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How Does August Wilson Use Symbols In The Play Fences

1024 Words5 Pages

Jayna Miceli-Spieker Leanne Hoppe English 161 Essay #4 - Fences 12/2/15 Word Count: 1071 Fences Boundaries are something that everyone has, and those boundaries determine the things people allow to come into or out of their life. The play Fences, written by August Wilson, is a story that shows many boundaries within each character. Fences also shows many forms of symbolism in the story, even within the title itself. Fences are used metaphorically throughout the whole play. The analogies of ‘fences’ in each character's life, are shown through many different ways. Fences is a play about a family who struggles with past experiences but gets through them in their own individual ways. Each character plays an important role in the plot …show more content…

Metaphorical fences are used in everyone's lives based on how someone wants to use them. Someone might put up a ‘fence’ to act like someone they’re not or someone might take down a ‘fence’ to open up to someone else. The play involves many different types of ‘fences’ and the symbol of fences is used throughout the whole story which gives the play its name, Fences. ‘Fences’ play a huge role in every character's life because the fences each character puts up or takes down are what they use to get through certain situations or problems in their life, whether they're good or …show more content…

Rose shows compassion and care with her relationships that she has with others, especially as a parent. ‘Fences’ play a big role in Rose's life because the fences she chooses to put up help her stay happy with her life even if she has to fence out someone she used to love. Rose loves her family so much she wants to put up a metaphorical fence around her family. She wants to actually build a fence around her family's house to keep her family safe and to stay close to her loved ones. Rose also puts up a fence to hide her true feelings about Troy but eventually after finding out about the affair, Rose takes down her fence of feelings for Troy and shows him how she truly feels about him. After Troy's baby, Raynell, was born Troy asks Rose to help raise the baby because he can’t do it on his own. However Rose puts up a temporary fence of being independent, choosing not to raise the baby because it is not her child. Eventually, Rose takes that fence down because of how kind hearted she is and takes the baby in as her own but does not allow Troy to really be apart of her life

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