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Generational Trauma In August Wilson's Fences

907 Words4 Pages

Generational Trauma is a part of every family’s past and present. In his play Fences, August Wilson delves into the story of the Maxson family, a family where Men especially have the tendency to take on certain traits. Cory, the youngest man in the family, attempts to disregard his family’s past and carve a new path for himself and the younger generations. August Wilson uses the strategy of Man vs Man to develop the theme of Generational Trauma to show how families aren’t always defined by their past. Originally, the Maxson family’s generational trauma seemed to have been passed down to Cory just like it had to Troy. In the closing scene of the first act, Troy and Cory get into a heated argument based on their different beliefs and values. …show more content…

At the start of the second act, Troy is in a heated argument with Rose after he reveals his hidden affair with Alberta. He resorts to his old ways of violence by “hurting [Rose]” (71), to which Cory responds in his own way. Cory “comes up behind Troy and grabs him” (72), which seems to be Cory responding to violence with violence. This would mirror what happened to Troy and his father and would signal the generational trauma truly being passed down. But, while they are fighting each other, the reasons behind them so fiercely defending certain people are completely different. Cory is compassionately fighting for his “Mama” (72) while Troy is only fighting for self preservation. Cory is starting to grow up mentally and physically and can now stand toe to toe with both the figurative Troy living in his head and the physical one he lives with. The maturity that came with Cory’s change into a young man has allowed him to have a shift in mindset regarding the opinions that had been passed down to him. Cory’s love and compassion for others justifies this violence while Troy’s selfishness and anger does not. This truly marks a change in the family as someone is finally breaking past the selfish values that had defined the Maxsons, albeit using violence. Cory will continue to discover his own self as he gets forced out of the Maxson household and finally see past the cycle of generational trauma in his

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Growing up during a time of racial discrimination and facing numerous hardships, Troy carries the weight of these experiences into his adult life. His dream of becoming a professional baseball player is shattered by racial barriers, and this disappointment, along with the discrimination he faced, shapes his worldview. Troy's past experiences of racism and missed opportunities influence his decisions and interactions with loved ones throughout the play. For instance, he discourages his son, Cory, from going after his dreams of playing football, driven by his own bitterness and a desire to protect him from the same disappointments. Furthermore, Troy's past abandonment by his own father influences his perspective on responsibility and fatherhood.

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Resentment and feelings of isolation are effects of destructive family problems. Every family undergoes certain problems and have their strengths and weaknesses. Some patriarchs of families may see tough love as too tough or not tough enough. In Fences by August Wilson, the protagonist, Troy Maxson’s excessive pride created a tense and bitter relationship between him and his sons. After his promising baseball career ended, Troy settled in with Rose and started a family.

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Throughout the play, Troy would threaten Cory with strikes like in baseball and say a big punishment would await Cory when three strikes were hit. This was a way to control and manipulate Cory. When Cory and Troy got into an argument, Troy became exactly like his father by hitting Cory and threatening him. Cory counteracts by saying every time he heard his father's footsteps and name, he would tremble, and Rose was scared of him too. Troy says Cory can't live there anymore, and now Cory is in his father's position from many years ago.

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The Faults of Troy Maxson August Wilson brings out the struggle of Troy Maxson in his play, Fences. All that matter to him end up feeling this struggle, for it remains constantly inside of him. Ultimately it proves to overcome Troy and make many lose the respect and love that was once felt. Troy’s actions and failure to fix them makes his true character known. By giving way to his own desires, becoming a continuation of his father and failing those he loves Troy Maxson proves to be a man flawed at his core.

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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's desire to support his family, fueled by his experiences of racial inequality, drives him to work hard and fulfill his duty. However, Troy's relationships with his family members become strained due to his internal struggles and flaws. His complicated relationship with his son Cory exemplifies this. Troy projects his own unrealized dreams onto Cory, creating tension between them. In a confrontational moment, Troy advises Cory to focus on education and a trade rather than pursuing football, stating, "The white man ain't gonna let you get nowhere with that football noway.

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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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In summary, the play “Fences “setting was set during the 1950’s in Pittsburg, where many African Americans were fighting for their rights. Many of the minority population were getting treated poorly and unfairly. Troy Maxson, his wife and son lived off a small alley in a big-city. The main character Troy was a sanitation worker and former Negro League baseball player.

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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 displays an even greater desire for dominance over his other son, Cory, because of tension and conflict between the characters. A central conflict in the plot of Fences is that Cory wants to play football professionally but his father will not let him. As Ama Wattley states in Father-Son Conflict and the American Dream, “due to racial discrimination… [Troy] directs his son away from the dream of success and toward the pragmatism of surviving and coping in a racist society” (Wattley 3). Troy’s emotional conflict against himself and society for not participating in major league baseball coupled with Cory’s possible success creates a strain on their

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The play Fences is a drama written by August Wilson who was one of six children and also dealt with opeesrrions and racism when he dropped out of school due the struggles of racism. The play Fences presents the character Troy Maxson a person who has faced racism and discrimanation throughout his life. The Pulitzer Prize winning play is set in 1957-1965, a time when African-Amercians where hopeful for a better life. In Fences, racism haunts Troy Maxon’s life past and present. The play brings the view of racism in the world through Tory Maxson, family and friends.

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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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"When the sins of our fathers visit us, we do not have to play host. We can banish them with forgiveness; As God, in His Largeness and Laws"(Wilson X).This epigraph by August Wilson provides an insight into the importance of the topic in the play Fences. In Fences, the play depicts the relationships of the Maxson family and their friends. Troy Maxson, a middle-aged African American man, is happily married to his wife Rose and takes care of his son Cory whilst occasionally interacting with his other son from a previous relationship. However, the complexities of Troy 's past create issues for him and his family and their relationships begin to deteriorate.

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