Examples Of Patriarchy In Fences

August Wilson’s play Fences has many examples of patriarchy. While at the time of writing it may not have seemed that way, but as times have changed, the definition of patriarchy has too. In August Wilson’s play Fences, the idea of being a good father is revealed through the mistakes Troy makes with the relationship between him and Cory. During the play, Troy speaks about how his father never set a good example, showing why Troy isn’t a very good father to Cory. When talking about his father and himself, Troy states, “... I could feel him kicking in my blood and knew that the only thing that separated us was the matter of a few years” (Wilson 172-173). This shows that Troy is starting to become the person that he hated so much in his past. In society, an expectation from men is that they be strong, independent, and emotionless. But sometimes, people take it too far.

While talking to Cory, Troy says, “While you thinking about a TV, I got to be thinking about the roof … and whatever else go wrong here” (Wilson 165). Troy again speaks about the responsibility aspect of being the patriarch of the family so things don’t fall apart. It is important to have a “head of the house” type of person in a family, but many people are plagued with that person being abrasive and in some cases, abusive. It is important to not abuse the power that is given to some