What Are The Similarities Between Troy And Cory In Fences

This paper analyzes the conflicting mindsets of Troy and Cory in Fences and how those polar opposite mindsets, along with their contrasting hidden rules, affect their father-son relationship. Troy has more of a poverty mindset, while Cory has more of a middle class mindset. This leads to the two of them repeatedly butting heads throughout the duration of the play, which more specifically creates the fissures that end up breaking their relationship. The first fissure is created when Cory and Troy argue about Cory’s football career and college education. The second fissure is created after Cory pushes Troy away from Rose, who was upset at Troy after learning that he had been cheating on her. The final fissure occurs when Troy and Cory fight verbally

and then physically. Each fight creates a fissure in their relationship and is noted as a strike by Troy. After the third strike occurs, he deems Cory to have struck out and makes him leave the house indefinitely.

Troy and Cory’s Differing Mentalities Cause Their Strained Relationship and Eventual Fallout
Some of the concepts from the book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty: A Cognitive Approach, when applied to Cory and Troy’s relationship in Fences explains why the two characters fight frequently. When Troy’s actions are analyzed it is apparent that he fits more into the poverty category, while Cory’s actions place him more into the middle class category. Their differing mentalities and hidden rules are what lead to their many disagreements, which ultimately add up to their fall out and to Cory’s “strike out.”
The first place the readers see a major clash between Troy’s poverty mindset and Cory’s middle class mindset occurs in Act I scene iv.

Cory comes home with his football gear on and immediately confronts his father. Troy apparently told the football coach that Cory could not play football anymore and that the college recruiter should not visit. In Act I scene iii, Troy said, “First you gonna get your butt down there to the A&P and get your job back” (Wilson, 1987, p. 1851). Troy emphasizes the importance of Cory getting his job back immediately, because individuals with a poverty mindset have a difficult time preparing for the future. According to Payne (2013), they think more about the present, and decisions are made with short term survival in mind. Cory, on the other hand, realizes that his only chance to further his education is to receive a scholarship to play football. In Act I scene iii, Cory argues, “I get good grades, Pop. That’s why the recruiter wants to talk with you. You got to keep up your grades to get recruited. This way I’ll be going to college. I’ll get a chance…” (Wilson, 1987, p. 1851). Cory really wants to further his education, which is a very common middle class idea. According to Payne (2013), individuals with middle class beliefs believe in gaining a higher education, focusing their lives around their accomplishments, and preparing for the future. Cory has more of a middle class mentality, so he does not understand his father’s logic, which is the

product of a poverty mindset. This leads Cory to think that his father is trying to sabotage him from ever being better than him. In Act I scene iv, Cory snaps, “Just cause you didn’t have a chance! You just scared I’m gonna be better than you, that’s all” (Wilson, 1987, p. 1862). This earns Cory one strike and a warning from Troy in Act I scene iv, “You done made a mistake. I’m gonna tell you what your mistake was. See… you swung at the ball and didn’t hit it. That’s strike one… Don’t you strike out” (Wilson, 1987, p. 1862).
The second instance of contention occurs in Act II scene i as a result of Troy not being able to stay faithful to his wife.
Troy tells Rose in Act II scene i:
It’s just… she gives me a different idea… a different understanding about myself… I ain’t got to wonder how I’m gonna pay the bills or get the roof fixed. I can sit up in her house and laugh… I can laugh out loud… and it feels good (Wilson, 1987, p. 1867).
This is a prime example of Troy exhibiting the lover and fighter role, which is the role most males take on in poverty. According to Payne (2013), as a lover and a fighter, a male only has the option to fight or to flee when things get difficult. In Fences, Troy decides to flee from Rose and into the arms of another woman when his responsibilities become too much for him. When Troy finally tells Rose that he has been cheating on her and will be a father, Rose becomes so upset that she tells Troy off. Troy proceeds to grab her arm and will not let go of her until Cory pushes his father off of Rose. Cory is obviously on his mother’s side, and his middle class mentality does not agree with his father’s choice of fleeing when things get tough (Payne, 2013). After Cory pushes Troy, Cory also delivers a blow to his father’s chest. This gains Cory his second strike and another warning in Act II scene i, “All right. That’s strike two. You stay away from around me, boy. Don’t you strike out. You living with a full count. Don’t you strike out” (Wilson, 1987, p. 1869).
The final strike that marks the end of Troy and Cory’s relationship occurs in Act II scene iv with an argument that encompasses every element of their mentalities that clash.

The situation begins when Cory needs to go into the house, but Troy is sitting in his way on the steps that lead up to the porch. When Cory refuses to say “excuse me” to get around Troy, an argument ensues. Cory makes sure to tell Troy that Troy does not count for anything in their household anymore, because of the decisions he has made lately. After the reader begins to run through each of the decisions, it is easy to see that all of the decisions Troy made were made with a poverty mentality and that reason alone is why Cory, who has a middle class mindset, cannot agree with or fully understand his father. Cory reprimands Troy in Act II scene iv for messing up his chance to play college football, “You ain’t never gave me nothing! You ain’t never done nothing but hold me back. Afraid I was gonna be better than you. All you ever did was try and make me scared of you” (Wilson, 1987, p. 1875). Cory is still hurt by Troy’s efforts to ruin his one chance at a college education, which he discerns to have stemmed from jealousy. Cory still does not understand his father’s motives for cheating on his mother, so he also proceeds to bring up Rose. “I don’t know how she stand you… after what you did to her,” Cory says in Act II scene iv (Wilson, 1987, p. 1875). Cory’s middle class mentality again clouds his

ability to understand why his dad did what he did. In Act II scene iv, Troy tells Cory, “Go on now! You got the devil in you. Get away from me!” (Wilson, 1987, p. 1875). Cory then begins to question his father’s mental resources as he calls him crazy for thinking that the devil is inside of him. This is obviously a big mistake as Cory’s father begins to taunt him, and their verbal fight turns physical. Troy ends the scuffle, and in Act II scene iv, Cory says, “Tell Mama I’ll be back for my things” (Wilson, 1987, p. 1876). Troy responds with, “They’ll be on the other side of the fence,” and this is when the readers know Cory has finally struck out (Wilson, 1987, p. 1876).
After reading Fences and A Framework for Understanding Poverty: A Cognitive Approach, an immediate connection can be made between Troy and Cory’s dysfunctional relationship and the different hidden rules they live by. Ruby Payne offers some insight in her book about individuals coming from separate backgrounds and knowing different hidden rules. It is often difficult for two individuals of different classes to get along well, because not knowing another person’s hidden rules can lead to misunderstandings (Payne, 2013). This specific situation is seen in Fences every time Troy and Cory have a disagreement, which also happens to be anytime Troy gives Cory a strike. It can be concluded that during the story, Troy and Cory’s relationship is aggravated anytime one of their hidden rules is broken, and each broken rule adds up to Cory’s “strike out.”