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. This play was set in the 1950’s, an era when racism was indeed an issue. August Wilson used this play to show the struggles a black man had to endure while trying to make it in a white man’s world during this time. Troy Maxson was an African American who believes his …show more content…
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. When Troy decides not to sign the recruitment papers it illustrates his insensitivity. Troy is a man surrounded by many loved ones but due to selfish ways he is unable to sustain a healthy …show more content…
His aggressive attitude steams from his past experiences. He had a rough upbringing, experiencing many hardships at a young age. Troy had an abusive father who he referred to as “evil” and an absent mother. This forced him to move out at the young age of fourteen, making him to grow into a man. When Troy’s past gets brought up, he states “sometimes I wish I hadn’t known my daddy…A kid wasn’t nothing. All he wanted was for you to learn to walk so he could start you to working. When it come time for eating…he ate first. If there was anything left over, that’s what you got”. With that being said, not only did this mold his character but it also impacted the relationship he has with his children. As a child, his father never showed him affection, therefore he is unable to replicate. Although Troy is a protective and loving father, he is unable to show these emotions due to his past experience. Troy never learned how to treat others, especially those close to him. Instead, his past hinders his present, destroying every loving relationship he has
A Tragic Figure But A Hero At Heart Troy is a tragic figure but, also a hero at heart. Why? You may ask, because. He has high expectations for Cory about quitting the football team and getting a job. Troy takes the responsibility of his family and home, has an everlasting love for Raynell.
Student’s Name: Professor’s Name: Course: Date: Fences Playwrights pass relevant information to their viewers through the plays which they create. Viewers must be keen to acquire valuable lessons. Otherwise, they may miss some critical components which would have a positive impact on their development. August Wilson’s “Fences” is an example of a play which passes vital awareness on some of the critical issues which affect the society.
In the play Fences, by August Wilson, the symbol of the fence is used to characterize the internal conflicts of the central character, Troy Maxson, in his relationships and stature in society. More than just a backdrop into the setting, this unfinished fence holds greater symbolic significance into the lives of Troy and his family. After Troy and his wife, Rose, had just finished arguing about Troy’s brother Gabriel, and as he began to leave Rose questioned him, “You been running out of here every Saturday for weeks. I thought you was gonna work on this fence?” where Troy responds with “I’m gonna walk down to Taylor’s.
Sense of pride: As the breadwinner, Troy takes great pride in his earnings. When his oldest son, Lyons, comes around asking for ten dollars, Troy replies by saying,“ ‘I 'm just supposed to haul people 's rubbish and give my money to you cause you too lazy to work?’ ” (1, 19). Although he may come across as harsh, his intentions are good, as he wants his sons to be self-reliant like he has been since the age of fourteen, and know what it feels like to be proud an accomplishment. If he hasn’t taught his sons to live on their own, then he has failed as a
The Faults of Troy Maxson August Wilson brings out the struggle of Troy Maxson in his play, Fences. All that matter to him end up feeling this struggle, for it remains constantly inside of him. Ultimately it proves to overcome Troy and make many lose the respect and love that was once felt. Troy’s actions and failure to fix them makes his true character known. By giving way to his own desires, becoming a continuation of his father and failing those he loves Troy Maxson proves to be a man flawed at his core.
This meant that all professional baseball teams were still not for black people from playing. In fences, the troy character is very negative just because, he suffered in his past. In Fences, August Wilson shows that troy is a villain because he is unfair to his wife, wants to control everyone, and mean with his son. In the fences, August describe how Troy is a villain because of the unfair to his wife.
The hardships that people face, coming from racial and gender injustice, can sometimes affect not just those directly concerned, but their families as well. These injustices, such as the treatment to Troy in Fences during his younger years, change the ways he acts to his sons and the rest of the characters and is the source of much of the conflict they face. Many of the conflicts in the play arise because the characters disagree with the way they see the past and what they want to do in their respective futures. For example, Troy and Cory see Cory's future differently because of the ways they have been treated in their pasts.
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.
"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.
The play “Fences” was written by August Wilson in 1983. Although the text had been written in the 1980’s, the actual setting of the play was set in the 1950’s, between the korean and vietnam wars. The themes of the play revolve around the pre-civil-rights-movement. Fences was based on the lives in an average african american household in the 1950’s. Throughout the play, the audience is constantly following the tragic father and son storyline, as well as the complicated relationship between Troy and Rose.
In the play Fences by August Wilson, Troy Maxson, a middle-aged man who works as a garbage man, behaves in a way which helps define the play as a tragedy according to Arthur Miller’s essay, “Tragedy and the Common Man.” In order for a play to be classified as a tragedy according to Miller, it must have a character who has a tragic flaw- he actively advocates for himself when he believes he is receiving unfair treatment, a trait which Troy displays when he demands a job as a truck driver. Additionally, Miller states that a tragedy must have a character that strongly desires to be free, a feature that Troy exhibits when he tells his wife, Rose, about his affair with a woman named Alberta. According to Miller, a tragic character will also sacrifice
Troy wanted to be better than his father but did not want either of his sons to be better than he
According to the play’s story, Troy Maxson is the main character of the play. He is a bit of a complicated character. He is a very stubborn, self-centered person who lives in his own world. He created his own illusions and lived in them. Troy’s actions throughout the play are influenced by his way of thinking, broken child hood, and past mistakes.
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.
Troy Maxson has done it all. He has wrestled with Death, rose a family, played a sport he loved, and became one of the first African-American drivers. At first glance, he seems happy and content in his life. Though, in August Wilson’s book Fences, Troy’s self-centeredness, which can be tied into his past, causes him and many others near him trouble as his adventure through life progresses. These are all traits of a tragic hero, and Troy is a great example of one.