August Wilson Character Analysis

Authors, throughout history, have constantly evolved the notion of the American Dream for the people of the United States. During the initial development of the nation, the American Dream was embodied in the idea that: “We hold these truth to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Declaration of Independence, 17776, par 2). While initially the definition of “all men” was read as an exclusionary group, which only included Caucasian men of wealth, the statement has been reinterpreted over time to include men and women of different races, nationalities, and class status. In the early 1980s, playwright

August Wilson Characterizes Troy as an African American man whom has faced adversity all throughout his life. In his younger years, Troy was not able to play in the major leagues because of his race. The racist ideology continues to haunt Troy’s every existence. “I’m talking about if you could play ball then they ought to have let you play. Don’t care what color you were. Come telling me I come along too early. If you could play… then they ought to have let you play” (Wilson pg.12). Even though Troy was able to play ball for the Negro Leagues, not being able to play for the major leagues has tainted his views on life, and thus, the ability for an African American man to pursue his version of American Dream. Consequently, Troy continuously associates death with baseball: “Death ain’t nothing. I done seen him. Done wrassled with him. You can’t tell me nothing about death. Death ain’t nothing but a fastball on the outside corner” (Wilson, 12). Troy’s confidence, and hubris, in beating Death at his own game will ultimately lead to his own demise. Interestingly enough, though, troy does not let the sting of the Jim Crow laws hold him back from fighting for equality, at work, later in his life. Since the motifs of baseball and death innately connected with Troy’s fight for equality, August Wilson appears to suggest how the fight for equality is not necessarily the only hope to fulfill the American