Fences August Wilson Character Analysis

Why do humans act as they do? Mankind exhibits a diversity of physical and psychological characteristics that encourages our personal traits, deeming whom we are and how we interact with others. The behaviors of humans individualize each of us accordingly and our perspective of the earth and human nature, as interpreted in Fences by August Wilson. Fences presents the audience with a representation of physical and psychological struggles exhibited in the main character, Troy, and how his mindset is based upon his history, era, and expectations. Not only do the characters attribute their behaviors from the historical time context or the setting, but the author himself spawns the ideology of the characters. August Wilson’s Fences demonstrates

Born to a poor family in Pittsburgh, 1945, Wilson had faced racism and hardships which led to his forthcoming, dropping from school at 15. Wilson’s elaborate interpretation of African-American struggles throughout the 20th century can be in relation to his own life struggles of when he faced accusation of plagiarism in school because of his racial background. Much of Wilson’s work is intended to show how African-Americans cope with struggle through the decades, as Fences, paves a ground to show how blacks on the path to their successes, never achieve them as good as it should be from their own talents. With Wilson’s portrayal of Fences in the 1950s, much of the characters are split on the history of oppressive racism and the new world opportunity to all races, leaving the characters to ravel upon what is considered most ethical. Wilson draws upon cultural context to generate a meaning within his playwrights, giving realistic tendencies to his characters and why they behave accordingly. Such, Wilson bases Troy’s life much like that of an African-American whom been oppressed with southern and southern ideology, generating a conflicting mindset. Although, much of Wilson’s playwright ideas are attributed to his own setting of where he had grown up and his knowledge of facing racism at an early

Before then, black athletes had been segregated from participation in white athletics, similar to that of Troy Maxson’s youth. Although Cory receives praise for his athletics with a scholarship opportunity, Troy’s psychological mindset had been stuck in the past, giving Troy the sense of no success for a colored athlete. Troy believes Cory can never make a realistic career out of playing football in college because of his racial identity, as Troy himself, a very talented athlete, was rejected from the major leagues. Cory’s explanation that the sports world had changed since his father’s time is true, because of the depiction of the story placing itself in the 1950s, a time frame already a near half decade from Robinson’s appearance into major league sporting. Although, Troy doesn’t believe that the color barrier can ever be broken and that blacks will always be oppressed, which is why Cory should find himself a real job that he won’t find disappointment in. Troy’s psychological mindset cannot see how anything is possible and still falls back on his past experience in sports, but times have changed since Jackie Robinson appeared to the scene. In addition, the inclusion of Hank Aaron leading the Braves to the World Series, demonstrates how blacks at the time could become sports leaders within a time of Troy’s sons