Themes In Fences

Fences are found everywhere throughout the world. Some fences may be short yard fences while others may be long yard fences, such as those found at a prison. Fences can serve multiple purposes. They can serve as markers between territories, as controllers of animals or people, or as defenders of animals or people to keep unwanted beings out. The one common similarity that all fences have is that they divide or separate two or more things. In August Wilson’s play Fences, Wilson’s term of a fence is a little different than the meaning presented above. Along with a literal fence being built throughout the play, Wilson portrays metaphorical fences being built around characters and between characters. Rose, Troy’s wife, displays multiple fences being built during the play both literally and metaphorically. The first fence Rose has is the literal fence her husband and son are constructing around the house. This is one of Rose’s fences because she wants to put up an actual fence around the yard to keep her family safe from harm. Whitehead explains that, “… both Cory and

Troy denies Cory the opportunity to go to college to play football leaving Cory feeling like a prisoner of Troy. Metzger states that, “The fence Troy completes, however, will fail to keep Cory [home]” (2). Cory strengthens the fence between him and his father even more after they have a physical altercation. After the dispute, Troy says to Cory, “All right. That’s strike two. You stay away from around me, boy. Don’t you strike out. You living with a full count. Don’t you strike out” (Wilson 2.2). This clearly exhibits the barrier and tension building between the father and son. Ultimately, the fences Troy and Cory build between one another leads to Cory leaving the house and joining the Marines (Metzger 2-3). The fence built between Cory and his father hinders them from having a loving father-son