The story, “Fences,” is a play written by August Wilson. The book won winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for drama. The main characters are Troy Maxson and Cory Maxson. Some ways they are both similar, is that they both hate one another, and they are alike. Some ways they’re different is that Troy likes baseball, while Cory likes football. Also they both did things opposite. Troy went to jail, while Cory went to the marines. Even though Troy and Cory are similar in some ways, they are different in many ways too.…
In the play “Fences” by August Wilson, the main characters Cory and Troy are building a fence that Rose their wife/mom has asked them to built. August Wilson did not name his play, Fences, simply because the dramatic action depends strongly on the building of a fence in the Maxson's backyard. Rather, the characters lives change around the fence-building project that serves as both a literal and a figurative device, representing the relationships that bond and break in the arena of the backyard.…
what exactly is a hero? Who can be classified as heroic? From my perspective a hero is not only someone who wears a cape, has superhuman strength, wears fancy clothes or someone who saves his lady from the bad guy; however he is someone who stands for strength, bravery, humbleness, justice and equality. I believe a hero is someone who truly intends to make the world a better place for all people. He stands for what he believes in even though he may encounter danger and obstacle. We often watch movies with action heroes fighting for a good cause, but these heroes cause us ignore the real life heroes such as Cesar Chavez and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cesar Chavez and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr are genuinely the definition of a hero.…
The play Fences by August Wilson revolves around the front yard of the main characters Troy and Rose Maxson between the years 1957 and 1965. Rose is a long, responsible mother, wife, and friend who tends to show forgiving and selfless character traits. Many of her words and actions also show that she is a strong and assertive yet tender woman. Her husband Troy, on the other hand, is pretty much her opposite. Troy’s character is very dominant. He is and imaginative and boastful person who mostly comes off as selfish and bitter. Within the eight years, which the play takes place, Rose and Troy find themselves in a tragedy. Troy’s character changes between Act I and Act II, however, both his and Rose’s character are responsible for the tragedy.…
In August Wilson’s Fences, Troy Maxson proves to be a tragic hero, by Aristotle’s definition, through his relationships with his wife Rose, his son Corey, and his brother Gabe.…
“ Nigger as long as you in my house, you put that sir on the end of it when you talk to me”. Troy Maxson, the Protagonist of Fences, quotes. Troy Maxson is a 53 year old man who is a father and husband. He has led a hard life from being abused by his father to going to jail for fifteen years due to robbery and murder. While in jail, he became a sharp baseball player. He is determined to protect his son Cory from the disappointments and opportunities loss because of the color of his skin. Troy lives in the past and fails to recognize that the world has changed. Troy father was controlling and bitter so he feels as though he must act the same way towards Cory. Troy tries to escape his responsibility of taking care of home, his wife and son by having an affair with Alberta and getting her pregnant. Troy keeps most of his emotions bottled up inside, building imaginary fences between friends, family and even himself.…
August Wilson 's "Fences", written as a play, is a story of a Black family, primarily centered around Troy Maxson and his plight as a Black man in a predominantly White world. The play also puts an emphasis on the disintegrating relationships between Troy, his wife Rose, and his son Cory, due to his adulterous relationship with Alberta. That relationship led to the subsequent birth of Troy and Alberta 's child, Raynell, and Alberta 's untimely death during childbirth. Rose then adopted the motherless Raynell, but no longer had any further dealings with Troy as a husband.…
On the subject of heroism, Maya Angelou once wrote that “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people” (Angelou). The general picture that comes to mind when the word “hero” is said is the idea of Superman or Wonder Woman; however, a true hero is anyone who tries to make their world a better place. Odysseus, the hero in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, fought in the Trojan War and embarked on a ten year journey to return to his kingdom, Ithaca. During his quest to return home, he encounters many supernatural forces that show both his heroic, and not so heroic actions. He faces countless challenges, meets new people, and has to make sacrifices for the overall benefit of his crew (Bowler and Homer 645-705).…
Fences by August Wilson is a dramatic and powerful play about Troy Maxson, a hard, gruff man, who has had to learn to survive in a world he does not understand. Growing up, Troy had an awful example of a father. He ran away from home at the age of fourteen, and had to find a way to live even though he had nothing. Now a father himself, Troy finds himself becoming as angry and hard as his father, although he has only ever tried to be a responsible man. Lyons, Troy’s oldest son from his first marriage, is the opposite of Troy. A struggling musician, Lyons’ fatherless childhood condemned him to be an irresponsible dreamer who believes in a future of liberation.…
Fences is a play set in 1950’s America, which examines the conflicts between generations, and racial tensions between African Americans and white Americans. The play focuses on the Maxson family’s struggle to cope with Troy’s egotism and double-standards. On the one hand, he demands people to be realistic, practical, and responsible. On the other hand, he is having affair with Alberta and is living in a private fantasy world.…
Fences is a "tragedy of the common man” who challenges the affront to his dignity. Troy Maxson’s downfall was caused by his response to the challenge that racism posed to his personal dignity. Although Troy was able to knock a baseball out of the park like it was nothing, he constantly "missed the mark" in his personal life. Troy had a tragic flaw, which was that he did whatever he thought was right without thinking of the consequences. In an attempt to respond to the indignities he suffers, he distorts history, denies facts, and lies. The circumstances that shaped Troy to the character he is, led to the development of a begrudging mentality. As Troy did not amount to much, he did not want others to surpass him and diminish his self-reputation. In addition, although prison has a negative connotation, it was a positive turning point for Troy. Also, it can be inferred Troy suffered from athazagoraphobia. Racism played a key role in Troy’s refusal to accept his circumstances.…
Heroes are seen in all kinds of stories and they are universal characters. They possess qualities that are above the ordinary. They also have a tragic flaw that usually ends up leading to their down fall in the story. They do, however end up learning from their experience and grow through it. The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God has a character that could be described as a hero. The main character, Janie, is a hero because she has extraordinary physical qualities as well as virtues, she has character flaws that lead to her downfall, and she manages to make her fall have some value.…
In August Wilson’s play “Fences”, he presents a misguided yet accomplished character. The play’s protagonist Troy, creates conflict with every character because of his judgmental nature and contrived haughty perception of himself. Through numerous stories that he re-cants Troy embellishes his experiences to cast himself in a righteous light. Contrary, to the stories he tells, his behavior expose Troy as a foolish man that does irrational things. One moment he is lecturing his family members on how they ought to live their lives and the next he’s off frolicking like a child with no cares or responsibilities. Aside, from his hypocrisies Troy managed to become a talented professional baseball player. As a member of the Negro Baseball League (NBL), Troy was a pioneer and hero of his time. The men associated with the NBL endured the ignorance and hostility of many to advance the footprint of black Americans in professional avenues. Sadly, Troy’s time in a groundbreaking career and stable, loving household are overshadowed by the demons he tries to ignore. He struggles to accept the harsh realities of his life and the decisions that he’s made, leaving him to live within the confines of bitterness and denial.…
Arguably the playwright's most renowned work, Wilson's drama Fences focuses on Troy Maxson, a restless trash-collector and former baseball player, who is played by actor Denzel Washington. Washington’s perfect as Troy, a frustrated,…
The author August Wilson uses the symbol of a “fence” in his play Fences throughout numerous occasions. Three of the most important occasions fences are symbolized in the play are by Rose and Troy’s relationship, Troy and Cory’s relationship, as well as Troy versus Death. Throughout the play, characters create “fences” symbolically and physically to be protected or to protect. Examples such as, Rose protecting herself from Troy, and Troy protecting himself from Death. Fences focuses on the symbol of a fence which helps the reader understand the events taking place. The characters' lives mentioned change around the project of building the fence, which serves as both a literal and a figurative symbol.…