African American Criticism In Fences By August Wilson

A common belief is that certain people in American society are accepted, rejected, or marginalized depending on their race. The authors of Fences, August Wilson, and "What Black America Won't Miss About Obama", John Blake (CNN), both understand who is accepted and rejected in American society and express that understanding in their works by showing how white people are treated extremely well and how black people are treated unfair as if they are lower than others. Blake uses real life events and quotes to convey this and Wilson uses his characters, such as Troy, and what they say throughout the story.

We will first discuss the play “Fences” this is a story in which the main character is a hard working African American Man. He is a good provider for his family. His wife is able to be a great homemaker and mother to his children, one of which is from another woman. Troy, who is the main character, has to make decisions not only for his family but also for his brother who is handicapped from the war. This places a lot of responsibility and pressure on Troy. Troy feels discrimination from many areas

To begin, in the play Fences the author reveals the impact that race has towards Troy by reminiscing on Troy’s past as a baseball player and his experience with racial discrimination.  Towards the beginning of the play, Troy starts to talk about how his son Cory wants to play football in high school and pursuit it

Like the play, much of the action takes place in Troy and Rose’s backyard, where Troy works to build the long-promised fence around Rose’s property, a fence meant to keep Rose’s family “in,” a symbolic protection of the freedom the family has come to enjoy. The thrust of the action follows Troy’s breakneck monologs, each describing the racism he’s had to overcome as a black man who has done time, played in the Negro baseball league, and then not made it into the still predominantly white pros. Yet, Troy’s inability to see that times are changing for “the negro” only lead to the movie's major conflicts; he cheats on his wife and father’s a daughter out of wedlock because he wants “a different understanding of [him]self” and wants to “get away from the pressures and problems” he has faced in his life (Wilson, pg. 1391, 1985). Simultaneously, he undermines his gifted sons (played by Russell Hornsby and Jovan Adepo), incapable of understanding the opportunities the post-Brown v. Board world affords them, opportunities never offered to him. In short, the narrative maintains Wilson’s pragmatic realism and confronts the diametrically opposed definitions facing black men and women in the world today.

protagonist and main character of the play, Troy Maxson. Troy is a 53 year old man who

In this unit we read a play written as a book, called “Fences”. Fences is about racism written in the 1986. The play is based around the main characters Troy and Rose, and their son Cory. Troy has stated that he has felt the need to provide a life for Cory but doesn't need love him. Troy is wanting Cory to stop playing football and get a real job at the A&P so he can provide for himself. Rose has been trapped in between all of this. All in all, the play Fences written by August Wilson uses the narrative element of characterization of Troy and Rose, the metaphor of sports, and conflict that Troy creates to show tension.

The first issue that is focused on throughout the play would be the racial inequality in America in the 1950’s. Although there were many Americans who were fighting to end segregation and discrimination, nothing was legally done about it until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Troy Maxson being an African American man in his early fifties, grew up with the white man suppressing him. Troy was a Negro League star but when black men were finally allowed to play in the Major Leagues of baseball in 1947, Troy was too old to play. This left him very bitter towards life and the way he went on to raise his sons, which also ties into the generational clashes that will be discussed later on.

The theme of August Wilson’s play “Fences” is the coming of age in the life of a broken black man. Wilson wrote about the black experience in different decades and the struggle that many blacks faced, and that is seen in “Fences” because there are two different generations portrayed in Troy and Cory. Troy plays the part of the protagonist who has been disillusioned throughout his life by everyone he has been close to. He was forced to leave home at an early age because his father beat him so dramatically. Troy never learned how to treat people close to him and he never gave any one a chance to prove themselves because he was selfish. This makes Troy the antagonist in the story because he is not only hitting up against everyone in the play,

The play Fences by August Wilson centers around the character of Troy, a middle-aged African-American man. Troy struggles to keep his family together, mostly as the result of mistakes he has made as a husband and parent. These mistakes reflect certain personality traits that make up Troy’s complex character, including his obsession with providing financially, his inability to love his family, and his stubborn insistence on others following the paths he decides for them. These character traits can be explained by the social, racial, and economic climate of the time. Fences takes place in late 1950’s Pennsylvania during the beginning of the Civil Rights Era, and Troy’s character is shaped by the disappointments that have come along with racism and economic difficulty, along with not being up to date on the changes happening in the Civil Rights movement. Although Troy and his character traits are responsible for the tragic decisions he has made, it is possible that the social context of the time has shaped him into the person he is.

Though there was a heightened sense of tension over civil rights in the late 1950s when A Raisin in the Sun was written, racial inequality is still a problem today. It affects minorities of every age and dynamic, in more ways than one. Though nowadays it may go unnoticed, race in every aspect alters the way African-Americans think, behave, and react as human beings. This is shown in many ways in the play as we watch the characters interact. We see big ideas, failures, and family values through the eyes of a disadvantaged group during an unfortunate time in history. As Martin Luther King said, Blacks are “...harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what

Racism and lack of opportunity where the Maxson’s live, play a monumental part of why the whole family is in shambles. In the beginning of the play, Troy is frustrated at his job and lack of economic and monetary achievement, he proceeds to say:

The play Fences by August Wilson was showcased at the Nevada Conservatory Theater. The play had a well structured plot, it was casted decently, and there were also a few mistakes. The plot centered around around the many issues which African American families face in the 1950s. This included racism and the strain that these prejudices had on the family structure.

life in the mid to late twentieth century and the strains of society on African Americans. Set in a small neighborhood of a big city, this play holds much conflict between a father, Troy Maxson, and his two sons, Lyons and Cory. By analyzing the sources of this conflict, one can better appreciate and understand the way the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work.

In the play Fences, by August Wilson, the main character, Troy Maxson is involved in numerous relationships with family members throughout the entire eight years that the story takes place. Troy is a father, husband, and brother to other characters in the play. Unfortunately for Troy, a strong-minded and aggressive man, he constantly complicates the relationships with his family members. Troy's hurtful actions and words make it nearly impossible for him to sustain healthy relationships with not only his two sons, but also his wife and brother.

The author directs his writings to address African-Americans past and present concerns. When Clay finally stands up to Lula after being a victim of her cruelty, he is representing Black Nationalism and his manhood. As an individual, Clay is doing his part to contribute to the Civil Rights movement, by not settling until he is respected and most importantly, treated equally by others. Baraka implies that black Americans must strike back against whites if they want to achieve equality. The goal of this play is to show the intolerance of white people during this time period, which was the nineteen sixties.