“Fences” Book Report

Fences August Wilson Plume Books Publisher The play Fences is another phenomenal play penned by, one of the best authors of all time, August Wilson.

Among Wilsons writings are: The Piano Lesson, King Hedley II, Ma Rainy’s Black Bottom, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Seven Guitars, Two Trains Running, Jitney and Radio Golf. His plays have been produced all over the world. The play Fences tells the story of an African American family living in the 1950’s a time when racial discrimination was at its maximum.

The story outline a man by the name of Troy Maxson, who undoubtedly is the major character of the play, who is struggling to make ends meet for his family. The family lived in a poverty struck home were they dealt with domestic dispute, infidelity, and embezzlement of money.

The opening scene starts on a Friday evening with Troy and his best friend Bono. Friday nights are they drinking nights, and so Troy retells the story of how he fought death as death wanted to over throw him but he succeeded Troy Maxson declares, “Death ain’t nothing but a fastball on the outside corner. he is then interrupted by his bother Gabriel. Gabriel was shot in the head during a war for his country; he survives but is now mentally challenged. Gabriel then starts telling Troy that he had seen his name in the book of judgment as saint but he did not see Rose’s name.

Troy was a former Baseball player for the Negro leagues. He wanted to succeed with his baseball career but the time wasn’t right for him and due to racial discrimination, Troy could not play in the major leagues even though he was better than the white men who played baseball.

When Troy found Rose and they had a baby, he then gave up his passion for baseball to raise the family. However, it was hard for him to get a job so he robbed and stole in which he accidentally killed a man and went to jail. Cory’s childhood was unaccompanied by his father and he did not understand the importance of relating himself to his family’s history. While Troy was in jail, things changed and it became possible for African American people to prosper to a certain degree.

However, Troy does not accept change.

His tenacious belief that African Americans cannot prosper in America reflect how he was treated during his time. He also does not believe that there was a change because he was in jail while all the change happened and while Cory was growing. Troy wanted to be independent and he could have found his true identity if he was born during Cory’s time. However, his behaviors and bad parenting is due to his crude childhood in which his father abused him and raped his girlfriend and his experiences living in a time which racism was widely spread.

Troy grew up shadowed by the people of past who have been effected by the cruelty while slavery was accepted.

Troy inherited history but failed to accept the new world which is formed with time. Cory, however, is the opposite. He is living in the changed world so he accepts change more easily than Troy. His ambition is as great as one that Troy had during his early manhood. However, Cory does not accept the history and does not look through the mistakes of history or the goods of history.

Even though Troy gave up his independence for the family (Cory, Rose and Lyons) Cory does not understand the past so he cannot see Troy’s fatherly love.

Part of it is bad parenting that came from Troy’s history but the fact that Cory only tries to be independent causes Cory to hate his father until the end of the play when Raynell sings the songs that Troy taught them and refers to how Troy always said that it was “Cory’s Room. ” Both Troy and Cory failed to truly find success through passion but they failed to accept both the inheritance of the past and change brought to the world.

The building of Fences is Wilson’s genius set up which allows the reader to understand each character better. Each character has a different metaphorical meaning of their fences. Rose’s Fences are interpreted by Bono that Rose wants to “hold onto” Troy.

In addition, Rose’s metaphorical Fences is family togetherness. She wants to keep family close within the Fence. She wants Lyon’s wife to come visit her and she wants Troy to come home. Rose “planted a seed in” Troy, allowing her to settle as a mother and a wife. She found her identity through Troy.

As such she urges Troy every to build a fence around the house. Troy fails to understand the Rose is not talking about the literal wooden, but that she speaks of family bond. A fence is built to keep out the ills of society, and as such Rose need Troy to build a fence one that keeps other women from entering the relationship she has with her husband. However, Troy’s Fences are differently interpreted. Troy’s Fences is symbolic because he does not want to complete building the fences. Troy doesn’t want to finish building fences because his idea of fences is the barrier that keeps him from ecoming independent.

Troy gave away his life to dedicate it to raise his family. His passion has been long forgotten. In a way the family is a burden to him so the fences seem to give him a negative emphasis of him being locked up or bonded with the family like how the slaves were kept within the barrier. Cory’s fences represent his relationship with Troy. Cory could never prosper with Troy’s stubbornness and bad parenting. Although Troy taught the mistakes of the past, Cory fails to interpret and accept his father.

Cory has a love for football, his father, however, does not want him to pursue this has he believes that Cory would be treated as how he was in his times. Cory had gotten a scholarship to play college football but his father refuses to sign it, he however told Cory to go to school and get an education and become a mechanic. So that he does not end up broken hearted as his father and become a garbage collector. When Cory steps out of the fences, he is no longer interfered with his father’s control. Rose finally confronts Troy and tells him to choose between his extramarital with Alberta or his family.

Troy then tells that he is not going to end this affair.

He then continues seeing Alberta until she gets pregnant and later dies during child’s birth. Troy is now forced to take responsibility to the motherless child. He then takes the baby home to Rose asks her to take care of the baby, not for him but to prevent the child from suffering due to her father’s bad decisions. Out of the kindness of her heart Rose takes the baby, and makes it clear to Troy that she is not doing it for him. The play then ends Troy is now left a lonely man and is now left to fight death once more.

Troy admits, “Death ain’t nothing to play with.

And I know he’s gonna get me,” but he refuses to succumb to Death easily. Troy follows the Bible quotation, “Be ever vigilant,” in his attitude towards Death, however this time death overcomes him and he dies singing a jazz song one which represents sadness. The ends contradicting Gabriel’s interpretation of his dream, Rose’s name was the name that was written under the saints while Troy’s was on the other side. The play was made very effective through Wilson’s choices of literary devices. The major of which is irony.

This is presented on numerous occasions, it is very ironic that Troy does not want to become the man that his father was, and as such he tries his best but ends up in the same position that his father was. It is also ironic that Cory does not want take his father as a role model, as it is, in most, the father who is the son’s role model. Another effective device that Wilson uses is that of metaphor. The title offers the central metaphor for the play, reflecting the dual nature of those structures that people design for their protection but that also become their prisons.

The play has impacts ones life in a very positive manner in that it teaches the importance of ones family and also close friends.

This lesson was brought out in the life of Troy, as he did not see the importance of his family and he his friends and as such he made some very bad decisions which resulted in him being sad and lonely and eventually he dies not fulfilling his major dream which was to become an independent man unlike his father.

Bibliography August Wilson,Fences- Chicago, Seattle, and San Francisco Plume Books PublisherJune 1986