Fences serve as an enclosure, a barrier or a boundary to something. A fence does not have to be physical, it can be metaphorical one serving as an enclosure or a boundary to ideas. In Fences August Wilson uses metaphorical fences created by Troy and Cory to show the struggles of Black America. Because of his experience with segregation, Troy builds fences in his relationships.
Despite integration, the segregation in sports in the causes Troy to have a bad perspective on sports. Troy Maxson’s experience with baseball in the negro leagues, and him not being able to make it to the major leagues, has left him bitter, not believing in integration. He believes that despite the major leagues slowly becoming integrated, colored players a not treated equally. For instance in the integrated major leagues, colored players “got to be twice as good” to be on the team, and once they are on the team, the teams “don’t use them” which is the “same as not having them”(34). However, the unequal treatment of players in the major leagues was not limited to african american players. For example the Pittsburgh Pirates seldom played their
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Puerto Rican player Clemente. Troy believes that “[Clemente] could be something if [the Pirates] gave him a chance”, but because he was not played enough he could not reach his potential(33). The fact that after being integrated the major leagues were still segregated exacerbated Troy’s bad perspective on sports. Because of Troy’s negative perspective on segregation in sports, he builds a fence in his relationships with Cory. The fence that Troy builds between himself in Cory is Troy’s way showing his authority over Cory but is also meant to protect Cory from the racism he will likely face. Troy does not want Cory to “get hurt over playing no sports” and builds the fence to make Cory stronger because he realizes that “nobody gonna hold [Cory’s] hand when [Cory] get out there in that world”(39). The fence is built over the course of the play as Troy and Cory get into fights about Cory’s potential college football career. The construction of the fence begins when Troy forbids Cory from playing football. Cory accuses Troy of being “sacred [Cory is] gonna be better than [Troy]” which angers Troy and causes Cory to earn his first “strike”(58). The fence becomes larger after Troy and Cory’s second fight when Cory knocks Troy down for hurting Rose. Troy warns Cory to “stay away from around [Troy]” drawing Cory and Troy further apart(72). Although Troy’s intentions in building the fence are good, the fence deteriorates Troy’s relationship with Cory. Because of the fence Troy builds with Cory, Cory builds a fence between himself and his family.
The fence between Troy and Cory continues to grow until it completely separates Troy and Cory after their final fight. Cory leaves the house with all his things that are on “the other side of that fence” indicating Cory’s total separation not only from Troy but from his family. Cory builds a fence between himself and his family and is now “bound in the rule of the Marine Corps”(Fences 1). Cory believes building a fence with his family is necessary because it is the only way for him to get rid of Troy’s shadow that “weighed on [Cory] and sunk into [Cory’s] flesh”(96). He removes himself from one fence, by building another. Wilson wants the audience to see that all these fences are part of one big fence “against which all black are forced to struggle”(Fences
1). It is important to be able to identify and understand Fences in one’s own life, but also in the lives of others. Fences that individuals are confined in might be a result of a much larger fence that can only be taken taken down or dealt with by society as a whole. If a small group in a larger society is confined by fences that are holding them back in any way, it is the entire society’s responsibility to why those fences were built, and if they need to be taken down.
The fence symbolism is mainly used to depict Troy in the play. Troy constantly puts up a fence in his life to keep people out. He always criticizes his sons, Lyons and Cory, which makes them dislike their father. Troy pushes Lyons by not wanting to listen to the music that Lyons...
This makes Troy the antagonist in the story because he is not only hitting up against everyone in the play, but he is also hitting up against himself and ultimately making his life more complicated. The discrimination that Troy faced while playing baseball and the torment he endures as a child shaped him into one of the most dynamic characters in literary history. The central conflict is the relationship between Troy and Cory. The two of them have conflicting views about Cory’s future and, as the play goes on, this rocky relationship crumbles because Troy will not let Cory play collegiate football. The relationship becomes even more destructive when Troy admits to his relationship with Alberta and he admits Gabriel to a mental institution by accident.
The portion of Fences that I will be discussing is act one scene three, a plethora of emotions along with life lessons are displayed in this act. Act one scene three opens with Cory coming home from football practice and his mother Rose letting him know that his father is upset with him. Cory then lets her know that his father, Troy, has told him that they were going to work on the fence for the past five Saturdays, and Troy always ends up doing something else. Then Cory goes off to eat lunch and do his chores, this is when Troy enters the house and yells at Cory to come help him build the fence. In the midst of the build Cory ask Troy why haven’t they bought a TV yet, Troy goes on to explain that he would rather put the money towards tarring the roof to stop the leaks. Cory tells his father about putting down payments on the television, and his father yells at him about not wanting to owe anybody. Troy then says that if Cory can come up with half the money for the TV he will match it and they will finally get a TV. The two change the topic to baseball and begin to talk about diversity in Major League Baseball. Of course, Troy begins t...
There’s barriers everywhere in life including in the book by August Wilson, Fences. There are many barriers in life, like that one low-paying job that can’t get someone a new car. A barrier in life is very bad, so bad that it can even affect your loved ones. Everyone has a barrier they sometimes can’t get across, but there is always an answer for them. There is a lot of barriers in Fences. The fence symbolizes a barrier, and as the play goes on, the fences between characters really shows. In the play, the Fence functions as a physical, emotional and societal barrier; it also shows barriers between his relationships with his family.
The New York Times deems August Wilson as “the poet of black of black America” (Isherwood). Wilson brilliantly and wittingly brings life, meaning, and complexity to a culture of people. Furthermore, Wilson bridges this connection between African Americans and their cultural identity. The play Fences paints black life during the 1950’s era and it is the sixth play in a ten play cycle (“August Wilson’s Fences”). The 1950’s reflects a transitional state of time where African Americans were beginning to stand up and fight against racism. August Wilson integrates the social and cultural factors present during the 1950’s into his play Fences. Additionally, much of the issues faced by the characters within Fences are still relevant today, classifying the play as a true modern drama.
In conclusion, Troy and Cory were once a happy couple before the tragedy they created based on their ego and insensitivity to threats to their union. Though they can't be blamed for all their tragedies but it is their responsibility to deal with their issues before it gets out of hand. For example it is not Troy’s fault not to be able to play in the major league because of discrimination but it his responsibility to give his son a chance and also control his lustful desires that led to the birth of raynell which broke his wife’s
Troy was met with many hardships in his life that left him feeling like he needed to protect himself from the things that have hurt him and could hurt him. The fence that Rose told Troy to build symbolized the barrier that he puts up to protect himself from the things that have hurt him and could hurt him in the future. Troy uses the fence to symbolize the emotional separation and neglect he has towards his family; Rose and Cory in particular. The main reason why the fence took the whole play to complete is because Troy neglected it and spent his time with his mistress which symbolized his neglect towards his family. Cory brings this to attention when he tells Troy that he "don't never do nothing, but go down to Taylors'", which is obviously his mistress’s home (Henderson). This was Troy’s f...
Troy son, Cory, was a teenager that loved football and wanted to have a successful career playing. “I ain’t quitting the team. I don’t care what poppa says (Act 2)” Troy wanted Cory to quit football, not taking consideration of Cory feelings. Troy was Cory fence by stopping him from completing his dream.
The fence to Troy symbolizes keeping things out by establishing his territory. Troy has always been known as the alpha dog in the Maxson’s household, no matter what it takes, even if he has to push people away creating a blockade between him and his loved ones. This is clearly apparent with Troy’s son, Cory, throughout the entire play, but more specifically, the scene after Troy and Cory had an aggressive argument. “Tell mama I’ll be back for my things.” (Wilson, 89) Troy responds to Cory’s remake by answering in a unique way, saying “they’ll be on the other side of the fence.”(WIlson, 89) This quote shows that the fence is not only a physical barrier, but also an emotional one too. Troy is situating a line between himself and Cory that’s marking his territory; showing Cory his father is still under full control of his side of the fence.
In august wilson “Fences” talks about how each character want to build a fence around them to keep them in, while the others do not want to be fence in, and they want to be free and follow their dreams.
After this, we see Cory’s anger finally begin to boil and evaporate his fear. Cory takes his stand when he comes outside to see Troy hold Rose against her will. After this incident, the audience begins to see that Cory is no longer afraid of Troy. In Act II, Scene IV, Troy is sitting on the steps drunk when Cory needs to get by. Cory says, “I ain’t got to say excuse me to you. You don’t count around here no more.” (Pg. 85) On stage, we see the actors in a tense stare off while they measure up one another. When Troy shoves Cory down, there is a lot of symbolism in how dirty Cory becomes; his jeans become covered in dirt and it mirrors the shame and discomfort he feels for attempting to stand up against his own demon, Troy. However, instead of staying on the ground, Cory is quick to stand up again. This reflects how Cory is tired of being pushed down mentally by Troy and is ready to stand up as independent. All of Troy’s previous acts of aggression aligned with Cory’s ideal image of a father, however, the act of cheating on Rose did not. Upon this action, Cory lost respect for Troy in a similar way to how Troy loses respect for his own father (Pgs. 50-53). Cory always seems to be searching for a reason to stand up to Troy, and the strong bond between Cory and Rose overcame Cory’s need to feel respect toward his father. Cory deals
In the fourth scene of Act 2, Cory, after his father tells him to leave for fighting with him, says on page 89, “Tell Mama I’ll be back for my things.” To which Troy replies, “They’ll be on the other side of that fence.” Cory had the upper hand in the physical altercation he was engaged in with Troy until his father overpowered him, thus reaffirming his role as the dominant one in their household, a position his son sought after as he wanted to be the alpha male instead. When Troy tells Cory his things will be on the other side of the fence when he returns, he establishes it as the border between the outside world and his property on which his son isn’t welcome anymore. Although the fence has become a physical barrier between Troy and Cory, it can also be perceived as a representation of an emotional one that the former sets up against the
The title of Fences, by August Wilson, is a metaphor and acts as an internal, physical, and existential boundary for the characters, Rose and Troy, in the play. The fence has three meanings: a figurative constraint for Troy’s feelings, a protective ideal for Rose, and a symbol for the theme of impending mortality. Troy’s construction of the fence represents his inner desire to contain his infidelities while caught between pragmatic and imagined ideals. Rose, however, uses the fence as a physical barrier to define her property and protect her family. Lastly, the fence highlights the theme of mortality as an existential hurdle to the afterlife.
August Wilson uses the symbol of a 'fence' in his play, Fences, in numerous occasions. Three of the most important occasions fences are symbolized are by protection, Rose Maxson and Troy Maxson's relationship, and Troy against Mr. Death. Throughout the play, characters create 'fences' symbolically and physically to be protected or to protect. Examples such as Rose protecting herself from Troy and Troy protecting himself form Death. This play focuses on the symbol of a fence which helps readers receive a better understanding of these events. The characters' lives mentioned change around the fence building project which serves as both a literal and a figurative symbol, representing the relationships that bond and break in the backyard.
He loses his faith in society, and becomes a tragic hero, a person who used to do good deeds in the light of others but allows for his flaws or inner struggles to overcome him. Instead of striving to succeed, Troy views his life as a job or responsibility, and only makes an effort to achieve stability, not success. He says to Rose, “I get up Monday morning…Make my way. Find my strength to carry me through to the next Friday. That’s all I got, Rose. That’s all I got to give. I can’t give nothing else”. Troy is in fact living the American dream of having his own house, a family, and a job. However, part of the American dream is a drive to succeed and determination, and Troy has lost his. Troy became very emotionally invested in baseball, and when he was never able to make it to the major’s leagues due to the color of his skin, he was permanently scarred. He did not wish this agony on Cory, his second son, and tried to protect Cory from the treatment he received by forbidding sports in his life, however it had the opposite of the intended intent. When Troy ruins Cory’s chance of gaining a football scholarship, he did it because he believed whites wouldn’t let his son play, but the world had changed and Troy stubbornly refused to believe it. Troy’s wife Rose tries to explain that, “They got lots of colored boys playing ball now. Baseball and football.” Even Bono, Troy best friend tries to convey the same thing to him, “Times have changed, Troy, you just come along too early.” Troy’s flaws prevent him from acknowledging that times have changed. Instead of believing what everyone around him is saying, he follows his own misguided path of delusion, ruining his sons dream to play football and go to college. Because of his actions, he builds not just a fence, but also an impenetrable wall around himself, never opening up to his family. Only at his funeral do his family attain knowledge of