Fences Critical Essay

Elisa Berrelez

Professor RaeAnn Vasquez

ENGL 1302

19 March 2023

"Fences": Happy Husband Happy Life, Or Not

Taking place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1950s, the play "Fences" strongly expresses several themes relating to the stereotypical ideas and behaviors society pointed towards women, concentrating more on African American women. When analyzing themes such as gender roles and norms, it's typical to utilize Feminist Theory and dissect the text while looking through a feminist lens. The purpose of using a feminist lens is to enable the discovery of how people interact within gender systems and possibly offer solutions to confront and eradicate oppressive systems and structures (Arinder). In the play, Rose acts as the primary,

Readers not only get to see oppression take place in her life, but also how she acts in breaking these barriers that alter women's social purposes.

During this period, the 1950s was an era that further oppressed the Black community beyond slavery, especially socially. Rose fought a daily battle with prejudice based on her gender, this conflict often being activated by her own husband. Throughout the play, the contrasts between the roles of the men and the women were quite defined, the men being seen as the person with power who provides for their family, and the women contributing to their families' well-being, often by acting as a housewife. In a way, these role distinctions first originated based on the nature of the two genders that early society assigned; a man's nature is powerful, authoritative, and

In Act 1, Scene 4, Troy tells Rose when she finally arrives after he continuously had to call her, "You supposed to come when I call you, woman," to which Rose retorts, "Man, hush your mouth, I ain't no dog... talk about "come when you call me," (Wilson). This specific dialogue is significant because it could be looked at as Rose knowing her boundaries and what she can tolerate, so when someone attempts to dehumanize her at any level, she'll call it out, something a majority of women at the time were unable to do. Even Bono, Troy's good friend, points this trait of Rose out; "Rose'll keep you straight. You get off the track, she'll straighten you up," (Wilson 1.4). Earlier in the play, Rose also unintentionally throws aside the assumption that men could be in whatever relationship that they desired with a woman, whether it was a fling, a boyfriend-girlfriend bond, or a marriage. Troy shares the story of how he and Rose met, recalling how he told Rose, "Baby, I don't wanna marry, I just want to be your man," (Wilson 1.1). Rose follows this with a honest answer of, "If you not the marrying kind, then move out the way so the marrying kind could find me," (Wilson 1.1). Rose is simply a bold, straightforward woman who is self-aware and either says things as they are, or how they should or shouldn’t