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Society's Mistreatment Of Women In Fences By August Wilson

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Society’s mistreatment of women

Women are regarded as nothing more than a second thought in society. They are often forced into compromising positions where they put others first, because that is what is expected of them. A character oppressed by these societal restrictions is Rose Maxson from the play Fences. Written by August Wilson in 1983, Fences is set in Pittsburgh in the 1950s that follows an African American family during times of injustice and familial conflicts. Rose was a character largely mistreated throughout the play by her husband, Troy, and was forced time and time again to put others before herself. Rose as a character represents the restrictions society has placed on women.

In Fences, Rose was forced to give up her dreams …show more content…

One would expect Rose to have found another place to stay, or that she would cut off all communication with Troy. Unfortunately, this is not a possible reality for a housewife. During this period, there were essentially no job opportunities for women available. Rose was stuck where she was because she had no other choice- she needed Troy’s income to afford to live. This is due to the fact that women are overlooked in society, and are deemed not as capable of working as compared to men. There are many instances where women choose to stay with their male partners even after they cheat because they have been shaped into the gender roles of being accommodating and nurturing. Rose similarly had all independence stripped away from her because she was a woman-, while Troy as a man had the opportunity to go out and continue living life normally, Rose could not get away from her husband. She voices her frustration at his lack of regard for her, explaining to him that she cannot continue to live like this. Troy has continued to mistreat her and goes to visit Alberta and his friends almost every day. Rose attempts to establish some sort of control over the situation, and says to him, “I want you to come home tomorrow after work” (II.2). However, as her husband holds all the power over her, Rose is unable to accomplish much at all- she has become effectively trapped in her house by the lack of opportunities available to

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