Baseball InFences, By August Wilson

Throughout the play, Fences by August Wilson there are many outside factors which impact the characters life. Race is one factor which impacts the character of Troy Maxson in his day to day life. The impact of race is seen when Troy talks about his baseball career, when he talks about not wanting his son to pursuit sports as a career and, when he talks about wanting to be a driver at his job.

August Wilson’s Fences is a play about Troy Maxson, and how his values influence his family’s. The play takes place in 1950’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Troy Maxson is a black, middle aged man working for a garbage company. Each member of the Maxson family has a special relationship with Troy, that affects their behavior throughout the play. In life you learn the most from your parents. They teach you how to walk, speak, and respect one another. Your parents also give you a set of values for life. As you grow up as your own individual, your values will change from your parents. There will be things that are much more important to you, and not as important to them. In the play Fences Troy Maxson has a very strong set of values that he believes are true in how you should live life. Troy imposes these values on everyone in his family to the best of his ability. Each character in Fences is at a different stage in their life, so Troy can’t push his values onto characters that already have their own beliefs. The character that Troy has the most influence on in the play is Cory. Troy is in Cory’s life throughout his childhood, and as his father Cory must respect Troy. Troy is very firm with Cory, because he wants Cory to be successful. Cory has a dream of becoming a football player, and this does not follow Troy’s values. Troy influences Cory so much that Cory will always be like Troy whether he realizes it or not. “Your daddy wanted you to be everything he wasn’t … and at

August Wilson uses baseball ideology to construct the mindset of his protagonist, Troy Maxson, in “Fences”; however, Wilson also uses Troy to embody black America in the 50s. The metaphorical and literal significance of baseball is the driving force Troy’s subjectivity and ideology. Whether it be comparing death to baseball pitch, warning his son to not strikeout, or complaining about being stuck on first base, Troy uses baseball to explain life to those around him. Ironically, it is baseball that actually leads to Troy’s psychic castration. Although Troy was older when he was released from prison and playing in the Negro leagues, racism held younger players from competing with white Americans and there is no doubt that Troy saw this as what held him back as well. Unable to play in the major leagues bitters Troy’s attitude towards life and affects his relationship with his son, Cory, and wife, Rose. While on a micro level, the rules and mechanics of baseball have a negative impact on Troy’s mentality, on a macro level Troy’s loyalty to the game can be seen as an empowering force for black America in the 50s. The idea of not striking out, and the fetish of the home-run is meant to represent the black community’s resistance against society’s racism during this time. Although the ideology of baseball consumes Troy to the point of his own personal strikeouts, the ideology itself, and who Troy represents, is suppose to represent black America’s fight against a racist

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 any one a chance to prove themselves because he was selfish. This makes Troy the antagonist in the story because he is not only hitting up against everyone in the play,

The play, “Fences” by August Wilson describes the life of an African-American family that is por. Troy Maxson, the father of the family, was a baseball player in the

In Fences, August Wilson introduces an African American family whose life is based around a fence. In the dirt yard of the Maxson’s house, many relationships come to blossom and wither here. The main character, Troy Maxson, prevents anyone from intruding into his life by surrounding himself around a literal and metaphorical fence that affects his relationships with his wife, son, and mortality.

August Wilson’s play Fences gives a glimpse back in time into the life of Troy Maxson during the 1950s. Troy Maxson is an African-American living in Pittsburgh working as a garbage collector. However, he is bitter and feels as if he has been cheated out of a good life because of his past, race, and age. This behavior drives a wedge between him and the people who care about him. Wilson uses the theatre life themes of generation and love to tell how Troy Maxson displays self-destructive characteristics.

In Wilson’s Fences, the metaphor of baseball, as it pertains to Troy Maxson’s life, contributes to the theme that life is a game where each decision you make as the player affects the future of your dreams and aspirations.

In Fences, August Wilson tells a story that includes baseball as a major part of the play. Even though baseball is a huge part of the play, the game itself is not actually played. Troy, who is the main character of the play, is the main source of all the conflicts that occur in the story. Whenever a conflict occurs in the story, Troy uses baseball analogies to explain his reasoning. Baseball also plays a historical part of the play to create the setting and the characters. In the play, baseball echoes the history of America and the racial discrimination that occurred to African Americans.

Fences can be viewed as a family play, it can also be viewed as a work specifically of the black man's place, or plight, in a predominantly white world. Either way, it has a very valuable message. It is a true art to be able to touch on so many aspects of life in a work, aspects that may be viewed differently by different people.. Wilson's work, and the character of Troy Maxson, makes me question many things, among them myself, as well as his intended message. This is why I am so in awe of Fences, and of Wilson's talent. This is why I am writing my paper on Fences.

In addition, "Baseball as History and Myth in August Wilson's Fences," this article focuses on the dramatization of "fences," by August Wilson . Wilson uses both history and mythology of baseball to challenge the legitimacy of the American dream. "Fences" takes place at time where baseball has finally become integrated. Wilson focus on the history of African American baseball that began in America during the decades following the civil war and continued in various form until 1947. In addition, Wilson uses Troy skills in the Negro Leagues to indicate that the American dream stays out of reach for people of African ancestry. Moreover, Troy points out an

Alan Nadel argues that the object of the fence in August Wilson’s play, “Fences” symbolizes a great struggle between the literal and figurative definitions of humanity and blackness. The author summarizes the play and uses the character Troy to explain the characterization of black abilities, such as Troy’s baseball talents, as “metaphoric,” which does not enable Troy to play in the white leagues as the period is set during segregation (Nadel 92). The author is trying to use the characters from the play as examples of black people during the segregation years to show how people of that time considered black people not as literal entities and more like figurative caricatures. Stating that these individuals were considered to be in a

It is the 1950’s and America still has a long way to go in terms of progress between the races, before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. Slavery has been abolished for over seventy years, but citizens still feel its sting and many are haunted by discrimination. Jim Crow laws still segregate white people and people of color. The main protagonist of “Fences” is Troy Maxson, a retired Negro League slugger who now works in the sanitation business as a garbage collector. Three generations of African-American men are shown: Troy’s father, Troy, and Troy’s son, Cory. These generations show the change throughout American history in reaching adulthood as an African-American male. Troy is considered a tragic hero by many, often compared to

First of all, the main effect of racism that August Wilsonportrays in his story is that racism triggers discrimination, segregation and marginalization. In fact, racial segregation is the first thing that comes into play whenever there is racism. The whole story in Fences revolves around how the central character, Troy Maxson, together with his family, is raciallysegregated just because he is an African-American; black(Carino, 33). The whole argument of the story surrounds the instance when Troy Maxson is racially discriminated by being told that he can no longer take part in the major league because his skin color betrays him. Despite the story being written in 1985, the racial discrimination that it is talking about is still being felt today in 2017, over thirty years later. Therefore, through causing discrimination and marginalization, racism continues to tear apart the modern society that has civilized and

The way August Wilson takes the simplest of words and ideas and puts them forth into elaborate, deep characters is truly awe-inspiring. Troy Maxson is built out of anger, stubbornness, fear, love, and passion and forms a “Tragic Hero”. Troy’s personality and character clashes constantly with his son Cory Maxson who is a gentle, hardworking, sweet soul. Their conflict starts out with Cory’s desire to play football in the major leagues after being selected for a football scholarship. Troy had a past in major league baseball “I was hitting .432 with thirty-seven home runs! Man batting .269 and playing right field for the Yankees!”(I.i.9) but couldn't get anywhere because of racism, and is dead set on not letting Cory play sports and would rather him work in industry. Cory accuses Troy of being jealous of his talent and Troy constantly dismisses it claiming “The white man ain't gonna let you get nowhere with that football" (I.i.8) as if it’s segregation and his love is holding him back. Cory is not the only point of conflict in the play, there is also the fact that