Obstacles In Fences, By August Wilson

A dream is like a star, it shines bright for all to see, but when dies it leaves a violent aftermath. Fences is a play written by August Wilson, set in Pittsburgh in the 1950s, mainly in the dirt yard of the Maxson household, a lower class African American family. The Maxson family and the rest of the African American community are still subject to segregation and discriminatory laws that hinder their ability to climb an economic and social ladder. Troy and Cory, both protagonists, face different types of obstacles in life that restrain their positive growth throughout the play. Troy is an older man in his mid-50s who was a talented baseball player but was thrown in jail and was never able to pursue his dream. Whereas Cory, Troy’s son, is held

back from reaching his aspiration of going to college and playing football because of his father’s negative attitude of higher level of athletics and discriminations in them. Altogether, August Wilson, through his characters in his play Fences, creates situations which support a theme and creates a message of crushed dreams lead to a bitter outlook on life.

Wilson illustrates the idea of how fences can destroy dreams through the life obstacles of Troy Maxson and the repercussions to create a bitter outlook of life.

Troy explains how in his younger years, he played baseball and how he was a great player and that he could still play in the major leagues if Blacks were not discriminated against in athletics. However, Rose responds to his rant by telling Troy that “Times have changed since you was playing baseball, Troy. That was before the war. Times have changed a lot since then” (Wilson 9). In addition to being thrown in jail, the obstacles that stopped Troy from playing baseball professionally were racial. The segregation in the society creates a fence most likely gives Troy the hostile views of the white population. Also, since he was not able to fully pursue his dream he now feels cheated and upset with his life, thus supporting the theme and conveying the message that crushed dreams lead to a bitter outlook on life. Later in the novel, after Troy has impregnated his secret lover Alberta, he is trying to rationalize his actions as he makes more metaphors to baseball as he “Just might have been able to steal second. Do you understand after eighteen years I wanted to steal second.” (70). In Troy’s attempt to justify his action, he reveals that he is in a rut in life and this is the reason for his affairs. He feels stuck, and wants a change in life to something more prominent and luxurious that would come with being able to

play baseball in life. However, because he is too old for playing baseball he seeks out other avenues of relieving the stress of the normal day routine. Through betrayal of Troy to his wife, Wilson’s theme is shown again of that crushed dreams lead to a bitter outlook on life by showing that since he doesn't enjoy his current life, he doesn’t view it as worth living so he escapes to another, this stems from not living his dream life. Ultimately, Troy’s attitude towards life is reflected in his home life and creates problems between him and his son Cory, these problems result in a similar situation of Troy, in Cory.

Wilson also creates scenarios that support his theme of broken dreams turning into bitter outlooks on life through Cory and his struggles with his father to clear an impasse.

Cory has been offered an opportunity to be recruited and play college football, however due to Troy’s more than unfavorable attitude towards any sports and how they will discriminate against Cory, Troy refuses to let Cory pursue this. Despite Cory and Rose’s persistence, Troy will not budge from his stance and continues to explain that “[He] don’t want [him] to get all tied up in them sports. Man on the team and what it get him? They got colored on the team and don't use them. Same as not having them. All teams the same.” (34).Troy continues to show his dislike for the white population and society because he does not want Cory to become assimilated with the whites. Troy never budges from his stance and Cory is never given the opportunity to pursue his dream, thus creating a strong tension between Cory and his father that gives Cory a grim perspective on life. This is another way that Wilson conveys his message about crushed dreams and how they can alter how a person views their life. However, later in the play after Cory has graduated from the Marine Corps he returns to the home in the occasion of Troy’s funeral but not to attend because he left with the anger that his father brought upon him. Nonetheless he reveals that he will go to the funeral by telling Raynell to “change them shoes like mama told

you so we can go to Papa’s funeral.”(100) after Rose talks to him. Although Cory resolved his differences with his father and came to peace with his life, his conflict with his father make him feel bitter towards how his life played out, which is why he did not want to attend his father funeral, being the person that caused these problems. Altogether, Wilson was able to convey his message and theme through Cory’s life obstacles, losing his football recruitment opportunity and creating tensions between him and his father, of how crushed dreams create bitter outlook on life.

Ultimately, Troy and Cory were mere tools in Wilson's plan of conveying a message of that when dreams are deferred they alter the character and his or her view of life. Troy’s crushed dreams of playing baseball stemming from a metaphoric fence, the discrimination and rules that Negros were not allowed in the major leagues. This was followed by Troy living a sour life and this behavior created another metaphoric fence for his son by refusing to let him play football in college, this then disappoints Cory and has a strong bitter outlook on life because of what his father did, this is why he was indifferent about attending his father funeral. Wilson’s message of crushed dreams and bitter outlooks can be related back to the troubles in the time of the mid-20th century. While the Black community hardly ever reached dreams, this would have caused a bitter outlook and thus discouraging them against rising up an economic and social ladder in America. This sends a more universal message that there will be obstacles and problems in your quest but once you let one stop you, there is no going back.