Social, Political, And Family Issues On August Wilson 's Fences

The play “Fence” by August Wilson’s has a connection with real world fence. “The yard is a small dirt yard, partially fenced, except for the last scene, with a wooden sawhorse, a pile of lumber, and other fence-building equipment set off to the side. The Opposite is a tree from which hangs a ball made of rags. A baseball bat leans against the tree. Two oil drums serve as garbage receptacles and sit near the house at right to complete the setting” (Wilson 2). He mentions that the fence has three parts open, unopened and cornerstone. The word yard and fence are symbolically represented structure and dream of country, society and Troy’s family.

The first issue that is focused on throughout the play would be the racial inequality in America in the 1950’s. Although there were many Americans who were fighting to end segregation and discrimination, nothing was legally done about it until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Troy Maxson being an African American man in his early fifties, grew up with the white man suppressing him. Troy was a Negro League star but when black men were finally allowed to play in the Major Leagues of baseball in 1947, Troy was too old to play. This left him very bitter towards life and the way he went on to raise his sons, which also ties into the generational clashes that will be discussed later on.

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,

life in the mid to late twentieth century and the strains of society on African Americans. Set in a small neighborhood of a big city, this play holds much conflict between a father, Troy Maxson, and his two sons, Lyons and Cory. By analyzing the sources of this conflict, one can better appreciate and understand the way the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work.

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.

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.

One narrative element that August Wilson uses in his play “Fences” to create tension, is that of conflict which he uses to show the tension that exists between Troy and his oldest son, Lyons. Lyons was raised by Troy’s ex-wife but now frequently stops by Troy’s house to borrow money which he seldom repays. One day, after Lyons has stopped by asking for ten dollars, Troy makes a comment to his best friend, Bono, saying, “What I tell you, Bono? The only time I see this nigger is when he wants something.” (16) This shows a conflict over money that is present between Troy and Lyons which is caused by and adds to the tension that exists in the play between these characters and others. August Wilson’s addition of conflict with Troy and Lyons’ story is able to show the immense tension that Troy

We will first discuss the play “Fences” this is a story in which the main character is a hard working African American Man. He is a good provider for his family. His wife is able to be a great homemaker and mother to his children, one of which is from another woman. Troy, who is the main character, has to make decisions not only for his family but also for his brother who is handicapped from the war. This places a lot of responsibility and pressure on Troy. Troy feels discrimination from many areas

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

Troy refuses to let him have his chance, stating, “The white man ain’t gonna let you

When Troy is talking to Cory he says, “See...you swung at the ball and you didn't hit it. That’s strike one. See, you in the batters box. You swung and missed. That's strike one. Don’t you strike out!” Troy is creating new tension by adding more pressure to Troy and is doing it by saying don't strike out and baseball is a good way to explain it. Cory plays football and Troy is against it and Cory wants to do it in his future but because he is black he has different rights. Most days Cory would use the excuse of “ Yeah, I had to go to football practice.”(31) This is saying that yea I have other things to do rather than work and I wanna do something better with my life and he is conveying that through football. When Cory is talking to Troy that he wants to continue with football and not get a job that causes more tension through conflict.

Wilson uses this to give an example of how Charley Burley felt when he couldn’t become pro in fighting through this character. This moment of this play touches the inner self of a human because we would say it is not fair to hinder a person due to their race or of skin color. Because of the color of your

August Wilson takes us back to the 1950's in his play Fences, where he demonstrates the relationship between a black family that battles with love, segregation, and regular hardships. A major portion of the play that Wilson wanted us to comprehend was the significance of the fence that Rose wanted Troy to build around the house, hence the name of the play. This fence was not only a boundary around the house but used for protection in numerous ways for certain individuals. Rose wanted to keep her family together inside the fence in view of her love for them, Troy needed protection from Death, and it was used as an obstacle between Rose and Troy when a certain circumstance happened. Despite the fact that it is only a fence, it has appeared all through the play that, for this family, it is more than that.

August Wilson’s, Fences, is often considered the African-American counterpart to the play, The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. Therefore, this leads to many analyses comparing and contrasting the two main characters, Troy Maxson and Willy Loman. This is examined through the scene our group chose, where Troy is losing his grip on reality and his family, more specifically his son Cory, because it illustrates one of the main differences between Troy and Willy. In the scene chosen, Troy is conscious of what is happening, he understands he has lost the respect of his son, and begins to realize that he has lost the fleeting grip on reality he originally had. While contrastingly, in Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman lies to himself and others to avoid recognizing his failures. This led to our group focusing on researching more about the American Dream. The American Dream, or in this case the lack of, is essentially what killed both of the protagonists in each script. It emphasizes the message both playwrights were

Just like Raisin in the son, Fences talks about the African Americans who strive to make a better life out of a racist community. Troy wants a better life for his son Cory and is against his wish of becoming a footballer. The conflict heightens when Tray gets into an illicit affair with another lady, Alberta. As a result, he gets an illegitimate child, and the side lover dies that forces him to ask his wife, Rose to help him care for the baby (Wilson). Though Rose accepts the plea, she abandons him, and Troy and Cory get into a fight in an attempt to kick the father out of the family. Troy wins, and Cory separates them until after eight years when his father dies. Troy loses almost everyone, his wife, son, secret lover, and friend Bono when he was promoted as a garbage truck driver. The objective of this paper is to analyze characters in the two plays and illustrate how the black Americans struggled to excel in a racist dominant world. As well, we shall identify the lessons and compare how relevant they are to the current world