How Does Troy Maxon Use Of Generational Trauma

342 Words2 Pages
Generational trauma passes through black families as a result of the discrimination and lynching they face in the South. Fences is a play by August Wilson that explores the cycle of trauma in black families during the 1950s. Troy Maxon’s conflict with his father’s abuse and the extreme racism from the South results in his authoritarian parenting with Cory. Troy and Cory have a difficult relationship, stemming from Troy’s fears of his son facing the same discrimination he did. Troy had a horrible father. He states, “Sometimes I wish I hadn't known my daddy. He ain't care nothing about no kids” (50). His father “ain't cared” about Troy and his siblings and was emotionally and physically abusive towards them. This eventually leads him to wish