Troy's characters as a tragic hero in Fences
Troy 's characters as a tragic hero in Fences
Troy is one of the main character in the play Fences by August Wilson. He is the provider for the family, a fatherly figure, a husband, and a hard worker among other things. However he is also a cheat, a womanizer, a strict man, an unloving father and an unreasonable man. The question is despite the characters pros and cons, how is he a hero, especially a tragic one. The play is sad in a sense that there is a sad past, sad present and perhaps a sad future. Troy was unable to play for major leagues because at first he was not allowed to play because of his color and then his age became an issue. Troy’s inability to play baseball because his lifelong regret which he imposed on his son Cory and did not allow him to play college football. He was harsh on his son, however he had good intentions. Troy had a loving wife and he loved her but then again he cheated on her with is affair with Alberta. Troy plays an unsympathetic role for much of the play because of the emotional boundary he builds to keep his family from interacting with his softer side, and we see this as the metaphoric sense, The Fence. We can see this when Cory asks Troy “why don’t you like me?” and Troy’s response is rather unorthodox because instead of reassuring his son, he informs Cory, that he is just doing what a father is supposed to do. That Troy is just fulfilling his duties as a parent and nothing more. Troy is a prime example of a tragic hero. He starts the play where is he is admired and loved and he successfully gets away with his secret affair, however eventually, Troy dies and leaves many negative attributes which in return are inherited by his family. So the question remains, is Troy really a hero after all?
Troy is the protagonist of the play Fences, he is a responsible man, father and husband whose dreams were shattered before they could sprout wings. In the beginning of the play, the reader learns that Troy lives part of his
Troy is one of the main character in the play Fences by August Wilson. He is the provider for the family, a fatherly figure, a husband, and a hard worker among other things. However he is also a cheat, a womanizer, a strict man, an unloving father and an unreasonable man. The question is despite the characters pros and cons, how is he a hero, especially a tragic one. The play is sad in a sense that there is a sad past, sad present and perhaps a sad future. Troy was unable to play for major leagues because at first he was not allowed to play because of his color and then his age became an issue. Troy’s inability to play baseball because his lifelong regret which he imposed on his son Cory and did not allow him to play college football. He was harsh on his son, however he had good intentions. Troy had a loving wife and he loved her but then again he cheated on her with is affair with Alberta. Troy plays an unsympathetic role for much of the play because of the emotional boundary he builds to keep his family from interacting with his softer side, and we see this as the metaphoric sense, The Fence. We can see this when Cory asks Troy “why don’t you like me?” and Troy’s response is rather unorthodox because instead of reassuring his son, he informs Cory, that he is just doing what a father is supposed to do. That Troy is just fulfilling his duties as a parent and nothing more. Troy is a prime example of a tragic hero. He starts the play where is he is admired and loved and he successfully gets away with his secret affair, however eventually, Troy dies and leaves many negative attributes which in return are inherited by his family. So the question remains, is Troy really a hero after all?
Troy is the protagonist of the play Fences, he is a responsible man, father and husband whose dreams were shattered before they could sprout wings. In the beginning of the play, the reader learns that Troy lives part of his
Citations: - Meyer, Michael. "Fences by August Wilson." The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. N. pag. Print.