Alan Nadel in May All Your Fences Have Gates: Essays on the Drama of August Wilson states “August Wilson’s female characters are represented as nurturers” (6-7).This is exactly how August Wilson presents Rose to his readers. A key element is that Wilson names her after a flower just as his own mother; whose name was Daisy. It is apparent that through Rose, August Wilson wants us to see his mother. He intentionally portrays her as the caring, ideal woman, and one who stands by her man no matter how difficult this may be. Nadel also mentions:
“What differentiates them is how they interpret the concept of nurturing, and what sacrifices they have to make in the process, for Wolfson’s world is always necessarily one
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When Rose learns that after eighteen years her man had sustained a relationship with another woman, she was devastated. She hardened. The softness in the love she had for Troy changed forever. Her hurt can be felt through her words as she tells Troy exactly how she feels:
I been standing with you! I been right here with you, Troy… I took all my feelings, my wants and needs, my dreams… and I buried them inside of you. I planted a seed and watched and prayed over it… And it didn’t take me no eighteen years to find out the soil was hard and rocky and it was never going to bloom (2.1.). The pain she reflects is intense. Rose never doubts staying in the marriage; she would never abandon her world. Her family means everything to her. Although this is true, it does not stop her from letting Troy know how angry his infidelity has made her. Her pain just makes her stronger and more determined to continue her life as usual, but without the love she once professed her husband. Rose poignantly tells him “All of the sudden it’s ‘we’. Where was ‘we’ at when you was down there rolling around with some forsaken woman?”(2.1). Rose made it clear that she was not going to abide by Troy’s ways any longer. Their lives would never be the same. Their love evaporates just as the morning dew the midst of day.
Raising Raynell is her way of showing Troy how strong and powerful she really was. Even though in those days were women supposed to do as told,
For instance, Rose is portrayed as a matriarch figure that has held the family together. According to Wilson, the extremely figure exhibited by Rose came in a large part from his mother (Wilson 6). Secondly, the fact that a child figure is introduced in the play is aimed at ensuring that maternity can become a central theme in the play. Wilson has presented the audience with the character of a strong maternal figure, Rose, who not only gives birth to Cory, but also plays the role of a supporting wife to her husband, Troy. She appears to handle all the financial matters in the house, even though she is not in any formal employment outside the homestead. She is in charge of all the cooking, shopping, and washing. She constantly monitors Troy’s finances and scolds him like a mother. Thus, Wilson presents a woman whose maternal roles have superseded her marital roles. It is this behavior that could creates the drift between the two and pushes Troy to start an affair with Alberta. If Rose was the submissive stereotypical woman as some critics portray her, it would not be expected of her to accept the child that her husband brings
Troy makes himself appear to be more of a suave, debonair gentlemen to Rose by fabricating events from their past. Despite Troy’s attempts of romancing her, Rose knows better than to believe Troy’s mendacity. In Act One, scene one, Troy tells the story of how he met Rose. ”Baby, I don’t wanna marry, I just wanna be your man” (1333). Rose says, “Troy, you ought not talk like that. Troy ain’t doing nothing but telling a lie” (1333). Troy tries to make himself appear more engaging than he really is. Troy's lying makes him seem more gallant than he really is. He also talks about how he defeated Death. In Act One, scene one, Troy says to Rose and Bono, “I wrestled with Death for three days and three nights and I’m standing here to tell you about it” (1336). Every story Troy tells, he emphasizes the fact that he is such a stout and audacious man. Troy assumes that people actually believe his over embellished stories.
Rose is unable to fully accept herself or the statements made by her mother throughout the chapter, until she reflects back on her relationship and realizes how her mother predicted this by the condition of the garden taken care of by her husband. She understands her mother finally and stands up to Ted, explaining to him how she was going to fight for everything in the divorce.
Troy thought that he was a good husband to Rose because he provided her with food and a house. He wasn’t a good husband because he didn’t give her love and compassion. These two things are needed in a good marriage. She centered her whole life around him and he gave her almost nothing. When she had a problem, she couldn’t go to him. Troy also wasn’t faithful to Rose. He went off and had an affair with another woman. Rose was heart-broken by this. She couldn’t believe Troy could do this to her. She devoted her life to him and he goes and stabs her in the back. On top of that, Troy had a child with his mistress. The woman died giving birth. Troy asked Rose to take care of the baby. Rose did, what else could she have done? Troy was not a good husband.
After understanding the protagonist’s heroic side, it is necessary to understand that he also had a tragic downfall and that he has certain weaknesses. Troy made sure to provide for his family materialistically, but unfortunately did not expose too much of his love to his children. He was able to reluctantly give Lyons ten dollars a week but that was not enough to help him make a living. Lyons states "I just stay with my music because that's the only way I can find to live in the world" (1.1.153). His dream is to be a musician. But maybe he needed more than ten dollars a week to conquer his dream? Maybe he needed some father to son affection?
Troy tries to subject Rose to his misogynist mentality in his belief that Rose should answer his every demand. A part in the play that exemplifies this is when Troy calls upon Rose, when she doesn’t answer him as soon as he intends her to. He says, “You’re suppose to come when I call you woman!”(Wilson 1.4.21). Troys response to Rose not being there immediately during his time of need verifies his expectation of his wife being of service to him.
As Bono says, “Some people build fences to keep people out…and other people build fences to keep people in.” This is why Rose wants the fence to be built. When faced with Troy’s infidelity she gets only a cursory, self-serving response from Troy. It’s hard to decipher why exactly she stays with Troy, but a very simple, valid reason would be that she has no other place to go, and feels a strong responsibility to try and care for her children. Eventually her compassion leads her to make an unspoken ultimatum to Troy: I can either take in this bastard child, or I can take in you. Troy misses this ultimatum and sees the well-being of the child, Raynell, as the only option.
Rose does all she can to keep Troy in good situations and not let him make a fool of himself. “Troy what is wrong with you this
The members of the family that makes the most effort to keep the family level is Troy?s wife, Rose. The narrator tells us that Rose is a gentle woman. She cares a great deal for her family and her husband, despite the challenge of making her home a positive environment under the strains of a man with such impossible qualities. The author explains her reasons for enduring Troy by saying that ? her devotion to him stems from her recognition of the possibilities of her life without him: a succession of abusive men and their babies, a life of partying and running the streets, the Church, or aloneness with its attendant pain and frustration? (526; I, 1). In light of the fact that Troy is a good man and provides for their family in a way of his duty, Rose loves and supports him and ?either ignores or forgives his faults, only some of which she recognizes? (526; I, 1). Despite his love and respect for his wife, Troy acts extremely disrespectfully towards Rose. Due to the lack of love and respect that Troy was shown as a boy, he does not know feelings to his family. He talks down to his wife as if she were a child, while at the same time he declares his love for her to his friend, Bono. Troy?s fault, however, in declaring his love for his wife and family. He says, ?I love Rose? (555; II, 1), but when the time comes for him to show his love, he only disrespects her. When Rose asks Troy what he and Bono are talking about one
Troy's then made his life revolve around work and his family; he put his dreams of becoming a major league baseball player aside. He went into working and became a garbage man; he realized that he needed a steady income to provide for his family and to purchase the house that they live in. Even in the work place Troy wants to excel and make a stand for himself, talking to the commissioner about being a driver of one of the garbage trucks. Troy argued for blacks to drive the garbage trucks, but he doesn't know how to drive or even have a license. Troy acts out to try and better his black community and to try and break the barrier between whites and blacks. When Troy confronts Rose about his affair with Alberta, Rose becomes very angry with Troy. Rose is a stronger person than Troy, despite what she lets him think. She makes this extremely apparent when Troy tells her about the affair. "All of a sudden it's "we," where was "we" at when you was down there rolling around with some god forsaken woman? "We" should have come to an understanding before you started making a damn fool of yourself. You're a day late and a dollar short when it comes to an understanding with me." Troy realizes that the affair causes much disrespect to his wife and family. One day while visiting his wife Rose, they receive a call at the
Individuals and society often rely on the trait of responsibility in order to have their daily activities run smoothly. Troy Maxson has incorporated the key ideas of responsibility; to secure his family, friendships and job. Troy had stated multiple times within Fences that his actions are based off of his responsibilities; instead of love. “[...]Liked you? Who the hell say I got to like you?[...]” (Wilson,37). This quote displays that although Troy loves his family, his sense of responsibility is stronger. The sense of responsibility shows he is concerned for what is to come to the family; although this shadowed his emotions to forget to show affection. “[...]Some people build fences to keep people out…and
wrote the play Fences about his life: the heartbreaking reality of racism in his own life and the
I think it’s a perfect example of women in the 1950s because after the war, women still found themselves in traditional roles but were slowly breaking out of them. When the men returned from the war, many women wished to keep their jobs but instead became stay at home mothers who were expected to care for the children as well as cook and clean. Many ads and TV shows portrayed the perfect “wife and mother” that women in the 1950s were expected to be. Rose deals with Troy 's nonsense mostly because she feels she has too, and even after Troy cheated on her and had a baby by another woman she took care of the baby. An example of this is when Rose said “I told him if he was not the marrying kind, then move out the way so the marrying kind could find me.” This shows that Troy is unloyal, and Rose was always subject to his wild ways. Especially when Rose insisted on marrying him instead of
In the opening of the play, the main characters are developed to be very stereotypical archetypes. Troy is the money earning, hard-assed, head of the house and Rose is the gentle and caring mother. Through metaphors, Wilson can contradict these initial character developments and reveal the character 's true intentions. In the opening of the play, Troy 's character is “... fifty-three years old, a large man with thick, heavy hands; it is this largeness that he strives to fill out and make an accommodation with” (1.1.1). His appearance implies that Troy has an ego larger than himself and strives to fill up the missing space in every way possible, but is not showing his struggles. In a heated argument with Rose Troy says, “It’s not easy for me to admit that I been standing in the same place for eighteen years” (2.1.70). In other words, Troy is perceived to be a self-sufficient and progressive man, until now. He reveals his vulnerabilities and says that although he puts on a front of accomplishment, he has felt
Regardless of head-ships and difficulties, the Maxon family clearly shows that, with the contribution of both Rose and Troy, has a foundation of love. This foundation is what holds the symbolic fence between the family and the rest of the world. This foundation is strong, and is especially tested by Troy, Who, despite his later betrayal, genuinely loves his wife, Rose