Troy Maxson's Use Of Fences In Baseball

There was no “distinction between Troy Maxson, human being, and Troy Mason, baseball player,” (Pereira, 41). Troy describes his life in terms of baseball. “Fences” in baseball is “slang term for the outfield wall that must clear for a home run,” (Dreams and Zirin, 2018). The phrase “swing for the fences” or “clear the fences” derived from this, (Dreams and Zirin, 2018). Troy, who could clear the fences without a problem playing baseball, had difficulty clearing the fences in his life even though he was an outstanding baseball player. He portrays himself as not being afraid of anything and immortal to death. His family is the second generation of Maxsons and he passes on a legacy of songs his father taught him, his personal history and bitterness

Hank Aaron hit two home runs today. That makes forty-three.” Troy responds, “Hank Aaron ain’t nobody.” Troy and his son, Cory get into a confrontation and Troy tells Cory, “Don’t you strike out!” This metaphor used in baseball is an idiom of “three strikes and you’re out.” Note: In baseball, “a ‘strike’ is a legal pitch or ball, which batter fails to hit. The batter is out after three strikes,” (The Free Dictionary.com, 2018). Cory’s first strike is disobeying his father by not getting his job back at A&P. The second strike comes when Troy and Rose have an argument and Cory tries to protect his mother. The third strike is fighting, losing against his father, and told to leave his father’s house. The three strikes of Troy Maxson: The first strike is fighting his father and left by the river bleeding, he was out of the house. The second strike is when he stabbed and killed a man trying to rob him, and spent 15 years in jail. The third strike is cheating on his wife, having a baby by another woman and asking his wife to raise the child, and trying to keep out Mr. Death. Cory ends up leaving home in a similar conflict with Troy that he had with his father. This painful process of coming of age is confusing for both Troy and Cory, their own identity when their role model has been abuse and disrespect. Troy striking out in baseball

They prepare to go out of the “yard freed of the burdens of a past that unacknowledged, severely limited their ability to live fully,” (Bloom, Bloom and Bloom, 84). Rose has come to understand the “dogged persistence of the past and all its irony” (Bryer and Hartig, 20), Cory says, “…Papa was like a shadow that followed you everywhere…I’ve got to find a way to get rid of that shadow…,” (Wilson, 96-97). Rose tells Cory, “your daddy wanted you to be everything he wasn’t…and at the same time he tried to make you into everything he was.” (Wilson, 97). Cory does not admit until the end of the play that his strength to move in rank to a Marine Corporal, while in the Military was Troy’s foreshadowing. Troy loved his son and did not want him to experience the pain of rejection as he did. Troy explained to Cory the best way he knew how, by not signing the papers for him to play football. He did not know how to have a conversation with Cory about his true feelings of him not wanting Troy to play football. Ironically, the fence that Troy tries to provide for Cory is not strong enough to strikeout Mr. Death. However, Wilson is subtly and powerfully transforming the problematic protagonist to be both victim and victimizer, intellectually astute yet spiritually or emotionally crippled, (Bryer and Hartig,