What does it mean to be truly good or evil? Throughout history and across many societies, people have attempted to create definite parameters for good and evil acts, creating legal, religious, and social laws that outline what acts were deemed ‘good’ and ‘evil’. However, there still has been no consensus on this concept, with ethicists continuing to argue on what is considered moral and immoral to this day on a variety of topics. In his play, Fences, August Wilson delves into some of the complexities of this question. The play focuses on the story of an African-American family living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the 1950s. The play mainly focuses on Troy Maxon, the patriarch and breadwinner of the family, and his relationships with his …show more content…
As demonstrated in this quote, Troy has the desire for Cory to have a better life than his own, revealing his conflicting motivations as a fire. Troy’s own father was abusive and neglectful, leaving Troy to fend for himself at just fourteen, resulting in him living in instability for most of his life. Therefore, Troy’s difficult upbringing affects his relationship with Cory, making him want to shield Cory from his hardships. Furthermore, through his interactions with his sons, Troy Maxon’s moral ambiguity becomes clear as he fluctuates between moments of affection and authoritarianism. This is shown in the following quote, where Tory is talking to Cory about how all he has done for Cory was out of obligation, and that is all he owes Cory. Troy says, "Don't you try and go through life worrying about if somebody likes you or not. You best be making sure they're doing right by you” (Wilson 38). Although Troy appears harsh in this quote, he is attempting to give Cory legitimate advice. Rather than worrying about the opinions of others, Troy tells Cory to focus on himself rather than others and to make sure others treat him …show more content…
Others may argue that Troy’s actions throughout the play are not morally ambiguous, but indisputably immoral. They may argue that his infidelity, emotional abuse towards his family, and refusal to take responsibility for his actions demonstrate consistent unethical behavior, leaving little room for ambiguity in his character. However, this perspective undermines the trauma Troy has faced and its major impact on his life and actions. Being distant from his family is the only type of father-child relationship Troy knows, and he is trying his best to emulate this with Cory, prioritizing instilling a sense of independence over love and support in his children. Despite his flaws, Troy's actions are shaped by his own experiences and struggles, which should not be dismissed when evaluating his character. Until Troy met Rose, he generally received no love from the people around him, leading him to believe that toughness and independence were the only ways to survive in a harsh world. This upbringing, combined with his disappointments and failures, ultimately shaped Troy into the flawed character that he
Troy, without the use of force, wishes Lyons, would change his ways to match his new ideology; on the contrary, Troy attempts to force Cory, his youngest son, to adopt these beliefs. In fact, Troy wants Cory to exemplify a more developed and enriched ideology than he himself has. Telling Lyons his point of view, Troy says the following:
The play, 'Fences', presents a slice of life in a black tenement and is set in the late 1950's, through 1965. The main character, Troy Maxson, is a garbage collector. Throughout the play he rebels and frustrates as he struggles for fairness in a society which seems to offer none. His actions and behavior towards his family can be interpreted by a reader as those of a violent and bad father. However, soon one notices that beneath a mask of cruelty and toughness there is an individual who takes responsibility for his family no matter how difficult circumstances may seem. Hence, he is a good father who tries to keep his family together and provide necessities for them.
Fences was published in 1983 but the setting was the 1950s in August Wilsons home town. Wilson’s main purpose of this play is to show how the separation of humans into racial groups can create social and finance instability and can have a huge effect on African Americans and whites. The 1950s was the middle of the civil rights era. The Maxsons Family is African American, In the 1950s there was not many jobs for African Americans; most people believed that this is what pushed Troy to steal things in order to provide for his family. Troy went to prison for murder and when he got out he was determined to do good deeds and to turn his life around; shortly after he got out of prison he got a job as a Garbage man. Troy is a tragic figure and a villain; he is a tragic figure because he made great effort to do good deeds for his family, but he allowed his imperfections to get in his way which led to a horrible death. Troy is a villain because of what he did to his wife Rose. (Shmoop; Editorial Team)
Conflicts and tensions between family members and friends are key elements in August Wilson's play, Fences. The main character, Troy Maxon, has struggled his whole life to be a responsible person and fulfill his duties in any role that he is meant to play. In turn, however, he has created conflict through his forbidding manner. The author illustrates how the effects of Troy's stern upbringing cause him to pass along a legacy of bitterness and anger which creates tension and conflict in his relationships with his family.
In the play Fences by August Wilson, Troy is shown as a man who has hurt the people who are closest to him without even realizing it. He has acted insensitive and uncaring to his wife, Rose, his brother, Gabriel and his son, Cory. At the beginning of the story, Troy feels he has done right by them. For example in act 2 scene 1, “I give them fifty dollars and they let him go.” Troy meant that he paid the coach to have Cory off the team. He thought he did a good thing but Cory could’ve gone far if he kept playing football. He feels this throughout the story. He doesn’t realize how much he has hurt them.
In a simple fictional world, characters are either good or bad, heroes or villains. The heroes almost always win and defeat the villains. In August Wilson’s Fences, Troy Maxson is more complex than that. He has both good and bad qualities. He is both a hero and a villain. Because of this, Troy can be considered an antihero.
... does tell the truth. He talks truthfully about his father and how he is a lot like him. He also admits that the only difference with him and his father is that he does not beat his children. Troy provided for his family. Additionally, even though he was very tough on Cory, he admitted that he was responsible for taking care of him and the rest of the family. In Act One, scene three, Troy explains to Cory why he treats him the way he does. Cory asks, “How come you ain’t never liked me?” (1346). Troy can’t admit to like his own son, so points out that he doesn’t have to like him in order to provide for him. “[…] ‘Cause it’s my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to you! […] I ain’t got to like you” (1347). Deep down, somewhere in the dark abyss that is Troy’s heart, he sincerely cares about his family. He just has a very different way of articulating it.
Perhaps the most important and fulfilling relationship a man can be involved in is one with his own flesh and blood. At the beginning of the play, we learn that Troy has two sons, Lyons and Cory. Lyons is Troy's son by a previous marriage and Cory is Troy's son by his current marriage. Neither Lyons nor Cory share a close relationship with their father and Troy is mostly to blame for that.
August Wilson brings out the struggle of Troy Maxson in his play, Fences. All those that matter to him end up feeling this struggle, for it remains constantly inside of him. As it overcomes Troy the respect and love that he was previously given dwindles to nothing. Troy’s actions and failure to fix them makes his true character known. Troy Maxson’s flawed nature is shown when he fails his family by giving way to his selfishness and the traits of his father.
In the play Fences by August Wilson, we are introduced to the Maxsons. An African American family struggling to live in Pittsburgh during the 1950’s pre civil rights movement. This play was the sixth out of ten plays in Wilson's Pittsburgh cycle. Fences was also a pulitzer prize winner. At the beginning of the play we are introduced to Troy. He is the patriarch of the family and his problems and mistakes are what lead the Maxson family to be torn apart. Troy treats his wife, Rose, and his sons, Cory and Lyons, poorly. Troy, can be seen as a villain. Troy proves himself to be more of a villain than a hero thought the play. He takes advantage of his wife Rose, treats his sons, Cory and Lyons, poorly, was once a criminal, and is unsympathetic
There are many causes that molded Troy Maxson into the dishonest, cantankerous, hypocritical person that he is in August Wilson’s play, “Fences” (1985). Troy had an exceptionally unpleasant childhood. He grew up with a very abusive father that beat him on a daily basis. His mother even abandoned him when he was eight years old. In this play, Troy lies habitually and tries to cover himself up by accusing others of lying. He is a very astringent person in general. His dream of becoming a major league baseball player was crushed as a result of his time spent in jail. By the time he was released from jail, he was too old to play baseball efficiently.
The theme of August Wilson’s play “Fences” is the coming of age in the life of a broken black man. Wilson wrote about the black experience in different decades and the struggle that many blacks faced, and that is seen in “Fences” because there are two different generations portrayed in Troy and Cory. Troy plays the part of the protagonist who has been disillusioned throughout his life by everyone he has been close to. He was forced to leave home at an early age because his father beat him so dramatically. Troy never learned how to treat people close to him, and he never gave anyone a chance to prove themselves because he was selfish.
This is the reason why Troy fights against his family and himself, because he feels like he is the only one who can protect them. To Cory and Rose, Troy is destroying the family because of his stubborn thoughts but to Troy he is saving the family from falling apart and this distrust causes the family to eventually fall apart. Troy really does try his hardest to be a good father and is bothered by the fact that Rose and Cory do not see it as him trying to protect them but more of him destroying the family. This hurts Troy because his family is his everything they are what he “fights” for he works day end and day out to put food on the table and try to give them a life he thinks the deserve. August Wilson in “fences” Troy says, “ I love this woman, so much it hurts. I love her so much… I done run out of ways to love her.”(1.1) Wilson uses to show how much Troy actually cares for his wife, to Troy Rose is his everything, she is the light in his darkness, she try’s to guide him back to a sane man. Another Way Wilson shows how much Troy loves his family is when Troy is talking to his family and says that “ You all line up at the door, with your hands out. I give you the lint from my pockets. I give you my sweat and my blood…”(1.3) Troy is saying that he will give them everything until he has absolutely nothing but the lint from his pockets. He will go out of his way to make
August Wilson created many themes throughout his famous play, Fences, but the most prominent one is the relationship between fathers and sons. The three father-son relationships introduced in this play seem to be complicated or difficult to understand. However, it is clear that the relationships built between Troy Maxson and his son Cory, Troy and his other son Lyons, and Troy and his own father are not love-driven. The parallelism of actions, events, and tension amongst each of the father-son relationships in the play illustrate how the sons try to break free from the constraints the father has set, yet in the end, these attempts seem to be pointless as the father leaves an everlasting effect on the sons, ultimately creating a cycle of actions
Written by Samuel Coleridge in 1797, the union of Christabel and Geraldine, two women, was something uncommon to write about in the eighteenth century. By applying a gothic setting in his poem “Christabel”, it allowed Coleridge to explore the darker themes of sensuality, producing a distancing device to render the power of sexual and sinful actions. Christabel is also a reflection of Coleridge as he tried to seek a companionship and a relationship with someone who would give him a purpose in his writing.