The Destruction Of Troy's Character In Fences, By August Wilson

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A man’s most important role in life is to provide for his family and support their wellbeing. A selfish attitude can be the downfall of any desired relationship with family and friends. The poem Fences by August Wilson portrays the character of a man that does not have any major accomplishments in his life. He is an ordinary man with a rude persona towards his own loved ones. Troy Maxson’s character in the story exerts his bitterness into his actions and relationships. This causes in a whirlwind of family behavior exhibited in a cyclical pattern that results in his ultimate tragedy of an unfulfilled existence. His insensitivity does not lead to a successful outcome in his life. In the play, Troy faces many life struggles such as providing for …show more content…

He is comfortable in his low paying job, barely scraping by. Troy took his brother’s injury settlement check from the army to purchase the house that his family resides in. The metal plate in Gabriel’s head funded the roof over Troy’s family (Wilson 1849). Troy makes barely enough to pay the bills. He does not even have the money to fix the roof that may pose destruction to the house. The roof has not been tarred in over ten years and Troy does not have two hundred and sixty-four dollars in cash to repair it (Wilson 1851). In Troy’s previous marriage he conceived a baby during the time that he was homeless and was robbing people to survive. He murdered a man and was incarcerated in jail for fifteen years (Wilson 1861). His wife had to supply for herself and the baby while Troy was locked in a penitentiary for making terrible choices. “Troy's life has been shaped by racial discrimination, economic injustice, and an abusive upbringing” (O’ Reilly). The path that he follows, lined with faulty selections, sets him in a situation in which he only furnishes based on low standards. He allows his upbringing to interfere with the outcome of his …show more content…

Rose devotes her entirety to Troy, whom does not show his appreciation for her in return. He procrastinates on the minor tasks for his wife, such as building her a fence for her garden. Additionally, he betrays her by desiring love from another woman. Bono expresses his awareness of the situation to Troy, and he responds that he is only being polite by buying her drinks (Wilson 1837). Troy denies having relations with Alberta, but as the story unfolds, he is proven to be unfaithful. “Yet even as he informs Rose of his unfaithfulness, he insists, "I ain't sorry for nothing I done. It felt right in my heart” (O’ Reilly). Troy’s adulterous behavior severs the remaining portion of his relationship with Rose. He conceives a child with Alberta while cheating and she dies giving birth to the baby. Rose agrees to care for the innocent child because she does not know the sins of her father (Wilson 1873). Rose attends to the baby girl as if she were her own, but no longer revolves her worries around Troy. She consumes herself with church to deal with the burdens that her husband has inserted into their

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