In August Wilson's play Fences, the author skillfully utilizes the literary technique of metaphor to develop the characterization of Troy Maxson. The metaphor of baseball serves as a recurring motif that illuminates Troy's personality, struggles, and ambitions. Throughout the play, Troy compares various aspects of life to the game of baseball, drawing parallels between his experiences and the sport he loves. For instance, when reflecting on his past and the racism he faced, Troy states, "I was standing on first base waiting for the next man to hit me home" (Wilson 16). This metaphorical comparison portrays Troy as a man constantly striving for advancement and seeking opportunities to overcome the barriers he encounters.
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.
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.
Without seeing Curley’s wife or Amelia, the reader can easily characterise the two figures in their minds. This effect is created by powerful imagery. Both characters are viewed as promiscuous and flirtatious; evidenced rough their obsession with alluring clothing. Similarly the phrases "and now you've gay bracelets and bright feathers three" of the Ruined maid and “ostrich feathers in Of Mice and Men have very similar connotations. The synonymy in presenting them both as birds signifies the writer’s intentions to portray them as glamorous, with a natural almost animal like confidence.
In "Fences" by August Wilson, the protagonist Troy Maxson's struggles with his own pride and sense of responsibility, as well as his relationships with his family, reveal the complex emotions and consequences of systemic racism and the struggle for the American Dream. While the play ultimately shows the power of love and the resilience of the human spirit, it also highlights the tragic effects of the oppressive systems that prevent African Americans from achieving their goals. During the early nineteenth century, after years of speculation and arguments, the decision was made by the United States Congress to ban slavery in 1808 (Baharvand, sec. Introduction), although no one in the southern United States adhered to this law.
In the play Fences, the main character Troy and the side characters grow up in a poor region of Pittsburgh in the 1950s. The play follows Troy, his family, and the struggles they face living in a segregated and racist society. Literary devices such as metaphors, motifs, and setting represent why these characters act the way they do. The same situation would exist in their environment with an abusive father. Troy's behavior would be described as irritated and harsh.
“Fences,” by August Wilson is set during an era of extreme racism. In the play there are many underlying messages about certain family dynamics and the idea of true success in careers for African Americans. Growing up Troy Maxson loved baseball and definitely had the skill set to play it professionally. Due to his race he was not accepted to play professionally despite his great talent. This denial leads him to grow bitter and strains relationships in his life later on.
The play, Fences by August Wilson, is about Troy Maxson and his struggling family relationships. A recurring idea throughout the story is the construction of a fence around Troy's home. Troy's fence could symbolize two things, Troy is trying to protect his family from the outside world, or Troy is isolating himself from his own family. As the construction of the fence progresses, the more severely damaged Troy's relationships become. In this play, the underlying message is that, despite the fact that fences can both protect and isolate, Troy’s fence isolates him from his family rather than to protect his family.
August Wilson writes in the epilogue of Fences, "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). Wilson’s comment reveals the significance of love and loyalty and how they cross generational boundaries. He implies that, while individuals can be divided by race and class, a universal tie binds us together. Wilson highlights how transformational and powerful love can lead to greater understanding and acceptance through the characters of his drama.
August Wilson's play Fences addresses a great content of interpreting and inheriting history. Throughout Fences, much of the conflict emerge because the characters are at disparity with the way they see their foregoing and what they want to do with their forthcoming. Fences explores how the damaged aspirations of one generation can taint the dreams of the next generation on how they deal with the creation of their own identity when their role model is a full of dishonesty. Wilson illustrates his qualities primarily through his use of symbolism in the play Fences.
The obsession with dominance over others is a negative trait with terrible consequences. Troy Maxson, a father of two children and a friend of few, goes through his life, compulsed to assert his superiority over the people he knows. This leads to a downward trend with negative repercussions and eventually strips him of everything he ever loved. In Fences by August Wilson, Troy Maxson’s desire to be dominant with his two sons and his friend, Bono causes his life to be arduous, pushes his family away and creates a lack of sympathy. One method Troy employs to be dominant is by making people indebted to him.
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
Fences by August Wilson is a play set in 1950s Pittsburgh which chronicles the life of an African American family. Language is a crucial component of the play, revealing the characters, conflicts, and meaning of the story. In Fences, Troy is a strong character who uses his language to assert his dominance, especially over his son, Cory. Troy treats Cory with a harsh exterior, which masks his deep hopes for a better future for his son.
Fences is a play written by the playwright August Wilson, who dedicated himself to writing plays capturing what it was like to be an African American in the United States during every decade of the 20th century. Fences was a play that was specifically written to provide an outlook into the lives of African Americans in America during the 1950s, during the process of demarginalization. Each character of the novel provides a unique perspective to capture different aspects of the “African American Experience” during this time period. In Fences, it was very important to August Wilson to truly capture “The African American Experience” and he was able to do so through the portrayal of the Maxson family, with his representation of African Americans during the 1950s in Fences, and with the multiple perspectives of African Americans captured
"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.
