Trauma In Fences

In Fences by August Wilson, the generational trauma from a freedman’s devotion to his own income and financial responsibilities while being neglectful of his emotional responsibilities to his family causes Troy to carry bits of his personality with him through his life in both thought and action. These reflected traits result in previously stable relationships heavily oriented around Troy’s opinion evolving into chaotic relationships filled with fluctuating feelings, ultimately leading to a more lonely phase where he realizes what should’ve been valued throughout the final years of his life.

Post-Civil War America emancipated the African American population throughout the country, and within many states, a very similar system to that of slavery

While being viewed as a hard worker and provider for Troy, there is a strong sense of resentment regarding the emotional neglect experienced as a child with Troy’s statement of “the only thing my daddy cared about was getting them bales of cotton in to Mr. Lubin. That’s the only thing that mattered to him” while speaking to Bono and Lyons (Wilson 51). He goes on to describe an abusive and traumatic experience as an innocent child where he confronted the authority of his father upon being reprimanded for disobeying given orders and chores, which further enraged his father as shown by him being referred to as “the devil

Early in the play, Troy and Cory have a very typical relationship of the time where fathers weren’t emotionally mature enough to make the change they wished to observe, resulting in a demanding and stressful relationship between the two. Upon an attempt to make his dad proud, he signed up to play football for the school, and due to his ability within the sport and academically was being scouted by a prospective college for a chance to play in a more professional setting. Troy becomes resistant to this idea, and says that times haven’t changed since he played baseball and people of color were treated like scrap in comparison to White athletes. While acting as an innocent child exploring his opportunities, Cory makes the decision to drop his job at A&P temporarily to pick up on the possibility of a career in football, which his father finds borderline moronic and pulls him from playing. Upon confronting Troy about his decision, he crosses over to Troy and upsets him as his authority is being mildly challenged by simple disobedience (Orwell 57). Later upon revealing his infidelity to his wife Rose with Alberta, Rose becomes distraught over her devotion to an unfaithful man and states that he takes and “-don’t even know nobody’s giving”, resulting in Troy grabbing her by arm in a state