August Wilson Fences Symbolism

There are many themes in August Wilson’s play, “Fences”. Betrayal, race, death, and family are the main themes found within the play. Throughout the play, there are common symbols that shadow each theme. Most symbols connect to more than one theme in the ways in which they are used. In August Wilson’s “Fences”, the fence Troy builds and baseball are symbols in which Wilson uses to express the themes of the play. The fence is used to symbolize many of the themes in Wilson’s play. Throughout the play Troy puts off building fences that his wife, Rose, has ordered him. This is the first instance in which Troy shows his betrayal towards his family is when he does not build the fence when he is asked and shows he is not very committed to his family.
The first baseball metaphor used in the play, Troy says, “…That’s all death is to me. A fastball on the outside corner”, stating that he would hit death “450 feet” (Wilson 1246). Baseball is used to symbolize death as a fastball that he would hit over the fence. Troy makes it seem as if he is not afraid of death and that he has already faced death face-to-face. Troy later on says, “..They got colored on the team and don’t use them. Same as not having them. All the teams the same”, expressing how race is still a factor in their society as when he played baseball in the negro leagues before they integrated the major leagues (Wilson 1257). Baseball is also used to symbolize race because African Americans are now able to play with the white players, but that does not mean they are treated the same. The third symbolism of baseball is when Troy and Rose are arguing about his affair he says, “…she firmed up my backbone. And I got to thinking that if I tried… I just might be able to steal second. Do you understand after eighteen years I wanted to steal second”, telling Rose he wanted to be with another woman because he became bored with her (Wilson 1274). Baseball metaphors appear commonly whenever Troy talks in the play because that is all he knows. Baseball made him the person he is and he lives his life as he is playing in a baseball
Wilson’s themes of betrayal, race, death, and family are all supported by two symbols throughout the play. The fence is a symbol Wilson used to explain the character’s thoughts about family, how Rose wants them to stay close, race, as to Troy comparing the obstacle of building the fence to those of when he played baseball, and to betrayal, as Troy does not do what his wife asks. The effort Troy put towards building the fence was the same as he put into his family. If he put as much effort and care as he did when he played baseball, he would have been the best father and husband. Baseball transformed Troy into the man he was. While he played baseball, he dealt with racial discrimination. That impacted him to not allow his son to follow the same path so his son would not be effected the way he was. In the play baseball was used to symbolize death as “a fastball on the outside corner”, race as Troy believed coloreds would still sit on the bench than play, and betrayal with his wife as he was “stealing second”. The symbols in the play allow the reader to better understand the themes of the