Analysis of august wilson's fences
The theme of racism in fences
Analysis of august wilson's fences
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Analysis of august wilson's fences
In Fences, August Wilson enlightens his audience by showing how miniority groups are tired of oppression and are now starting to fight for equality. Troy wants Bwownie to “give everybody a chance to drive the truck” (3). On his own since age fourteen, Troy shows he has fight in him, as he took care of himself, got thrown into jail, gets a job as a garbage collector, and gives Lyons money from his paycheck that he worked so hard to earn. Something that surprised me was the father and son relationship between Troy and Cory. Troy did not seem to necessarily love his children, but he sacrificed for them because they were his responsibility. Troy seemed just like his father, as “he felt a responsibility toward us . . . but without that responsibility he could have walked off and left us” (51). Troy learns from his father that he cannot run away from his family no matter how hard the time may be. …show more content…
What Rose did not understand was how she dedicated eighteen years to Troy and he “‘should have held me [Rose] tight . . . you should have grabbed me and held on’” when he was questioning the point of his life or just needed a break (70). Cory does not “‘know how she [Rose] can stand you [Troy] . . . after what you did to her’” (87). Rose did not leave Troy after he confessed of his affair, but as far as she is concerned Troy is “‘a womanless man’” (79). Rose acknowledges the innocence of children, as she could not “‘visit the sins of the father upon the child . . . from right now . . . this child got a mother’” (79). The innocence of Raynell was the reason that Rose took her in, she was not feeling anything for Troy but he could not raise a little girl correctly by himself. Rose “‘take[s] care of your [Troy’s] baby . . . [because] she’s innocent’” (79). Rose, as a woman, carries more compassion within her for the child, but cannot forgive Troy and his
At first glimpse, Rose Maxson is your typical African American housewife at those times. She is often seen tending to the needs of her family, cooking and doing the laundry. Despite Troy’s abrasive nature, she sticks with him for the majority of the play. While she may seem like an average housewife, she is not submissive and is always calling Troy out whenever he is being inappropriate, or when he tells one of his stories and is
After this moment of peripeteia, Troy’s life is anything but pleasurable and the loved ones he used to surround himself with are
... money – is often shown to be a man) where Rose is left to lead to her motherly, nurturing role (though an oversimplification, as Rose has her own power – the mother is not weak – Rose does end up taking care of his child with another woman). These duties each have, the obligations Rose feels to Troy, the responsibility Troy feels to his family, show the usual ideas of the man and woman in society. In addition, the dominant, demanding way Troy treats his family and the selfishness he shows all contribute to the image of a slightly arrogant and entitled man with traditionally masculine characteristics. Rose, in contrast, takes up the position of a doting wife, and her bitterness because of this is unveiled after Troy tells her of his affair. Like with many of his other characters, Wilson uses Rose and Troy to depict the social opinions, beliefs, and situations of
The complication begins in Troy’s youth, when his father beat him unconscious. At that moment, Troy leaves home and begins a troubled life on his own, and gaining a self-destructive outlook on life. “Fences” has many instances that can be considered the climax, but the one point in the story where the highest point of tension occurs, insight is gained and a situation is resolved is when Rose tells Troy that Alberta died having his baby, Raynell.
Troy was secretly having an extramarital affair with a woman named Alberta. Troy’s friends all knew the truth, but Troy continually denied any involvement with Alberta. Troy’s best friend, Bono, however, managed to convince Troy what he was wrong for continuing the affair. Troy then came clean to Rose, telling her he was going to be the father of a child Alberta was pregnant with. Rose became heartbroken. She told Troy, “I been standing with you! I been right here with you, Troy. I got a life too. I gave eighteen years of my life to stand in the same spot as you. Don’t you think I ever wanted other things? Don’t you think I had dreams and hopes?” (1606). Rose had given up her entire life to be with Troy. However, Troy never once apologized. Troy continually defended himself, and he went as far as to justify himself. Troy claimed Alberta was an escape for Troy. Troy stated, “It’s just… She gives me a different idea… a different understanding about myself. I can step out of this house and get away from the pressures and problems” (1605). Rose was hurt, however, and Troy never apologized nor stopped seeing Alberta. He continued to live in an illusion that he could keep both his family and his secret life separate. However, Alberta later died in childbirth. Her daughter, Raynell, was to be raised by Troy and Rose. Troy effectively destroyed his marriage because of his excessive pride. He refused to believe he was in the
Throughout the play, readers see an incomplete fence which symbolizes Rose (Troy’s wife) and Troy’s drifting relationship. Rose wants Troy and Cory to build a fence to keep her loved ones protected. This is evident when Rose is seen singing the church hymn, “Jesus, be a fence all around me every day. Jesus, I want you to protect me as I travel on my way” (I. ii). This insinuates the fact that Rose wants to keep her family close. Rose and Troy’s relationship seemed to be breaking down after eighteen years and the fence may have also been a way to keep Troy in Rose’s life. Yet, Troy has been in no rush to finish the fence. He sees it as some sort of confinement. Fences contain a lot of barriers that Troy tries to keep down; one barrier being his marriage. Troy claims that he has so much love for Rose, but readers see that exclusive relationships makes him feel caged in. He keeps the fence unfinished because he knows that if he finishes it than it will symbolize the end of his escape to his mistress, Alberta. Troy’s affair builds a fence that separates his marriage causing his actions to affect Rose by caging her in with a daughter that is not hers: “From right now . . . this child got a mother. But you a womanless man.” Rose tried to use a fence of divine power to keep her family protected. Troy neglected this by committing adultery, leavi...
This is the reason why Troy fights against his family and himself, because he feels like he is the only one who can protect them. To Cory and Rose, Troy is destroying the family because of his stubborn thoughts but to Troy he is saving the family from falling apart and this distrust causes the family to eventually fall apart. Troy really does try his hardest to be a good father and is bothered by the fact that Rose and Cory do not see it as him trying to protect them but more of him destroying the family. This hurts Troy because his family is his everything they are what he “fights” for he works day end and day out to put food on the table and try to give them a life he thinks the deserve. August Wilson in “fences” Troy says, “ I love this woman, so much it hurts. I love her so much… I done run out of ways to love her.”(1.1) Wilson uses to show how much Troy actually cares for his wife, to Troy Rose is his everything, she is the light in his darkness, she try’s to guide him back to a sane man. Another Way Wilson shows how much Troy loves his family is when Troy is talking to his family and says that “ You all line up at the door, with your hands out. I give you the lint from my pockets. I give you my sweat and my blood…”(1.3) Troy is saying that he will give them everything until he has absolutely nothing but the lint from his pockets. He will go out of his way to make
Don’t you tell that lie on me.” (p. 98). Troy is extremely angry and frustrated with Rose because although Troy has committed the sin, Rose is not understand his reasoning for committing it. She continues to tell him that he has done the wrong thing by cheating on her, but Troy just takes her response as a shot at his dignity, and he therefore gets exceptionally mad at Rose. Additionally, because he feels as though his dignity is being undermined, Troy is not able to apologize to Rose for what he has done to her.
In this conversation between father and son, Cory unearths Troy's deep seeded emotions towards his family. Though he does love his family, and his tenderness and concern are on display in other scenes, Troy has come to a point in his life where he finally becomes broken by the responsibility of caring for them. Responsibility, in Troy's world, is the most noble calling of a man. This responsibility, however, has caused Troy to become a bitter man. He cannot "like" his son because of his desire that Cory not become like him.
Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you.” The fence also symbolizes her qualities of being a mother and a loving wife, who had faith in her family even when her family’s relationship was falling apart due to Troy’s selfish acts. “I done tried to be everything
Although it may have broke her heart,late when it was time for the baby to come into the world her mother was called home to be with the lord and Rose takes care of the child and loves her as if she was her own. It was a girl and her name was Raynell. Because Rose decided to take care of the child,it shows that she has a good heart and that she puts her feelings to the side and do what has to be
Yet, he is very oblivious towards them. Troy can be seen with too much pride that he truly does not deserve. Let’s not forget the fact that he cheated on his wife and had a baby with the women he had an affair with. Lastly, Troy struggles with stubbornness that is described as his “fatal flaw.”
A huge contributor to Rose’s character is her push to get the fence built, which is symbolic to keeping the family together. It is a way for her to keep out the bad and protect the good. Mollie O’reilly tells us, “The fence around the yard that Troy is building throughout the play is Rose's idea--an expression of her desire to define and protect what she values. She is a reconciler, determined to hold her family together; she stays on the margins of the men's conversation in the yard and changes the subject whenever she senses danger or discord” (O’reilly). Rose is the opposite of selfish.
According to the excerpt, Rose states, “Your daddy wanted you to be everything he wasn’t ……..and at the same he tried to make everything he was…….. sometimes when he touched he bruised .And sometimes when he took me in his arms he cut.” Consequently Rose was that Troy wants Cory to be the type of man he was and the man he always wanted to be. He sometimes hurt people for showing tough love.
Troy’s Father’s importance and impact on him become evident as soon as Troy’s childhood is known. Despite the hate Troy felt towards his father, he ended up very similar to him. Troy’s father didn’t love or even care about his children, but he did have a responsibility he owed them. . “Maybe he ain’t treat us the way he should have….but without that responsibility he could have walked off and left us.” (I iv, 51). This was the one thing Troy agreed with his father about. However, this trait of responsibility would be used in somewhat of a double standard, with over emphasizing it on Cory but not seeming to consider it on Rose. Troy changes situations to fit his