Fences


 * Title: ** Fences
 * Author: ** August Wilson
 * Date of Publication: ** 1981
 * Literary Period: ** Post-Modernism
 * Genre: ** Modern Drama


 * Describe the setting and then explain the relevance of the setting. **

//Fences// is set in 1957, just before the start of the civil rights movement. At this point in American history, organized baseball has finally become integrated, but racial discrimination from Caucasian Americans towards African Americans remains ubiquitous and standard. Troy grew up in an older world with more restrictive fetters and barriers that hinder African-American advancement in school, work, athletics, and just about every other aspect of life. Cory, who is growing up in the newer world, fails to understand Troy's decision because Troy's experiences severely differ from those of Cory.


 * Themes (These statements should be complete sentences and completely developed ideas) **

Wilson articulates the concepts of mortality, responsibility, and coming-of-age from the perspective of African-Americans in a time where this minority group is just coming of age as a whole and receiving rights long overdue. If one is to observe Troy's world through his (Troy's) eyes, he will see that Troy does not fend off Death for his own sake, but to justify his existences by fulfilling his responsibilities as a patriarch and providing for his family as the primary breadwinner. Based on the contrast between Cory's ambitions and Troy's desires for Cory's life, to hazard a guess that Troy seeks to live vicariously through his son is not too risky. Therefore, it is not surprising that both Troy and Cory experience a coming-of-age. Cory realizes what Troy meant in an earlier conversation when he said "you owe it to yourself;" he learns to go at whatever he is passionate about with unbridled vigor. Then, and only then, will Cory ever have a hope of being truly content and reaching self-actualization. Troy comes to terms with reality: he realizes that there are still flaws in his character which cannot be neglected solely because he provides for his family. Troy also bears witness to the ramifications of his attempts to enjoy the freedoms of men who are not tied to a family of their own creation and decides that, as bad as death may seem, it is not the worst that could happen to a family man.


 * Plot Summary (Please do not copy and paste. Simply list the high points of the novel) - Consider creating a visual flow chart or graph and posting it here. **


 * The play begins on payday, with Troy and Bono drinking and talking.
 * Troy talks about how he went up to Mr. Rand (their boss) and asked why black men weren't allowed to drive the garbage trucks
 *  Lyons comes to ask for money, and knows that, no matter what Troy may say initially, he will receive the money he is asking for.
 * A few days later, Cory tells Troy that a man from North Carolina will come down to talk about Cory's future in football, and that he will be offered a scholarship.
 *  Troy becomes the first black man to drive the garbage truck.
 * Cory comes in enraged. Troy tells the football coach that Cory cannot play football anymore because he doesn't keep his job at the A&P.
 * Troy bails Gabriel out of jail.
 * Bono warns Troy about avoiding a young girl named Alberta and sticking with Rose.
 * After this discourse, Troy admits to Rose that he is having an affair with Alberta, and that Alberta is pregnant.
 * When Troy grabs her arm, Cory comes from behind and shoves Troy down.
 * Troy warns Cory that this act is "strike two" and tells him not to strike out.
 * Troy goes to visit Alberta at the hospital.
 * He comes back carrying Raynell, the baby, and news that Alberta died during childbirth.
 * When Troy asks Rose act as Raynell's mother, she complies but tells Troy that he is now a "womanless man."
 *  When Cory tries to push his way through, Troy is enraged and demands that Cory say "excuse me."
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.5;">Troy then kicks Cory out, and tells him to provide for himself.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.5;">Fast forward to Troy's funeral.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.5;">Cory returns, and is now a Marine. At first he refuses to come to Troy's funeral
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.5;">Rose tells Cory that "it won't make you [him] any better of a man;" he concedes.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.5;">Also, Gabriel shows up and tries to open the gates of heaven, by blowing on his horn.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.5;">This attempt proves to be fruitless, and the gates only open when Gabriel does a traditional African dance.


 * Memorable Quotes and their SIGNIFICANCE. **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Death ain't nothing but a fastball on the outside corner.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In this quote, life is portrayed as an unpredictable battle between the batter, who is an individual struggling to get through his life, and the pitcher, who the audience is led by Troy to believe is Satan (Although it could just as easily be God).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">You got to take the crookeds with the straights
 * Troy realizes that, no matter how hard he may try to be infallible for the sake of his family, he will slip up and will need them to forgive him. He expresses this realization with yet another baseball metaphor comparing types of pitches
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I done learned my mistake and learned to do what's right by it. You still trying to get something for nothing. Life don't owe you nothing. You owe it to yourself"
 * Here is where Troy express his belief from the previous quotation more concretely while simultaneously attempting to prepare his son for life in a world that is especially hard for an African-American male
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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.
 * The fence that Troy builds at Rose's request serves its archetypal role as a threshold to two worlds. Rose's


 * Describe the significance of the opening scene. **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">In this first scene of the play, Troy places great value on his life and his role as the primary breadwinner in his family, yet at the same time remains intrepid and faces the concept of mortality with a fearless attitude. Moreover, Troy feels his role as the primary breadwinner secures his control over family affairs, regardless of his actions towards them.


 * Describe the significance of the closing scene. **

Cory and Rose were still nursing the wounds they acquired from his selfish and inconsiderate actions. However, they manage to forgive Troy because they realize that, despite how it may have appeared when he made the decisions to essentially and abruptly kill Cory's athletic career or his long-standing marriage, he held the best interests of the family closest to his heart. As Gabriel signifies with his eventually successful struggle to signify for the gates to open, Troy can finally rest in peace above with his forgiveness on Earth.


 * Describe the author's style and provide examples from the text. **

August Wilson takes great care to express the emotions of each and every one of the characters in //Fences// by including elements of African-American culture. These elements included the colloquial diction prevalent in African-American societies, grandiose storytelling, biblical imagery, and barriers that prevented African-American United States citizens from occupying jobs similar to those held by their Caucasian counterparts. Moreoever, Wilson's style is unique because of the extended life metaphor he creates using elements in the sport of baseball for concrete representation.


 * List importance characters and their significance. **
 * Troy Maxson: the protagonist of fences. wants to fulfill the obligations of his family in the world encompassed by Rose's fence, but struggles to resist the temptations of instant gratification from the world outside of the Maxson residence.
 * Rose Maxson: wife of Troy Maxson who tries so hard to keep her husband close and family together, only to be thwarted by Troy's attempts to experience the pleasures of the world outside of his family and his job.
 * Gabriel Maxson: brother of Troy Maxson. Served in World War II and suffered an injury that calls for a mental plate to be surgically inserted into his head. Troy uses a portion of Gabriel's paycheck to purchase the home his family lives in, so he feels guilty about having to turn Gabriel out. Could very well be a human manifestation of the Guardian Angel Gabriel as he claims throughout //Fences//
 * Cory Maxson: son of Troy Maxson who, at the beginning of //Fences,// is a high school senior. Cory experiences a coming-of-age when he stands up to his father for the right to pursue his talents, athletic or otherwise, without the slightest bit of inhibition from his father.
 * Lyons Maxson: other son of Troy Maxson from a marriage between Troy and a woman he met prior to meeting and marrying Rose. His infatuation with a fast and loose lifestyle prevents him from holding a steady occupation, so his lack of funds coearces him to ask Troy for money on Troy's payday. Lyons knows he will always be successful with his request because Troy feels obligated to, above all else, provide for his family
 * Jim Bono: the best friend of Troy; he views Troy as a role model and does his best to steer Troy straight when he notices Troy' being led astray by his wandering eye.