ipl-logo

The Struggle Between Rose And Rose In August Wilson's Fences

675 Words3 Pages

Kelly Rowland once said, “Living in someone else’s shadow is not living at all. You have to find your own light.” Fences by August Wilson revolves around the life of Troy Maxson whose one goal is to survive, and many themes begin to pop up as the play follows Troy around. A key theme is living in one's shadow and Rose is used to exemplify that theme. Rose, the stay-at-home mother and wife, is wedded to Troy because she believes that she will not succeed without him. However, in doing so, Rose is engulfed by the shadow of Troy as she cares too much about him. In his play Fences, August Wilson uses Rose to symbolize how one’s choices can lead one to be trapped in another’s shadow. Wilson illustrates the theme of being stuck in one’s shadow through …show more content…

Wilson has used hyperbole to allude to the massive shadow that Troy casts over his home; a shadow that Rose will eventually become caught within. Wilson is using this conversation to expel Rose’s real emotions about Troy and how she felt about being forced to stay so close to him, showing how Rose feels free now that Troy is deceased. Although Troy is dead and Rose partly feels free, Rose is still engulfed by Troy’s massive shadow. She feels this way as she “took on Raynell like she was all them babies [Rose] had wanted and never had. Like [she’d] been blessed to relive a part of [her] life” (Wilson 98). Wilson includes this metaphor to say that Raynell is a blessing to Rose. Many times, parents say that their kid is a blessing, but in this case, Rose says taking care of a child without Troy is a blessing. There are two contrasting sides present in this line. Firstly, Rose remains a part of Troy’s shadow as she is taking care of his baby which is something she cannot give up. On the other hand, without Troy, Rose would gain new, free will where she can lead a new life and take care of a baby without the overpowering presence of Troy. The circumstances surrounding Rose’s situation can be looked at far greater and compared to the circumstances of the Great Migration. The Great Migration was a

Show More
Related
191 Words | 1 Pages

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.

Read More
546 Words | 3 Pages

Despite the challenges she faces as Troy's wife and the strains in their relationship, Rose draws strength from her own past experiences. Reflecting on her difficult upbringing, Rose reveals her resilience and the wisdom she gained from her past. She states, "I planted myself inside you and waited to bloom. And it didn’t take me no eighteen years to find out the soil was hard and rocky and it wasn’t never gonna bloom". Rose's past struggles inform her decision to find strength within herself and create a better life for herself and her family.

Read More
353 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
70 Words | 1 Pages

Taking place in 1957, the story of Fence provides evidents that women are likely to openly express their hardships of being a housewife and constantly being dominated by men. In a role as a housewife, Rose often stays at home, clean up and cook, as well as take care her children. In addition, she plays a role as the reconciler to solve the contradictions between her husband and her

Read More
875 Words | 4 Pages

In the play “Fences”, written in 1957 by August Wilson annotates how Troy’s childhood experiences affected his life and put a strain on his relationship with family and friends. Troy’s enormous amount of pride, flaw of judgment, and malicious actions lead to his shortcomings and resulted into him becoming a tragic hero. In the story, Troy had a lot of flaws in his character throughout the play. As Troy was growing up he never had the proper guidance, so he had to take care of himself the best way he could.

Read More
970 Words | 4 Pages

In the play Fences by August Wilson, Troy Maxson presents as the protagonist. He is an unsympathetic character who seems to hurt all those around him with his aggressive persona. Troy is a selfish man, with a one sided perception on life which made him unable to accept the choices others made. Due to his upbringing, Troy is unable to show love in a normal fashion. Instead, he blocks his family out by using a harsh exterior, emotionally excluding himself from his underlying love.

Read More
1516 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More
838 Words | 4 Pages

“Fences” major theme was the whole idea of the African American race being the minorities. It’s constantly mentioned throughout the play. Troy believes his color prevented him from achieving many things in his life. For example, professional baseball. Rose insists Troy was too old to continue playing baseball, but Troy says he couldn’t make it because of his color.

Read More
437 Words | 2 Pages

Do you get to sleep in a warm bed? Do you get to eat at the table with food in front of you and a roof over your head?? If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider yourself lucky. A lot of homeless people don’t get to do any of these things. Just think about that.

Read More
883 Words | 4 Pages

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.  

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

August Wilson faces a lot of difficulties in his life. He begins writing Fences in the twentieth century, and he portrays the African American experience between the 1900s to 2000 (Wilson 11). In Fence August Wilson tells the story of a father, Troy Maxson’s lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Troy was a very talented baseball perspective with hopes to play in the major leagues. Maxson’s had the bad luck of having to grow up when racism was the biggest part of America.

Read More
702 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
985 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More
1010 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
1457 Words | 6 Pages

"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.

Read More

More about The Struggle Between Rose And Rose In August Wilson's Fences

Related Topics

Open Document