Baseball And Racism In August Wilson's 'Fences'

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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,

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