August Wilson Fences Literary Devices

In "Fences" baseball symbolizes a lot of meanings. Troy is proud of baseball and he not afraid of anything or the values of his life because his attitude toward death is satisfying. In addition, Troy discover baseball as one of the best moments of his life. In the article "Baseball as History and Myth in August Wilson's Fences" by Susan Koprince, she writes about history and mythic connection of baseball as metaphor for the American Dream, while in the article "Walking Around the Fences: Troy Maxson and the Ideology of "Going Down Swinging" by David Letzler, writes about Troy beliefs and ideas of "Going Down Swinging" in "Fences." Both articles by Koprince and Letzler are summarize and compare with each other analysts and one article was point out to be more convincing than the other and the reason why I agree with each writer.

The first time I read August Wilson's Fences for english class, I was angry. I was angry at Troy Maxson, angry at him for having an affair, angry at him for denying his son, Cory, the opportunity for a football scholarship.I kept waiting for Troy to redeem himself in the end of the play, to change his mind about Cory, or to make up with Ruth somehow. I wanted to know why, and I didn't, couldn't understand. I had no intention of writing my research paper on this play, but as the semester continued, and I immersed myself in more literature, Fences was always in the back of my mind, and, more specifically, the character of Troy Maxson. What was Wilson trying to say with this piece? The more that

Fences by August Wilson shows the evolving African-American experience during the 1950’s to the 1960’s. The main character Troy Maxson makes his living as a sanitation worker to provide for his family. Throughout Fences the audience can see how Troy’s past played a strong role in his relation with his sons and wife. Troy would eventually meet his ultimate demise after an altercation with his second son, Cory Maxson. Through Troy’s actions and relationships with his family, Wilson shows that as the determination of individuals clash it can lead to the decline of family relationships.

Conflicts and tensions between family members and friends are key elements in August Wilson's play, Fences. The main character, Troy Maxon, has struggled his whole life to be a responsible person and fulfill his duties in any role that he is meant to play. In turn, however, he has created conflict through his forbidding manner. The author illustrates how the effects of Troy's stern upbringing cause him to pass along a legacy of bitterness and anger which creates tension and conflict in his relationships with his family.

The story “Fences” by August Wilson, shows the struggle that a certain family goes through. This family is the Maxson family, each and every character in this story has a problem they face throughout their life whether it be a problem about money, choices, illness, or even love. The problem that Troy the father faces is that he is not satisfied with his life or love life. When he was younger he tried out for the pro baseball team and did not get in because of his race. Which left him distraught and led to all the problems his family faces. He feels he has more of responsibility than a life that he should be living. This causes him to eventually find another life with another woman. Him doing this causes a big toll on all family members.

Wilson does an excellent job of portraying Troy as a man who is jealous of another man's opportunities because he was not given that same opportunity. Troy played in the Negro Leagues but was never given the opportunity to play for the Major Leagues because of the color of his skin. His bitterness and resentment from not being accepted into Major League baseball have severely impacted his relationships with his sons Cory and Lyons. Cory, who is an aspiring football player, wishes to play college football and asks his father Troy to meet with a recruiter who is coming to Pittsburg from North Carolina. Troy refuses to even have a small conversation with the scout, telling Cory to “go on and get your book-learning so you can work yourself up in that A&P or learn how to fix cars or build houses or something, get you a trade.”

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.

August Wilson uses baseball ideology to construct the mindset of his protagonist, Troy Maxson, in “Fences”; however, Wilson also uses Troy to embody black America in the 50s. The metaphorical and literal significance of baseball is the driving force Troy’s subjectivity and ideology. Whether it be comparing death to baseball pitch, warning his son to not strikeout, or complaining about being stuck on first base, Troy uses baseball to explain life to those around him. Ironically, it is baseball that actually leads to Troy’s psychic castration. Although Troy was older when he was released from prison and playing in the Negro leagues, racism held younger players from competing with white Americans and there is no doubt that Troy saw this as what held him back as well. Unable to play in the major leagues bitters Troy’s attitude towards life and affects his relationship with his son, Cory, and wife, Rose. While on a micro level, the rules and mechanics of baseball have a negative impact on Troy’s mentality, on a macro level Troy’s loyalty to the game can be seen as an empowering force for black America in the 50s. The idea of not striking out, and the fetish of the home-run is meant to represent the black community’s resistance against society’s racism during this time. Although the ideology of baseball consumes Troy to the point of his own personal strikeouts, the ideology itself, and who Troy represents, is suppose to represent black America’s fight against a racist

Fences is a short history written by the African-American author August Wilson in 1985, that follows a tragic flow and explores significant social issues like racism, family conflicts, mental illness and gender inequality that took place in the post- World War II era, and still affecting us today. To support his ideas, the author takes us into the life of its characters in order to examine their societal and self-imposed limitations; also, the effective use of symbols, setting and themes create a broad perspective of this societal issues analyzing its origin, developing and culmination, in order to let the readers make their own conclusions.

In Fences, August Wilson introduces an African American family whose life is based around a fence. In the dirt yard of the Maxson’s house, many relationships come to blossom and wither here. The main character, Troy Maxson, prevents anyone from intruding into his life by surrounding himself around a literal and metaphorical fence that affects his relationships with his wife, son, and mortality.

The award winning play Fences is not just a work of fiction from the mind of August Wilson, but rather it is the reflections of a middle-aged man on his adolescent years. The majority of characters, places, and events are mirrored after real-life people, places, and history from Pittsburgh where Wilson grew up. Rather than creating a whole new world and characters for his third play, August Wilson infused his own personal childhood to form a story that could be related to by viewers and readers alike. Whether a Wilson consciously replicated elements of his history or not, the success of Fences, is due to the audience 's ability to relate to the characters and the circumstances of their lives.

Troy grew up in the deep South during the early 1900’s when racial divides were chasms few dared to cross. In addition to the racism he had to face everyday Troy’s father was an abusive womanizer, who never showed any affection of any kind toward his children. Troy’s hellish childhood had an immeasurable impact on his psyche, destroying his faith in people specifically. After leaving his home in Alabama at the age of 14, Troy found life difficult; he eventually turned to crime to support his poverty stricken family. Eventually, his thievery led to murder, which led to Troy being interred in a state penitentiary for 15 years. During his internment, Troy learned that he had an uncanny knack for baseball and hoped to make a new start using his newfound skill, but Troy was not meant to have such an easy escape from the cycle of poverty that was one of his prisons. He found that professional sports wouldn't accept a black man despite his best efforts. Troy bears this out when he states “[Rose] its you and baseball all what counts with me”. This painful realization causes Troy to lose faith in more than just individuals but in society as a whole, leaving no one but himself to be trusted. Troy not only lost his own personal dream but also any hope that his children or anyone of African-American heritage would ever be able to pursue and achieve the American Dream, and he grew a personal vendetta against

Alan Nadel argues that the object of the fence in August Wilson’s play, “Fences” symbolizes a great struggle between the literal and figurative definitions of humanity and blackness. The author summarizes the play and uses the character Troy to explain the characterization of black abilities, such as Troy’s baseball talents, as “metaphoric,” which does not enable Troy to play in the white leagues as the period is set during segregation (Nadel 92). The author is trying to use the characters from the play as examples of black people during the segregation years to show how people of that time considered black people not as literal entities and more like figurative caricatures. Stating that these individuals were considered to be in a

August Wilson’s play Fences brings an introspective view of the world and of Troy Maxson’s family and friends. The title Fences displays many revelations on what the meaning and significance of the impending building of the fence in the Maxson yard represents. Wilson shows how the family and friends of Troy survive in a day to day scenario through good times and bad. Wilson utilizes his main characters as the interpreters of Fences, both literally and figuratively. Racism, confinement, and protection show what Wilson was conveying when he chose the title Fences.

Fences written by August Wilson was focused on the life of Troy Maxson, an African American full of harshness towards the society because of the barriers he had to face in life back in the 1950’s. The title ‘Fences’ reflects the book’s story and overall symbol. The setting is used as a frame to the message and metaphorical meaning of the book. Troy struggles to define his rights and responsibilities as a husband, brother, worker, friend and father through the complex symbolism of the settings.