"So What?"
Important Characters
-Troy: Strong personality, gets very "philosophical" when he drinks, confused about what he truly wants in life (fun-filled, youth-like life or life as a father and a husband?), easily defined as the leader between him and Bono, hardworking, rough childhood reflects the way he treats Cory
-Rose: Tough, doesn't take anything from Troy, influential, knows what she wants in life, is happy with the path she's taken, caring, loves her family
-Bono: At first, he is a follower of Troy and is envious of the way he lives his life and treats his family until he screws it up, becomes self-confident near the end, warns Troy about screwing things up with Rose in an attempt to prevent it from happening, stops hanging out with Troy once Troy fathers a child with another woman
-Cory: Son of Troy and Rose, leaves one day after Troy refuses to let him have the future he always hoped for, comes back on the day of Troy's funeral and tells Rose that he isn't going to Troy's funeral because of the lack of connection between them
-Death: In the story of Fences death becomes a character that Troy tries to fight off... It seems that Troy finishes the fence only in an attempt to fight death
Essential Plot Elements
-In the beginning, Troy is an envied character with a lot going for him (good wife, nice son, good job, good friend)
-The plot begins to change when the author begins hinting, through Bono, that Troy has other interests besides Rose and his family
-At the climax, we find out that Troy has fathered a child with another woman named Alberta, but the child's mother dies and Troy hopes that Rose will help him raise his new daughter ("... this child got a mother. But you a womanless man.")
-Troy and Rose's relationship weakens and eventually they end up virtually separated but are still raising the child together, Troy kicks Cory out of the house
-At the end of the story, Troy dies and leaves his family behind. All the characters from the story come together to remember Troy and we learn what he meant to the characters and what role he played in their lives
Setting
-The play Fences takes places during the 1950's (1957, later 1965) at the Maxson household (mostly in the front yard) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The mood is happy in the beginning but as the plot develops, we see the effects of the characters' lifestyles begin to wear on them.
Central Conflicts
- Troy's conflict with what he has and wants he wants eventually ruins his relationship with his family. To begin, Troy denies Cory when he asks Troy's permission to play football. Then, Troy reveals to his family that he has been cheating on Rose and has fathered another child with the woman. Finally, Troy readmits Gabriel to the hospital while continuing to use the money Gabriel earned after the war.
Major Themes
- Surviving aging and dealing with "what could've been" while still living in the present is a central theme of this work. Troy acts on impulse when he has an affair with Alberta. Because he doesn't think of the consequences that may follow the affair, he eventually ruins his relationship with his family because he was unhappy with the path he had chosen. Also, won't allow Cory to play football because he is afraid that Cory will just end up being disappointed like Troy when he played baseball. Lastly, Troy grew up with a rough childhood, specifically because of his father. Because he was treated like this as a child, Troy consciously tries to be a better father to Cory than his father was to him, but subconsciously doesn't give Cory the freedom and experiences a father should let a son have.
Emotion
- I'm moved by this story because it shows the struggles and hardships a person goes through and the effects they have on them. Troy eventually dies from his inability to accept that this is the life he has chosen for himself. Rose accepts the life she's chosen for herself, and the people she's picked to spend it with, and even the ones she hadn't expected. Rose willingly gives up "what could've been" to live the life she virtually ended up loving.
"How?"
Diction
- The author, August Wilson, uses diction to portray the time period and the characters. The characters speak English with an African American dialect, which August Wilson uses to show that, because it is the 1950's, the Maxson family probably isn't as successful as white families at that time. Also, by having the characters speak with an African American dialect, the author enables the reader to familiarize themselves with the culture and slang of an African American in the United States during the 1950's.
Organization/Structure
- Because this work is written in play-form, the reader gets a sense of how each characters acts by what they show and portray about themselves instead of what a narrator knows about one character. By using this, August Wilson allows the reader to know how each character acts and why they act this way.
Elements of Drama
- August Wilson uses both foreshadowing and "in medias res" in the play Fences. The death of Troy is foreshadowed in the beginning of the play when he states that death ain't nothing, and also when Gabriel comes to the Maxson's house and begins singing his song about getting ready for the judgement. By doing this, we can predict that, although he believes he won't, Troy eventually succumbs to death. "In medias res" means "in the middle of things", and August Wilson uses this by starting the play with Troy and Bono talking on Friday after work. This encourages the reader to continue reading and learn more about each character and their story.
