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August Wilson Character Analysis

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A Fenced in Prison In a child’s life, the impact their parents have on them stands with them as they grow into their own person. In August Wilson’s play “Fences”, young Cory is learning who he wants to be in life and how to be that person. When one situation leads him to feel defeated about his dream of playing football, Cory decides who he has always been. Although Cory is: ambitious, pessimistic, has self-restraint, is determined, and is considerate. It takes a while for him to realize that he is indeed his own person and will pursue anything that he wishes to no matter what obstacles appear. Cory is ambitious in Act 1 Scene 3 when he is first introduced in the play. Seeming hopeful for a future career in football, Cory wants to pick up where his father left off. His father played baseball but never got the chance to play on a major league team. Cory does everything in the world to impress his father but being as his father is, it is often very hard to accomplish this task. Raised in a strict household, Cory does all he can to abide by the rules of his father’s demand. When confronted as to why he ran off without doing his chores he responded, “Yeah, I had to go to football practice” (1.3.20). Usually doing them before hand, Cory was in a rush to practice …show more content…

Being raised in a strict household, Cory is used to holding his tongue. However, when his father has decided to cause harm to his mother. Cory shows how much strength he has had in him throughout the whole play that he never let shine. In the stage directions on page 1461 it reads, “… Cory throws a glancing blow that catches him on the chest and knocks him down. Troy is stunned, as is Cory” (2.1). Cory has had enough of his father’s ways and finally stands up for the people he loves. In this moment he is no longer afraid of his father. The negativity has set him back for far too long and he wants no part of it

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Throughout Wilson’s (1986) play, the early destruction of relationships began when Troy crushed Cory’s football career. Once Cory gets home, he throws his helmet in the direction of Troy. Cory gets into an argument with Troy because he went up to the school and told the coach Cory will not be playing football anymore. Troy commits this action because Cory lied to him about keeping his job down at the A&P supermarket.

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1094 Words | 5 Pages

(Wilson 38) Although Cory is mad that Troy does not approve of his future sports career, Troy emphasizes that he wants Cory to have a steady income and a stable life. He supports this by talking about his life wanting to be a baseball player but didn’t because he’s responsible for Cory and their family and he wants them to have a steady income and a place to live and eat. Although he comes off aggressive, he still shows Cory that he cares and comes from a place of responsibility and wants the best for him. Even though it is not what Cory wanted to hear, it is what Troy has to say because it is what he needs to

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1669 Words | 7 Pages

Troy did this to teach Cory to be responsible with his duties. “Troy: He’s alive. He’s healthy. He’s got to make his own way… Ain’t nobody gonna hold his hand when he get out there in that world.”

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875 Words | 4 Pages

In the play “Fences”, written in 1957 by August Wilson annotates how Troy’s childhood experiences affected his life and put a strain on his relationship with family and friends. Troy’s enormous amount of pride, flaw of judgment, and malicious actions lead to his shortcomings and resulted into him becoming a tragic hero. In the story, Troy had a lot of flaws in his character throughout the play. As Troy was growing up he never had the proper guidance, so he had to take care of himself the best way he could.

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194 Words | 1 Pages

True love looks at the heart and is least bothered by physical disabilities, this heartwarming lesson was brought home to us through the relationship of staff Sgt. Jesse Cottle and Kelly. Cottle is a brave man who was serving his nation in Afghanistan. He stepped on an IED resulting in an explosion maiming him seriously.

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766 Words | 4 Pages

The title of the play, “Fences" , symbolizes the function of a fence literally, which is to keep people in and out. Troy & Cory are in the same bubble, because they are father and son. This bubble is guarded by a fence. In that bubble, they experience things together, including the conflicts they have about Cory wanting to play football. Cory understands in order for him to be able to move on with his life, he needs to come at peace with the resentment and anger he has towards his father.

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524 Words | 3 Pages

Troy does not want Cory to experience the hardships and injustices he felt trying to become a baseball player, so he wants Cory to work after school instead of practicing with the football team. Cory, however, sees that times changed since baseball rejected a player as talented as Troy because of the color of his skin. Cory knows the possibility exists that the professional sports world will include, not exclude

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1269 Words | 6 Pages

Cory is a very good high school football player and he is being recruited by colleges to play football. Troy is jealous of his son because he is getting the opportunity that Troy never had with baseball; to play at a high level. When Rose tells Troy that Cory is being recruited by colleges for football, he responds by saying, "He ought to go and get recruited in how to fix cars or something where he can make a living" (Wilson, 1986, p. 8). Troy can’t be happy for his son and won’t let him play college football. The audience sees this when Cory says, "Papa done went up to the school and told Coach Zellman I can't play football no more. ...

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2002 Words | 9 Pages

After being abused as a child, Maxson feels it is necessary to be hard on Cory to make him understand hard times and appreciate the things he has. I feel like Troy does not provide the love and overall support that his friends and family needs—he continues his father’s cycle of verbal abuse and in turn causes Cory to stand up to him and leave home. Maxson’s years of hard work for very little pay is a very depressing topic for him. He is unable to let go of the past and

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1222 Words | 5 Pages

Troy believes that is better for Cory if he had a real job, something that no one can take form him and to provide a stable economic security for him. In Troy’s mind if Cory goes for the football thing, which is controlled by the whites, his dreams might be destroyed and he doesn’t want that for his son. Of course that resulted in disturbed relationship between Troy and Cory. Troy’s way in protecting or caring for his son might be harsh, that can be refers for Troy’s relationship with his father as the plays shows. Troy refuses to acknowledge that times have changed and Cory can be something if he plays, instead he ruined his son’s

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977 Words | 4 Pages

Children are pushed into adulthood by their parents to grow up and become adults at an early age. In today's society, parents perceive their children as adults and force the idea that there is no other way of living besides having a job to support yourself even if the job isn't your passion. In Fences, Cory has a chance to get into college by getting recruited by a football coach and potentially have a better future than Troy, because he would achieve a college degree. However, Troy, Cory's father takes that all away from him because Tory wants Cory to have a real job that can support him instead of having a “chance” of supporting himself. With not being given the same chance as his son, Tory continues to put his own past experiences before

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1011 Words | 5 Pages

Karen Armstrong and Robert Thurman wrote their essays, “Homo religiosus” and “Wisdom”, respectively, describing two words, “being” and “void”. These words, although have opposite meanings, describe the same spiritual experience that come about through different means. By definition, “being” is a kind of fullness or completeness of existence and “void” is emptiness or a negation of existence. Armstrong believes that “being” is the equivalent of the Buddhist’s “Nirvana” while Thurman believes that “void” is the equivalent of the Buddhist’s “Nirvana”. Although these terms seem to be opposite in the literal sense of defining them, they lead to the same outcome: not being at the center of one’s own universe.

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883 Words | 4 Pages

August Wilson's play Fences addresses a great content of interpreting and inheriting history. Throughout Fences, much of the conflict emerge because the characters are at disparity with the way they see their foregoing and what they want to do with their forthcoming. Fences explores how the damaged aspirations of one generation can taint the dreams of the next generation on how they deal with the creation of their own identity when their role model is a full of dishonesty. Wilson illustrates his qualities primarily through his use of symbolism in the play Fences.  

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884 Words | 4 Pages

August Wilson faces a lot of difficulties in his life. He begins writing Fences in the twentieth century, and he portrays the African American experience between the 1900s to 2000 (Wilson 11). In Fence August Wilson tells the story of a father, Troy Maxson’s lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Troy was a very talented baseball perspective with hopes to play in the major leagues. Maxson’s had the bad luck of having to grow up when racism was the biggest part of America.

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1010 Words | 5 Pages

Fences by August Wilson is a play set in 1950s Pittsburgh which chronicles the life of an African American family. Language is a crucial component of the play, revealing the characters, conflicts, and meaning of the story. In Fences, Troy is a strong character who uses his language to assert his dominance, especially over his son, Cory. Troy treats Cory with a harsh exterior, which masks his deep hopes for a better future for his son.

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