The Life of August Wilson Essay

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.

August Wilson’s Fences depicts life in the 1950s for a typical African American family. The play touches upon racism, shifting family dynamics, and the politics of war. While racism plays an important and vital role in the play, instead of lamenting the issue, Wilson uses the characters as a weapon against the rampant racism of the time. In the same fashion, the relationship between Troy, Rose, and Cory demonstrates the shifting cultural and family dynamics of the decade. Likewise, Wilson’s depiction of Gabriel as a wounded veteran who is not fully supported by the government that sent him off to war offers an enlightening commentary on the politics of the era. Wilson uses the

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

Cory Maxson, a young African – American boy started off with a dream to play ball And to get into College someday, but his father, Troy, does not agree and makes him Drop the ball game to get a job instead. Cory becomes angry and fights with his father, and Later he still makes his own way in life by entering into the Military. In this play “Fences” By August Wilson, this is Cory’s start as a young man growing into adulthood.

Troy’s relationship with his youngest son, Cory, was a prime example or his controlling nature. One major conflict between them was Troy Forbidding Cory from playing football. As said in the quote, “ If you go on down there to that A&P and see if you can get your job back. if you can’t do both...then you quit the football team you’ve got to take the crookeds with the straights ”(Act 1, Scene 3, Line 192) Troy is not happy with the fact that Croy quit his quit because of football practice. Troy is so against it because he was denied acceptance into a baseball team because of his race in his past. In a way troy thinks he his looking out for cory but deep down, as rose brings out in the next scene, he is haunted by his own

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

     It was then that he began to pursue a writing career. At the time he got his first typewriter, he was also introduced to the blues and the black rights movement, of which both had great influences on his writing. Also during that time, he dropped his birth father’s name. Though he was unable to succeed in poetry, he was able to transition himself into a successful playwright. After visiting a friend in St. Paul, Minnesota, he decided to stay. At the urging of his friend, he wrote his first play, Jitney, set in a gypsy-cab station, and another following that, Fullerton Street. Only afterwards was he able to concentrate solely on composing, eventually producing Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, his breakthrough product, which was based on a blues singer Gertrude “Ma” Rainey. Then he wrote Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and Fences, which was based on his stepfather who could not gain a football scholarship because of his ethnicity.

Troy is seen as an unforgivable character because of his actions, but it is his actions that reveal that he is in a perpetual cycle of longing. Troy’s ongoing dissatisfaction with life, as a result of being a black everyman in the 1950s only adds to the anger and bitterness at life disappointments. The black everyman mirrors the pain and unrequited respect that Troy feels. Which is why it is important to note that in the

Throughout his childhood, Troy feared his father. Until one day, he grew up and learned how to stand up for himself. In Act One, scene four, he tells the story of how his daddy stole his girl from him. When Troy was fooling around with Joe Canewell’s daughter, his daddy walked in on them and started beating Troy with leather straps. “I was scared

The play Fences by August Wilson centers around the character of Troy, a middle-aged African-American man. Troy struggles to keep his family together, mostly as the result of mistakes he has made as a husband and parent. These mistakes reflect certain personality traits that make up Troy’s complex character, including his obsession with providing financially, his inability to love his family, and his stubborn insistence on others following the paths he decides for them. These character traits can be explained by the social, racial, and economic climate of the time. Fences takes place in late 1950’s Pennsylvania during the beginning of the Civil Rights Era, and Troy’s character is shaped by the disappointments that have come along with racism and economic difficulty, along with not being up to date on the changes happening in the Civil Rights movement. Although Troy and his character traits are responsible for the tragic decisions he has made, it is possible that the social context of the time has shaped him into the person he is.

    Some scholars read “Fences” and believe that Troy is excused for his poor actions and decisions that he makes as a father and husband because of the adverse conditions he grew up in. Troy’s own father sets a horrific example of how to be a father, fighting and kicking Troy out at the early age of 14. Troy does a better job raising his

Troy feels guilty for not being around for Lyons growing, instead, Troy was serving his fifteen years sentence. Lyons is thirty-four year old still getting financial support from Troy. However, he never urged Lyon to get another career. Instead, he gave up and let Lyon take advantage of him. But when it came to Cory, Troy was very assertive and short tempered. He refuses to sign the consent forms for Cory’s football draft and ruins his chances at a football career. There was a fearsome relationship between Troy and Cory. All Cory ever wanted was his father’s affection. He even asks Troy if he likes him. All Cory ever gotten from Troy was fear, he never knew if his father genuinely liked him or not. “You my flesh and blood. Not cause I like you! Cause it’s my duty to take care of you. I ain’t got to like you.”(Wilson 40).

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.

Troy becomes so wrapped up in his own misfortunes and bitterness that he fails to realize what strength his family really has (Zirin). They are trying and willing to help him but he is unable to fathom the possibility of that because he is so far gone. Troy says “…Come on! It’s between you and me now!

August Wilson is a famed playwright August Wilson was born on April 27, 1945, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He wrote his first play, Jitney, in 1979. Fences earned him a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award in 1987. Wilson won another Pulitzer Prize in 1990, for The Piano Lesson. In 1996, Seven Guitars premiered on the Broadway stage, followed by King Hedley II in 2001 and Gem of the Ocean in 2004. Wilson died on October 2, 2005, in Seattle, Washington. In addition, the play “Fences” was presented as a movie, based on the well-structured and amazing plot resulted and in a fantastic movie. After reading the wonderful play “Fences” was hard to decide what to talk about. I would like to talk about some themes presented in the play.