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Character Analysis Of Troy As A Complex Character In August Wilson's Fences

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Troy as a Complex Character Fences, a play by August Wilson, was set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based on the 1950’s. The play revolves around how Troy Maxon treats his family, and how he manages certain situations. Although he may be a good man on certain occasions, his flaws stand out more. The play shows Troy’s true character and how his personality impacts the lives of those around him. The story also includes Troy’s family as their personalities also help set up the scenes in the play. All these events that happened in the play reflect and show how complex Troy is as a person. Troy grew up during a time where racism and discrimination was heavy. He played baseball but never made it to the “big leagues” until he was old and unable to …show more content…

Cory, his second son, wanted to pursue a football career and insisted his dad multiple times to let him play. Troy being the stubborn man he was continued to say no and told his son to go work instead of wasting his time on something he couldn’t make a living out of. Eventually Rose appears after an intense conversation between Troy and Cory about how Cory is Troy’s responsibility, not because he likes him and how he should go get that A&P job back. Realizing the situation Rose tries to convince Troy to let Cory play football. Rose states, “Times have changed from when you was young, Troy. People change. The world’s changing around you and you can’t even see it” (Wilson 40). Despite the attempts to change his mind, Troy refused and it led to Cory not pursuing his dreams and later in the play getting kicked out of his own home. Cory eventually became a Corporal in …show more content…

Everytime he went to work he did it for his family, he never wanted them to go without essential needs like food, water, clothing etc. The house he was living in was technically bought by Gabe’s government funds. Even with that circumstance instead of just living off Gabe’s money he provided everything else for himself and his family. Every time he got his paycheck he gave it to Rose so she could manage it instead of him. In act one scene 3 there’s a discussion between Troy and Cory about how Cory wants a two hundred dollar TV but the roof needing to be tarred costs two hundred and sixty-four dollars. Cory insisted that his father get TV. Troy’s response, “Two hundred and sixty-dollars…cash money. While you thinking about a TV, I got to be thinking about the roof…and whatever else go wrong around here. Now if you had two hundred dollars, what would you do…fix the roof or buy a TV?” (Wilson 32). Troy preferred using his money on something useful instead of blowing it on an electronic. When Gabe got injured in combat he took the responsibility of looking after his brother and when he got in jail he made sure to get him out. Troy was very responsible with his money and family since he had a childhood of poverty, he wanted the best for

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Although, Wilson emphasizes this journey with Troy who believe that racial boundaries prevented him from being a major in baseball. He wanted to show that education is more valuable than sports. Troy felt that Corry could reach his true potential of becoming someone educated. He believes that his role as father to keep a roof over his family head. Troy doesn't realize how he became a bully pushing his family and friends around.

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August Wilson’s play Fences was written in 1983. Fences is the sixth play in Wilson’s Pittsburgh cycle. Pittsburgh is important because it represents a better life for blacks; it provides them with jobs and helped them to escape the poverty and racism of the south after the civil war. It represents promises and promises that were broken. I feel like Fences represents the struggles Troy and his family faced because of their complexion and their constant disappointments as black people.

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As a father he doesn't want his kids to be pushed out of the nest like he was so he protects them and even though it's the opposite of what his kids want. August Wilson characterizes Troy as a serious straight edge guy. Troy only provides for his family and doesn't give much in return. He seems to only be there as there father because it's

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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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Troy not only disapproves of his son Cory playing football, but he also disagrees with his oldest son Lyons aspirations of becoming a musician. We see this when Troy states “get recruited in how to fix cars or something where he can make a living”. Instead of focusing on sports, he believes Cory should pick up a trade that can provide an income for his future. Cory is a talented athlete just like his dad, but due to Troy’s dreams being shattered by the white man, his outlook is tainted. Although Troy is predominantly aggressive, he is attempting to protect Cory from the same disappointment he once endured.

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The hardships that people face, coming from racial and gender injustice, can sometimes affect not just those directly concerned, but their families as well. These injustices, such as the treatment to Troy in Fences during his younger years, change the ways he acts to his sons and the rest of the characters and is the source of much of the conflict they face. Many of the conflicts in the play arise because the characters disagree with the way they see the past and what they want to do in their respective futures. For example, Troy and Cory see Cory's future differently because of the ways they have been treated in their pasts.

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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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Troy chose to escape his reality by having an affair that gives him some laughs and good time every now and then. However, despite the flaws in Troy’s character, he was a providing family man who wants to insure a better life of his sons than the one he had. Based on the play’s time period, which took place at the 50’s, apparently the main problem of Troy Maxson’s character was racism against African Americans at the time that had prevented him from achieving his dreams. Throughout the play, Troy expresses his dissatisfaction in several scenes with the other characters.

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Troy’s inability to commit to building his fences despite his repetitive speaking of how he is going to finish his fence shows how his isolation from his wife stems from his inability to truly commit to his wife even though he always told her he loved her. He wanted to protect his wife from the truth that he cheated on her and has a baby on the way with her but the fence prevented true communication with his own wife. Troy's inability to see the change in civil rights during his time period because of the fence led to the isolation of his mindset towards African American rights and the straining of his relationship with his son. His struggle to be accepted into playing professional sports alongside white men lead to preventing his son from playing professional football despite the changing times in civil rights. Without isolation from change, his relationship with his son could possibly be a happy one.

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Life as a black man with a criminal record offered few opportunities, thus, he settled for his low-income blue-collar job. Troy was released from the penitentiary at 34 years old and remained in the same place until the play occurs when he is 53. During a heated conversation with Rose, he reveals his frustration with this by shouting, "If my brother didn't have that metal plate in his head ... I wouldn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. And I’m fifty-three years old.

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This meant that all professional baseball teams were still not for black people from playing. In fences, the troy character is very negative just because, he suffered in his past. In Fences, August Wilson shows that troy is a villain because he is unfair to his wife, wants to control everyone, and mean with his son. In the fences, August describe how Troy is a villain because of the unfair to his wife.

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Troy’s outlook on life is more narrow minded however, his family is more optimistic for a better future. Troy was raised by a very dominate male figure who was abusive. His father would be little him and made him like he would not be able to overcome racism. Troy despised his father who was mean and never showed him any love.

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The play “Fences” by August Wilson shows the dynamics in relationships and the multiple dramatic means by which they are established by using one pinnacle point. Wilson uses his main character Troy to stem of four other types of relationships. He shows the complexities of marriage and love in the relationship between Troy and Troy’s wife, Rose. He shows the commitment and betrayal of in the relationship between Troy and Troy’s

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He has a softer tone in the dialogue with Rose which shows that he does care about Cory. He is tough on Cory because he doesn’t want his son to experience the same things as he, as a black male in the mid-century, endured. He believes that a sturdy hand will lead his son in the right direction and prepare him for a harsh world. Troy tells Rose, “He’s got to make his own way. I made mine.

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Troy 's hatred of his father acts as a catalyst for many moments in Troy 's life, in negative and positive ways alike. Unlike most fathers, Troy 's father didn 't leave him with a material possession such as a house but instead left him with emotional baggage that crippled the earlier and later parts of Troy 's life. From the beginning, Troy 's father was abusive to his mother and all of his siblings. Troy and his family worked hard on their father 's farm and endured his bitterness towards being a sharecropper. Troy states that his father was greedy and would put his own personal needs above the needs of the family.

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