The word “fences”s original meaning is the use of bamboo, extended to the border, the barrier, also metaphor boundaries, realm, or used to describe a category. In Fences, Rose has been asking Troy to build a fence for their house. And this fence has been built until the man wants to leave the house when he meets a woman who brings happy to him. As Bono said “some people build fences to keep people out, and other people build fences to keep people in. Roes wants to hold you all. She loves you.”(Winson 2017) In our life, the fences are built not only that the builders build in their yard to want to protect something or someone what they think is important but also everyone in order to refused to communicate with other people’s mind and build fences in their heart. Troy is a nagging person. At the beginning of the play, the first thing that caught our attention was “chatter”. We saw a lot of "chatter" of the plot like Troy said he dedicate everything to this house and he said white people are unable to guy, their success just because of his skin color. Troy’s talking usually is meaningless and even is false. For example, Troy always talked about he war with death for three days and three nights, and Troy said spending a lot of money to buy furniture. But Rose said h just lie down hospital’s bed 3 days and furniture was neighbor’s old furniture and for free. In fact, he's such a habit is a product of his encounter experiences. According Troy’s communicate with Rose and Bone, we
Some people use fences to keep worlds divided, and live two different lives. Troy Maxson is a prime example of a person who wanted a life that was adaptable to his situation, and his character is the centerpiece that all of the other relationships in “Fences” gather around (SparkNotes). His home was his foundation, and
August Wilson did not name his play, Fences, simply due to the melodramatic actions that take place in the Maxson household, but rather the relationships that bond and break because of the “fence”. The “fence” serves as a structural device because the character's lives are constantly changing during the construction of the fence. The dramatic actions in the play strongly depend on the building of the fence in the Maxson’s backyard. Fences represents the metaphorical walls or fences that the main characters are creating around themselves in order to keep people in or vice versa. The title may seem straightforward, but in actuality it is a powerful symbol which can either have positive or
The character from Fences, Troy Maxson, builds a fence, this symbolizes himself. He is the fence that keeps all of the characters together. This is shown in the novel where he is the one person keeping all the other characters together “inside” the fence. When Troy falls apart, all of the characters go their separate way. When Troy cheats on Rose, this is when he himself falls apart as a fence. “From now… This child got a mother. But you a womanless man.” (wilson 79) This shows when Rose leaves Troy after he cheats on her and crumbles apart as the “fence” holding everyone together. Another example of this is when it is discovered that Bono stopped being Troy’s friend soon after the incident with Rose. “You aint stopped by in a month of Sundays” (Wilson 82). This is where Troy talks to Bono about him not coming to visit. This shows the symbolism of Troy as a fence keeping everyone together, but he
Kent Rasmussen, in his essay, “Places Discussed” claims that Troy Maxson’s fence acts as a reflection of the characters desire throughout the play. Rasmussen supports this statement by first claiming that the reason that Troy procrastinates building the fence is because it represents confinement; he wants to resists its limitations. He supports this by stating from the novel, “some people build fences to keep people out. And other people build fences to keep people in” and the unfenced yard allows Troy to be free like he desires to be (Wilson 61). Then, he states that the fence means the opposite to Rose. He claims that the fence, for Rose, represents a safe world and a way to keep her family close. That building the fence is Rose’s own way
In the play “fences” It illuminates life itself, “fences” metaphorically connects to various things. The fences is a symbol of protection that Rose hopes will keep her family together. She wants nothing to tear the apart but little does she know. A fence was the least of her problems when it came to her husband Troy Maxson.
The fence is used to represent many things to the different characters. To Rose, who originally wanted the fence built; it is used to represent growth and love and family. On the contrary, to Troy who sees it as a struggle and never commits to finishing it something that's pointed out to him many times throughout the movie. After his affair is brought to light Troy spends hours upon hours building the fence, but to Rose it’s too late and the fence now represents the wedge in between
Wilson has drawn from his experiences as a young black American to write the play entitled Fences. Fences describes the plight of black America; to escalate their standing in society from historic slavery to successful self sustaining through their own efforts and skills. “Significant for the playwright is the connection between the unique values and traditions of African American culture and the ability of its characters to overcome their social and psychological confinement” (Over 1). This plays explores the opportunities won and lost by black Americans as demonstrated by its main character, Troy Maxson.
Arthur Baer once said “A good neighbor is a fellow who smiles at you over the back fence, but doesn’t climb over it.” In the poem ‘Mending Wall’, by Robert Frost, it talks about two neighbors who rebuild a wall between their pastures. One believes the wall is good and neccary but the other thinks the wall is pointless due to the fact neither have livestock or other pets to trespass on one’s land. Fences are good at respecting boundaries though it can cause issues with neighbors, such as lack of communication or miscommunication, boundary disputes, and regulations that are needed to be met and maintained due to the fencing.
Throughout history, civilizations have built fences to keep enemies out and keep those they want to protect inside. In society today, people create metaphorical fences in order to fence in their feelings, while others create literal fences in order to keep the unwanted away. In the play Fences, the Maxon family lives in 1950’s America whose love for sports and one another are questioned at times when they need to be together the most. In the play Fences by August Wilson, two main characters Troy and Cory Maxon build a fence, literally and metaphorically, which as the book progresses, becomes a symbol that allows each character to truly understand each other.
We constantly see Troy puts up a fence so people don't realize how unhappy he is with his life and sadly he dies without ever being able to put his fence down. Rose, on the other hand is an open book and seems to make it clear that her goal is to just have her family together and happy. Also, we see a connection of the metaphoric meaning of with today’s societal issues of racism and the act of putting people who don't make a lot of money in an inferior position, even though they might have not been offered the same opportunities as others. Fences shows us that we must look beyond the fence and really get to know people like Troy, who have good intentions but are stuck behind their “fence”. Overall, Fences reveal the point of view of two different characters in relation to the metaphoric meaning of fences. Thus, revealing on a larger level that this play shows socioeconomic status and
As with most works of literature, the title Fences is more than just a title. It could be initially noted that there is only one physical fence being built by the characters onstage, but what are more important are the ideas that are being kept inside and outside of the fences that are being built by Troy and some of the other characters in Fences. The fence building becomes quite figurative, as Troy tries to fence in his own desires and infidelities. Through this act of trying to contain his desires and hypocrisies one might say, Troy finds himself fenced in, caught between his pragmatic and illusory ideals. On the one side of the fence, Troy creates illusions and embellishments on the truth, talking about how he wrestled with death, his
The fence is highlighted as a division between race, an overt way to keep people out and people in, it is also the idea of protecting a life. Troy’s family has obvious change surrounding the symbolism of the fence building project which serves as both a straightforward and metaphorical symbol, illustrating the interconnection that fastens together and also fractures within the backyard. In an early stage, Rose preserves and safeguards herself by singing, “Jesus, be a fence all around me every day. Jesus, I want you to protect me as I travel on my way” (Wilson 21). By Rose croons this song, one can see Rose's passion for safekeeping through barriers. To Rose, a fence is a trademark of her endearment. Rose’s yearning for a fence denotes that she associates love and fostering within a safe environment. Bono shows to Troy that Rose needs the fence assembled to secure her beloved friends and family by saying, “Some people build fences to keep people out' and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you” (Wilson 61). Troy builds this fence merely for Rose’s satisfaction. However, Rose was unable to fence in Troy’s love, is that he had an affair with another woman, who is pregnant, a woman who will eventually die in childbirth. The death of the mother then leads to another symbol of the fence where Troy will try to challenge death
The combination of Rose as well as Troy is a more appropriate symbol for the fence; it is the combination of the two characters that creates a stronger representation of a fence. Rose is the driving force that forces Troy build the fence, so in reality it is Rose’s strength that carries the power that Troy needs to create a protective barrier around their home, life, and weaknesses from the outside forces of the world. Rose feels the need for a protective barrier, a fence, which can be built around her home for the protection of her family and her household. Her idea involved keeping the things and people who are important to her inside rather than keeping things and people outside. Troy is the opposite and wants to keep everything out. Interestingly, both Rose and Troy want the fence to protect their lives it is just a matter of perception. The title "Fences" symbolizes the figurative fences that the characters are wrapping around themselves either to keep people from departure or to prevent them from entering.
In baseball, Fences is the slang term for the outfield wall that must be cleared for a home run (Zirin). During troy’s younger years he was a great baseball player but due to the color barrier in the major leagues, he was unable to finish his dreams. Although Troy knows he could go the distance in baseball, he sees the fences in his real life as a confinement. The fences are not only his confinement from his dreams but he is confined to dealing with his guilt. Troy says “I stood on first base for eighteen years and I thought…well, goddamn it…go on for it!” (Wilson 1609). Troy has built up guilt due to his infidelities with another woman. He cheats on his wife because he despises the idea that Rose is the best he can do. The building of the fence is something that Troy is trying to delay because he feels like in a sense having the fence up with take away his dreams and keep him in which is inevitably the reason for his adultery.
Rose asks Troy to build a fence around their house, which takes Troy majority of the play to finally finish. When Troy questions why Rose is insisting on him building a fence Mr. Bono tells him, “some people build fences to keep people in...others to keep people out” (Wilson II.i). Rose sees the fence she asked Troy to build as a way to keep love and family in, but Troy sees it as a way to keep threats and people out, as well as for protection. To Rose, the fence is more than just a project. As Bono says to Troy, “Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you” (Wilson II.i). The fence is a symbol of her love, and her longing for the fence to be built signifies the responsibility she takes on to nurture her family and create a loving environment.