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Symbolism In August Wilson's Fences

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In August Wilson's play Fences, the fence symbol can be understood through a philosophical lens as a representation of the problems inherent to the emotional barriers within the Maxson family and, by extension, in relationships founded on and driven by duty rather than genuine love, which is a major theme in the story. The fence that Troy builds serves as a tangible manifestation of his emotional barriers, which result in him imposing control over his loved ones to protect them without fully understanding what they need from him. He believes he is doing right by his family by giving them "[his] sweat and [his] blood" (Wilson 40) so that they can have a roof over their heads and food on their plates. He neglects to realize that what Rose and Cory …show more content…

Troy believes in tough love, which means treating his son harshly whenever he strays from the path he thinks is best for him. He justifies his harshness by claiming that Cory would never succeed in a white man's game, no matter his natural talent and hard work. Troy wants to protect Cory from disappointment. However, his justification doesn't matter to Cory, who feels unheard and unwelcome at home and even goes so far as to question whether or not his father likes him. If Troy had been more open emotionally, he and Cory could have discussed their issues, and Troy could have learned how his misguided attempt at protecting his son had caused more harm than good. At the same time, if Troy were willing to discuss these things, he would understand baseball's significance to Cory and wouldn't have threatened to tear him apart from it entirely, even if he had taken an issue with Cory's pursuit. Troy is so busy providing for his family that he has neglected to form a genuine connection with his son. His friend Bono recognizes this when he notes that "some people build fences to keep people out" (Wilson

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The dynamic between a father and son is never a simple journey, but instead, comes with curveballs thrown left and right. In Fences, by August Wilson, he writes of the hardships between a father and son relationship and the difficulties a father has over trying to shield his son from life’s cruelties, to the salvation found between being fenced in and finally being placed outside of the fence—both literally and metaphorically. Through out the play, there are numerous confrontations between Troy and Cory—whether it be when Cory asks Troy whether or not he loves him or when Cory throws his football helmet towards the direction of Troy—which show the difficult and complicated relationship between father and son. Also prevalent in the play, was the lack of a father and male figure in Troy’s own life, during his most influential and important years. Troy recognizes that and the way he was/is treated by society in general and wanted to “help” his son by showing Cory the difficult lessons Troy learned during his youth, as a way to lessen the pain that would be inflicted on his son later on.

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Troy didn’t want his son to get caught up in sports because he felt like he would never have a chance, just like him back when he wanted to play professional sports. In the text, Cory says “Papa done went down to the school and told coach Zelllman I can’t play football no more. Wouldn’t even let me play the game. Told him to tell the recruiter not to come” (Goodwin el at. 314). Therefore, by troy going down to the school and ruining the chances of his son’s career, that showed a flaw of judgment and a selfish decision he made.

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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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Unlike Rose’s positive symbolic meaning of the fence, for Troy, the fence symbolizes bitterness and authority, harming and affecting Cory. The bitterness and exasperation radiating off of Troy is almost visible in many times of the play. It seemed that almost Troy and Cory never really had a decent conversation without leading to conflict. Frank Rich, in “Theater: Wilson’s ‘Fences,’” says, “Although Cory’s ambitions are the same as Troy’s once were, the father cruelly derails his son’s attempts to emulate him.” Similar to Troy, Cory yearns to play football.

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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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A fence is defined as enclosing an area of ground to mark a boundary, control access, or prevent escape. In the play Fences written by August Wilson, symbolism is used to convey ideas. Wilson’s uses the symbol of fences in order to show how barriers can be positive or damaging. At the beginning of the play, Rose badgers Troy about putting up the fence around the house.

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Brother, Gabriel. He shows the father and son complex in the relationship between Troy and Troy’s son, Cory. And finally he shows true friendship in the relationship between Troy and Troy’s best friend, Bono. Wilson masterfully crafts the novel to show many different types of relationships in a short three acts.

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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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Troy 's hatred of his father acts as a catalyst for many moments in Troy 's life, in negative and positive ways alike. Unlike most fathers, Troy 's father didn 't leave him with a material possession such as a house but instead left him with emotional baggage that crippled the earlier and later parts of Troy 's life. From the beginning, Troy 's father was abusive to his mother and all of his siblings. Troy and his family worked hard on their father 's farm and endured his bitterness towards being a sharecropper. Troy states that his father was greedy and would put his own personal needs above the needs of the family.

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In Wilson’s Fences, the fence is a form of protection against the outside world. The term "fence" is written in the plurial form, so we can establish that there exists many fences who have different aims in the play. The fence is designed in order to keep all members of the family together according to Rose but it is also intended to secure Troy from everything that threatens his well being. For example, early in the play, we understand Rose's particular motive for a fence with the following coversation: Women are instinctively more in touch with their emotions than men, so thus, they are instinctively more caring than the opposite gender. Consequently, as a wife and mother, it is natural for Rose to wish to keep her beloved ones together.

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