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Character Analysis Of Troy In Fences By August Wilson

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“No matter how far we come, our parents are always with us.” –Brad Meltzer. The play fences written by August Wilson takes place in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania during the 1950’s-60’s. The play follows a man named Troy who with his trauma filled childhood raises his son Cory. We see how Troy's past affects Cory all throughout the play. In the beginning of the play we see Troy as a big funny man who has a big influence on those around him. As the play develops we see how Troy's parenting style is tough love and he really wants the best for his son Cory. Troy is so tough on Cory because he doesn't want him to end up like him and Troy really wants the best for Cory. Troy had a rough start to his life; he had to grow up quickly and leave home at …show more content…

Troy feels as a failure sometimes and I believe that ties into why he is so tough on Cory. Troy wants the best for Cory and doesn't want him to end up like him, jobless and robbing people, and that is why he is so tough on him. Troy really sees himself in Cory and all of this discipline and punishment is for the best. It’s not that Troy doesn't want Cory to play football, it's just that he doesn't see a future in sports and giving up his job for sports is not a good decision. Troy also is tied into sports because of how good he became at baseball in …show more content…

He doesn't want Cory to get false hope and would like him to keep his job so he can start adulthood with a good job and wouldn't have to go through what Troy had to go through. Troy sometimes doesn't understand how late he got into Baseball and his age affected his ability to go professional not his skin color. Troy states, “ROSE Why don't you let the boy go ahead and play football, Troy? Ain’t no harm in that. He's just trying to be like you with the sports. TROY I don't want him to be like me! I want him to move as far away from my life as he can get. You the only decent thing that ever happened to me. I wish him that. But I don’t wish him anything else from my life. I decided seventeen years ago that boy wasn't getting involved in any sports. Not after what they did to me in the sports.” From the quote we see that Troy doesnt want Cory to have to do anything with sports. Rose comments that Cory is just trying to be like him and follow his footsteps. But the conversation gets much deeper and Troy says the only good thing that happened in his life is Rose and he wants Cory to be nothing like him. This part shows that Troy wants the best for Cory and is trying to steer him away from Troy's path. Speaking of which, stealing and robbing people is one thing Troy doesnt want Cory to get

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( Fences page 39). When Rose and Troy are talking about Cory, Rose says all Cory wants is for him to say “Good job, son.” Troy responds by saying that nobody is going to help Cory in the real world. Cory needs to be independent and make his own way. Troy throughout the book also used baseball to teach Cory lessons.

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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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The dynamic between a father and son is never a simple journey, but instead, comes with curveballs thrown left and right. In Fences, by August Wilson, he writes of the hardships between a father and son relationship and the difficulties a father has over trying to shield his son from life’s cruelties, to the salvation found between being fenced in and finally being placed outside of the fence—both literally and metaphorically. Through out the play, there are numerous confrontations between Troy and Cory—whether it be when Cory asks Troy whether or not he loves him or when Cory throws his football helmet towards the direction of Troy—which show the difficult and complicated relationship between father and son. Also prevalent in the play, was the lack of a father and male figure in Troy’s own life, during his most influential and important years. Troy recognizes that and the way he was/is treated by society in general and wanted to “help” his son by showing Cory the difficult lessons Troy learned during his youth, as a way to lessen the pain that would be inflicted on his son later on.

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Troy didn’t want his son to get caught up in sports because he felt like he would never have a chance, just like him back when he wanted to play professional sports. In the text, Cory says “Papa done went down to the school and told coach Zelllman I can’t play football no more. Wouldn’t even let me play the game. Told him to tell the recruiter not to come” (Goodwin el at. 314). Therefore, by troy going down to the school and ruining the chances of his son’s career, that showed a flaw of judgment and a selfish decision he made.

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Troy blames a lot of his problems on the fact that he wasn't given a chance because of racial prejudice. Readers learn that Troy learned this behavior from his father, who contributes to a cycle of generational trauma. Troy's father grew up in the same area and was abusive towards

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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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Troy had been holding back his son Cory from football because of his own experience in baseball. It’s obvious that Troy tries to put an end to Cory’s football dreams when Troy tells Cory “The white man ain’t gonna let you get nowhere with that football noway. You go on and get your book-learning so you can work yourself up in that A&P or learn how to fix cars or build houses or something, get you a trade. That way you have something can’t nobody take away from you" (Wilson). Troy was unable to realize that the reason he wasn’t recruited solely because of his race.

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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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Troy says to Rose that he is going to keep seeing the girl he has cheated on her with, Alberta. He then tells her, “It's just... [Alberta] gives me a different idea... a different understanding about myself. I can step out of this house and get away from the pressures and problems" (Wilson, 1986, p. 68).

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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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He persistently criticizes and neglects his two sons, which thus draws them away from him. Troy pushes Lyons away by refusing to hear him play his "Chinese music". He also scars hisrelationship with his other son, Cory, by preventing him from playing football and rejecting his onlychance to get recruited by a college football team. Also, Troy states that Cory's things will "be on theother side of that fence" when he kicks Cory to the street. Through this scene Troyacknowledges the fence as an actual, physical divide between him and his son.

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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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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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