In the play Fences, by August Wilson, the main character, Troy Maxson is involved in numerous relationships with family members throughout the entire eight years that the story takes place. Troy is a father, husband, and brother to other characters in the play. Unfortunately for Troy, a strong-minded and aggressive man, he constantly complicates the relationships with his family members. Troy's hurtful actions and words make it nearly impossible for him to sustain healthy relationships with not only his two sons, but also his wife and brother. 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. …show more content…
It is obvious to the audience that Troy and Cory simply do not get along. The two are constantly bickering, mostly about Cory's dream to play football at the college level. Since playing baseball did not get Troy anywhere, he feels that football will not benefit Cory and that Cory should "get recruited in how to fix cars or something where he can make a living" (8). Troy constantly denounces Cory's dream and pressures his son to quit the highschool football team so that he can work at the local grocery store. The verbal abuse of Cory by Troy is enough to make Cory question whether or not his own father even likes him, but it is not until after Troy's affair with Alberta is out in the open that Troy and Cory's unhealthy relationship reaches a whole new level. After finding out about Troy's affair, Cory stands up to his father in order to protect his mother during an altercation between Troy and Rose. Troy nearly hits Cory, but he is able to stop himself before threatening Cory by saying, "You better stay away from me, boy" (72). Cory and Troy's relationship following this incident is practically nonexistant until the time of their last fight. During that fight, after two months of staying out of his father's way, Cory has finally had enough of Troy's verbal abuse and once again stands up to him. This quarrel ends with Troy nearly hitting Cory with a baseball bat, but he is once again able to stop
In his play Fences, August Wilson illustrates the conflict between Troy and Corey to eventually reveal that that is what Troy grew up with.Troy and his son Corey have many fights and issues.Troy's reason to these fights is His childhood and his relationship with his father.
Troy is definitely more stern with Cory. I feel like Troy is looking out for Cory and is worried about his life more than he is with Lyons. For example, when Lyons comes and asks for money occasionally and to say hello to his father, Troy typically will give him money. With Cory, he tells him to get a job and quit his passion for football, while he does not really care for Lyons music and puts no effort to try to encourage him to get a job to actually support himself. In my opinion, he has two different personalities for his two sons. In the beginning of Fences, Troy tells Lyons to get a job, but Lyons says the labor work is not for him. Lyons needs to “live” so he pursues music and asks for money from Troy from time to time (410-422). This
His memory lingered on Cory which only made him suffer psychologically. Years passed on after Cory left the house to pursue a career in the marines but Troy remained with him and “everywhere [he] looked, Troy Maxson was staring back at [him] … hiding under the bed… in the closet”. Cory’s abusive relationship with his father only imprinted toxic and harmful memories that accompanied him for the rest of his life. From his ruined football career to having no freedom outside his house, Troy destroyed Cory’s entire life. Cory tried to pursue his own happiness, but in the end, his father only pushed his away from
When approached with the idea of his son Cory playing college football, Troy immediately refuses the proposition, claiming that he doesn't want Cory to suffer from the same sort of heartache. Cory sees college football as his way to advance his own life without the help of his parents, while, on the other hand, Troy sees it as a waste of time and orders him to get a job down at the A&P. Early on in the play, Troy refutes Cory’s plan of action.
August Wilson’s play Fences is about an African American family in the late 1950’s that experience social change at the brink of the civil rights movement, but the family potential growth is deterred because of the restricted mind of the father. The father’s name is Troy Maxson, an African American male who works day in and day out as a trash collector in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Adverse lifelong experiences make Troy seek monetary assurance and self- reliance over talents and dreams. Troy lives in the house with his current wife, Rose, and their son Cory. Cory is a High School student with a drive to attend college while playing football, with the hopes of one day going professional. The house is not of great quality and is surrounded by a partially completed fence. Troy left home
Troy wasn’t the good dad he didn’t set a good example for his son Cory. he wasn’t there for cory he didn’t let his son follow his dreams which was playing football.
In the play “fences”, Wilson makes a clear introduction to an African American family setting that base its life on the face. Various relationships come to blossom and wither in the dirt yard of the maxsons house (Charles).Troy Maxson who is the main character, stops anything from making any intrusion into his dear life through circling himself around a metaphorical and lateral fence which affects his mortality and overall relationships with his family more specifically his son and wife. In Wilsons play, it is clear that Troy is being defined as one who was found of hurting all individuals close to him. Something in most cases he effectively never realized. His behavior towards his wife was horrific and an acceptable since in most cases he was uncaring and insensitive (Susan). At the start of the story, it is clear that Troy has a feeling that he has done well to his family. In the play, it is clear that Troy is being regarded as one born to an abusive father who subjected him to all kind of misery and suffering (Giles). More often Troy was beaten for failing to do some chores. In the play, the dreams of troy being baseball player professional were affected by the pre-concealed opinion that the whites had on the African American people. Therefore this made troy to begin looking at life from a much different perspective (August). It is also evident that self-illusions were created in troy life due to the kind of discrimination he
“Fences,” a play written by August Wilson, shows a detailed scenario about the life of a typical African American family living in the twentieth century. The main character of the play is Troy Maxson, who is a trash collector and a former ballplayer. He lives with his wife Rose and son Cory. The life of struggle of a man of color in a white-dominated society and supporting a family alone is shown in this play. The characters, setting, and conflicts between the characters give us the different dramatic themes of this play—themes such as father and son relationship, mortality, duty, and past and the future.
Fences is a story written by August Wilson focused on a black family’s dispute. Troy, the father of the family, is the one who is going to fix the broken fences, but he never got it fixed. Just like in the play, Troy has good intentions to do the best to protect and be good to his family, but his act is actually dividing the family. Troy is that broken part of the fences that tears the family apart.
In 1965, August Wilson’s “Fences” was created as the fifth part of his Pittsburg Cycle of dramas of the 20th Century investigation of the evolution of black culture. The play has an abundance of symbolism and metaphors that tells the late life story of Troy Maxon and the family that surrounds him. Even from the beginning of the drama there is conflict and foreshadowing that can be attributed to his own belief that he has failed in life and that the world did not give him what he deserved. He takes this feeling of failure out on his family throughout the story. He believes that he must go outside of the family to find refuge and that is how the story begins and ends.
Troy have a tough relationship with his family especially with his son Cory. Troy is a harsh father who believes his duties are to provide for his family, and while trying to provide for his family he forgets to work on the relationship with them. For example, there comes a point where Cory doubt his father’s love. In the play Fences, Cory asks his father “how come you aint never like me?” (Wilson 1075). Troy then reply with a question “liked you? Who the hell say I got to like you?” It’s my job, it’s my responsibility! You understand that? A man got to take care of his family. You live in my house, sleep on my bedclothes, fill your belly up on my food… cause you, my son. You my flesh and blood. Not cause I like you! Cause it’s my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to you! Let’s get this straight here, before it go along any further… I ain’t got to like you” (Wilson
In the play, Fences, Troy seems to have a complicated relationship with every other character in the play. This applies especially to his relationship with his son, Cory. Troy and Cory have many similarities and differences that complicate their relationship. There are many outside factors that also make matters worse.
In the play Fences by August Wilson, the relationship between Troy and Cory isn’t like many father-son relationships. They almost never get along. Every time they speak, they fight. Troy is the way he is now because he didn’t have much freedom during his childhood. Not having that freedom makes him bitter which is why Troy speaks and acts the way he does towards Cory. Cory on the other hand, is just trying to find love and attention from Troy. The father-son relationship throughout this play shows different ideas such as, envy, protectiveness, and independence.
The play Fences, written by August Wilson, tells the life story of main character, Troy Maxson. Troy was a bold, strong and independent man who took care of his family and was known to handle all of his responsibilities. Throughout the play, Troy slowly loses his strength in order to keep him, the man that he was, and the man that his friends and family always knew him as, together. Nevertheless, Troy’s family always saw him as the good man that he has been to them, even though his age is taking a toll on him and he is losing the kick that he had as a young man, hindering him even more so. Troy goes on through the rest of his life trying to fight this thing we call death because he is afraid to accept defeat.
Never once, throughout the play, had Troy ever told his son that he loved him. When Cory wanted to go to football practice, Troy refused to allow him and told him to go get a job instead. Troy wants his son to go out and get his own money so he will never be in the position that his father was in at such a young age. The discord in Troy’s