Essay about The Importance of the Characters in Fences by August Wilson

He lost the respect he had in their home. Cory was tired of his father’s attitude so he finally stood up to his father. Cory had always feared Troy. He never stood up to him and let Troy walk over him and his dreams. Troy ruined his chances of getting recruited and he wasn’t going to put up with his father anymore.

Eight years later, Raynell plays in her newly planted garden. Troy has died from a heart attack. Cory returns home from the Marines to attend Troy's funeral. Lyons and Bono

Troy’s personality is very conservative. He is an angry man who has been a victim of racial violence and allowed his bitterness to become a barrier to new opportunities that opened at this time. As a child Troy wanted out of his abusive father’s relationship. His father barely looked after his 11 children and had always puts himself first before anyone else. Instead, young Troy escapes north to Pittsburg ending himself in jail due to theft, which is where he meets his ace

Moving forward to another conflict in this play, there are the generational clashes between Troy and both of his sons. Troy holds onto the past and clearly lets that influence how he raises his sons, with Lyon for example. Troy being in jail for fifteen years of Lyon’s life meant that he was not there in the very influential time for a young boy. It is safe to assume that this is a contributing fact as to why their relationship is so rocky. We can also see the generational clash between the two of them with how Troy reacts to the career path that Lyon has chosen for himself.

Cory is very aware that his father is envious of his athletic accomplishments. Troy also has no respect for Lyons and he does not support his dream to be a musician.

Although there were a couple of mistakes he made, he made sure he did not make the same mistake his dad made which was not providing for the family. Rose was Troy’s wife who respected him as a husband and made him and her children dinner every night. According to what he says, he truly loves his wife; "I love this woman. I love this woman so much it hurts. I love her so much...I done run out of ways of loving her" (1.1.173). This quote allows the reader to realize that the Maxson family does have a foundation of love. Cory and Lyons also admired their father because in their eyes he was an excellent father figure. Bono was Troy’s best friend whom he met at a correction center and has known him for 30 years. Troy was a role model to Bono and he admired Troy's leadership and responsibility at work.

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.

Where Cory has aspirations of playing football, Troy says that he must continue with his more practical job at the A&P.

Troy fits a character who would have lived in the 1950’s, having experienced discrimination, an abusive father and a changing society towards African-Americans in that period.

This situation makes me wonder if he is actually scared that Cory will be an amazing athlete and will be better than him. Troy maybe jealous that his son has opportunities to succeed that he never had, no matter how great of an athlete he was, he could have never made it to the pros because of his skin color. Now his son is being recruited by professional teams to play for them. Troy may be against this because he doesn't want his son to be able to live the dream that he was never able to live. This makes their father son relationship very interesting. It is said that fathers typically want their sons to be better off then they are, especially not very wealthy people. You would think in this situation Troy would support Cory in what he wants to do and be happy for him that he has such wonderful opportunities. Troy maybe be acting like this because Troy still lives in a dream world and still thinks he a great base ball player. He has trouble accepting that his

Troy?s relationship with his father was one, which produced much tension, and had a strong influence on Troy?s relationships with his loved ones as an

The first time I read August Wilson's Fences for english class, I was angry. I was angry at Troy Maxson, angry at him for having an affair, angry at him for denying his son, Cory, the opportunity for a football scholarship.I kept waiting for Troy to redeem himself in the end of the play, to change his mind about Cory, or to make up with Ruth somehow. I wanted to know why, and I didn't, couldn't understand. I had no intention of writing my research paper on this play, but as the semester continued, and I immersed myself in more literature, Fences was always in the back of my mind, and, more specifically, the character of Troy Maxson. What was Wilson trying to say with this piece? The more that

defines choices he makes with his son Cory. Troy and Wilson both faced hardship early on and it

is resistant to change. While a part of him is truly trying to help Cory get into a

As a dynamic character, Cory Maxson starts out as a child but becomes an independent grown man due to his father’s treatment towards him. Cory is the second child of Troy Maxson, and the only biological child of Rose Maxson. Cory respects his parents and tries to do well in school, so that he can have a decent life after high school. He takes heed of his father’s advices, but continues to enjoy the life of a carefree teenage boy. Later in the play, Cory learns that his father’s advice and treatment towards him was to help him to become a good man and have a better life.