August Wilson’s ‘Fences’ August Wilson’s play ‘Fences’ captures the evolving African-American experience and evaluates the relations between the races among other themes. Set in the 1950’s, ‘Fences’ is a story of how a tragic character assists in paving the way for other African- Americans to possess opportunities amid circumstances in which they are not at liberty to experience, but they nevertheless, make sacrifices and apply their talents (Shannon 3). Baseball and racism, being two of the major themes in the play, are used to bring out the predicament of the struggles of the black people. Although there are many struggles that African-Americans continue to endure, after reading …show more content…
John Thorn, baseballs official historian, is of the opinion that baseball encompasses national models such as fair play, the rule of law, equal opportunity and brotherhood among others and a former president of Yale University, Bart Giamatti, is of the opinion that baseball is the remaining unadulterated space where an American can dream (Koprice). The mythology and history behind baseball have been used to contest the validity of the American dream. Troy is full of resentment and is of the opinion that is one is a black person, “you born with two strikes on you before you come to the plate,” (Wilson 744) while referring to the limited opportunity and persecution of the black people. The author deconstructs the meaning of baseball as a symbol of the American dream and instead uses it as a mark of defiance by the protagonist. ‘Fences’ is filled with imagery regarding baseball, which have varying symbolic meanings. Troy was denied a chance at professional baseball because he was black. The disappointment of this injustice stayed with him for many years, essentially turning him into a bitter man. …show more content…
Although it was about 70 years ever since slavery was abolished, there were still remnants of this institution. All characters in the play are black and encounter differing forms of racism. The play is set in a time just before the 1960s Civil Rights Movement (Schmoop Editorial Team). It is very apparent that racism is one of the things preventing Troy from his destiny. At the opening of the play, we see Troy speaking to Bono about his complaints to Mr. Rand about how was it that only white males were permitted to drive the trucks that collected the garbage while the black people were only tasked with handling the garbage. “I went to Mr. Rand and asked him, ‘Why? Why you got the white mens driving and the colored lifting? Told him, ‘What’s the matter, don’t I count?’” (Wilson 725). This type of exclusion was typical of the time. Bono’s reply to this was that as long as he had filed the complaint, he could not be dismissed as he had been told that by a white man. By these sentiments, Bono can be said to see the white man as a figure of authority. Just by the fact that that was a statement made by a white man, it qualified as truth. This notion is reflective of the power that the white people were thought to have during the time. By making this complaint, however,
August Wilson's award winning play, Fences, airs at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey from January 10th until February 9th. The play revolves mainly around a former African American baseball player, Troy, attempting to keep his family together but leaving his family members incarcerated to his desires rather than their own. Emmy nominee and Tony award winning director, Phylicia Rashad, leaves the audience believing Troy is the protagonist by the end of the first act and they are left questioning who the antagonist is. The protagonist of a play is the central character usually equipped with the antagonist, the person or thing that prevents the protagonist from his or her wants. By the end of the play the audience is left with the realization that Troy's son, Corey, is the real protagonist with his father serving as the antagonist.
Just two days earlier at a banquet in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, many people had paid $25 a plate to show their admiration for Jackie as both a ballplayer and a representative of the Negro race as well. Some of the most distinguished figures in the nation were present this day and their praise was loud and long (Mann 187). Jackie had accepted without hesitation a challenge to break a prevailing color barrier in the national sport of America with complete knowledge of how much depended on him. Few men had ever faced such competitive odds when becoming a player in organized baseball. Despite criticism and opposition, Jack Roosevelt Robinson had truly come a long way from his poor beginnings as the grandson of slaves in Cairo, Georgia, to breaking the racial barriers in major league baseball by becoming its first black athlete and achieving hall of fame status.
Historical and sociological research has shown, through much evidence collection and analysis of primary documents that the American sporting industry can give an accurate reflection, to a certain extent, of racial struggles and discrimination into the larger context of American society. To understand this stance, a deep look into aspects of sport beyond simply playing the game must be a primary focus. Since the integration of baseball, followed shortly after by American football, why are the numbers of African American owners, coaches and managers so very low? What accounts for the absence of African American candidates from seeking front office and managerial roles? Is a conscious decision made by established members of each organization or is this matter a deeper reflection on society? Why does a certain image and persona exist amongst many African American athletes? Sports historians often take a look at sports and make a comparison to society. Beginning in the early 1980’s, historians began looking at the integration of baseball and how it preceded the civil rights movement. The common conclusion was that integration in baseball and other sports was indeed a reflection on American society. As African Americans began to play in sports, a short time later, Jim Crow laws and segregation formally came to an end in the south. Does racism and discrimination end with the elimination of Jim Crow and the onset of the civil rights movement and other instances of race awareness and equality? According to many modern sports historians and sociologists, they do not. This paper will focus on the writings of selected historians and sociologists who examine th...
"Over the decades, African American teams played 445-recorded games against white teams, winning sixty-one percent of them." (Conrads, pg.8) The Negro Leagues were an alternative baseball group for African American baseball player that were denied the right to play with the white baseball payers in the Major League Baseball Association. In 1920, the first African American League was formed, and that paved the way for numerous African American innovation and movements. Fences, and Jackie Robinson: The Biography, raises consciousness about the baseball players that have been overlooked, and the struggle they had to endure simply because of their color.
“You’ve got to be right with yourself before you can be right with anyone else.” This is a quote that August Wilson knows all too well. In America’s beginning, there has been somewhat of a lack of a voice for the world that African-Americans live in. Whether it is in literature or in media, there is usually misrepresentation or some type of stereotype being shown to the public’s eyes about their culture. To rectify this situation, a numerous amount of African-American authors, poets, and playwrights write about their experiences throughout America’s inception. In his time period, Wilson was one of these voices who wrote out how he felt on the issues. His Pulitzer Prize winning play, The Piano Lesson, is an example of the literary depth he wanted to accomplish. However, with many things in the world changing how well does this man’s word resonate with today’s audience? How powerful are Wilson’s works and how do they teach his audience and be criticized by others?
Should a neglected, discriminated, and misplaced black man living in the mid 1900s possessing a spectacular, yet unfulfilled talent for baseball be satisfied or miserable? The play Fences, written by August Wilson, answers this question by depicting the challenging journey of the main character, Troy Maxon. Troy, an exceptional baseball player during his youth, cannot break the color barrier and is kept from playing in the big leagues. That being his major life setback, Troy has a pessimistic view on the world. His attitude is unpleasant, but not without justification. Troy has a right to be angry, but to whom he takes out his anger on is questionable. He regularly gets fed up with his sons, Lyons and Cory, for no good reason. Troy disapproves of Lyons’ musical goals and Cory’s football ambitions to the point where the reader can notice Troy’s illogical way of releasing his displeasures. Frank Rich’s 1985 review of Fences in the New York Times argues that Troy’s constant anger is not irrational, but expected. Although Troy’s antagonism in misdirected, Rich is correct when he observes that Troy’s endless anger is warranted because Troy experiences an extremely difficult life, facing racism, jail, and poverty.
As a faithful follower and player of American Baseball, this topic was of extreme interest to me. The origins and history of a lifestyle that I have dedicated the overwhelming majority of my life to has always caught my attention. Baseball, being America’s national sport, is a crucial illustration to understand when discussing the overall societal circumstances at that time. One of baseball’s most important tasks was integrating the sport and allowing people of every ethnicity to have a chance to play the sport at an equal playing field. Although we now know that the efforts to desegregate baseball were ultimately a success, to what extent were the efforts a direct success during that time period? Did the unification of different ethnicities in America’s national sport have an effect on the amount of time desegregat...
August Wilson’s famous 1983 stage play Fences explores African-American lifestyle in the 1950s. It tells the story of racial relations and African-American culture during that era. The main character in Fences is Troy, a mid-age African American man struggling to take care of his household. In August Wilson’s plays, the characters are developed to reflect the struggle of African American people, especially black males. These men are struggling for a power that is out of reach to them because the power is held by others. Two characters that stand out are Troy from Fences and Levee from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Though these men live their lives in different decades, their situations are very similar. Both are oppressed by white culture and
Whether a person is white, black, yellow, Hispanic etc. he can not avoid racism. Racism plays a big role in history, such as the famous Rosa Parks who refused to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger, spurring the Montgomery boycott and other efforts to end segregation (Biography.com Editors, 2015), the precedent permits a life on earth with less racism in the modern age. In August Wilson’s Fences, racism takes a toll on the characters’ quality of life. This is shown through setting, character development and symbolism.
The play “Fences” by August Wilson is set in a time when African Americans are coming out of the clasps of slavery and seeking a new life. There are many new opportunities in the job market as well as in the sports world. In the play the main character and father, Troy, is put into many controversial two-sided situations. He evaluates them from what he thinks is just and only uses his perspective, not heeding anyone else’s advice. In doing so he contributes to the rising action of the story where Troy refuses to let his son, Cory, play football when everyone else thinks it is a good idea. Troy thinks it will lead him on a path to nowhere because of his past experiences but doesn’t acknowledge how times have changed since he was younger.
August Wilson’s Fences was centered on the life of Troy Maxson, an African American man full of bitterness towards the world because of the cards he was dealt in life amidst the 1950’s. In the play Troy was raised by an unloving and abusive father, when he wanted to become a Major League Baseball player he was rejected because of his race. Troy even served time in prison because he was impoverished and needed money so he robbed a bank and ended up killing a man. Troy’s life was anything but easy. In the play Troy and his son Cory were told to build a fence around their home by Rose. It is common knowledge that fences are used in one of two ways: to keep things outside or to keep things inside. In the same way that fences are used to keep things inside or outside Troy used the fence he was building to keep out death, his family, and his disappointments in life while Rose used the fence to keep those she cared about inside and help them bond.
The theme of August Wilson’s play “Fences” is the coming of age in the life of a broken black man. Wilson wrote about the black experience in different decades and the struggle that many blacks faced, and that is seen in “Fences” because there are two different generations portrayed in Troy and Cory. Troy plays the part of the protagonist who has been disillusioned throughout his life by everyone he has been close to. He was forced to leave home at an early age because his father beat him so dramatically. Troy never learned how to treat people close to him and he never gave any one a chance to prove themselves because he was selfish. This makes Troy the antagonist in the story because he is not only hitting up against everyone in the play, but he is also hitting up against himself and ultimately making his life more complicated. The discrimination that Troy faced while playing baseball and the torment he endures as a child shape him into one of the most dynamic characters in literary history. The central conflict is the relationship between Troy and Cory. The two of them have conflicting views about Cory’s future and, as the play goes on, this rocky relationship crumbles because Troy will not let Cory play collegiate football. The relationship becomes even more destructive when Troy admits to his relationship with Alberta and he admits Gabriel to a mental institution by accident. The complication begins in Troy’s youth, when his father beat him unconscious. At that moment, Troy leaves home and begins a troubled life on his own, and gaining a self-destructive outlook on life. “Fences” has many instances that can be considered the climax, but the one point in the story where the highest point of tension occurs, insight is gained and...
Troy Maxson is portrayed as a big man with a very big personality and a lot of dignity. He is a bitter guy who believes that he owes his family absolutely everything, from his money down to even his own soul. He is the type of man who wants more than what he can get and that is what drives him but it is also that very “want” that leads him into a very tragic life. Writing on the idea of Troy being a tragic hero, Martin says “Troy’s strengths are found in his willingness to fulfill his duty at all times. He also speaks directly to his dignity regarding his position of work and his career in baseball) Martin, 2) “Fences” Troy has many
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 kind of limbo between human and object. Nadel’s thesis is easy to spot, and is actually pointed out directly on page 88 of the text. It reads that August Wilson’s play actually investigates the position of black persons as the metaphorical “fence” between humanity and property, arguing that the effects of this situation interacts within the “context of white [America]” so that a wider range of people are able to view the internal struggles of the black community.
Racism is everywhere; it is all around us and at most times it resides within us. Racism basically refers to the characterization of people (ethnicity based) with certain distinct traits. It is a tool with which people use to distinguish themselves between each other, where some use it to purposely inflict verbal, physical or mental attacks on others while some use it to simply distinguish or differentiate from one another. It all depends on the context in which it is used. The play Fences by August Wilson, takes place during the late 1950’s through to 1965, a period of time when the fights against segregation are barely blossoming results. The main protagonist, Troy Maxson is an African American who works in the sanitation department; he is also a responsible man whose thwarted dreams make him prone to believing in self-created illusions. Wilson's most apparent intention in the play ‘Fences’, is to show how racial segregation creates social and economic gaps between African Americans and whites. Racism play a very influential role in Troy’s but more importantly it has been the force behind his actions that has seen him make biased and judgmental decisions for himself and his family. Lessons from the play intend to shed light on how racism can affect the mental and physical lives of Troy Maxson and his family.