ipl-logo

Racism In Fences By August Wilson

1220 Words5 Pages

Around the early 1900s, racism was prominent and wasn't sugarcoated either. African Americans had to deal with many obstacles around this period because of the discrimination involed in their lives. These actions effected many African Americans because it forced some of them to hate the world and limit many of their opportunities in life. Racism is sad reality in our nation that affects all types of people and it continues to shake and alter lives. People use racism as a sort of way to detect the differences with their peers and spike bias towards a group of people. Some people go the extra mile in insulting, attacking or mentally attacking others because of racist ideals they believe in. In the play Fences by August Wilson, Troy's dreams of …show more content…

Troy's true intentions are to show his son that nothing comes easy. The ultimate flaw however is that Troy looks at the world in his perspective. Troy is trying to prevent Cory from going through the same harsh experiences as him but he is unintentional recreating the same obstacles which are preventing Cory from becoming the full potential of himself. Throughout the play, Troy is imposing his will on Cory and he is basically preventing him from exploring the world for himself. This causes Cory to have conflicts with his dad because they don't agree completely. In the article "Baseball as History and Myth in August Wilson's Fences" by Susan Koprince, Susan says that "Troy's front yard is literally turned into a battleground during his confrontations with his younger son Cory" (Koprince 354). With each argument and conflict, Cory slowly characteristics change in the story. In the beginning of the story, he was a cheerful kid hopeful for his future. However because of the denial of pursing football and the constant back and forth between him and Tory, he becomes very bitter just like his father. This isn't a good thing because once Cory picks up his father characteristics, it forces him to see the world in a single perspective and that's not his full potential but an intentional effect from Troy's reactionary …show more content…

Troy has a singular perspective on the world. He has a strict demeanor because of how society viewed African Americans back in the 1950s. Troy cares a lot about his family even if he doesn't show it. Throughout his life, Racism has been a barrier for him. He was once young and he chased his own dreams but because of his skin color, several "ideals" got in his way. Racism caused a lot of Troy's bitterness towards life. He went to jail and ultimately makes sure he doesn't fall back there. All of his decisions were very influenced by past experiences from racism. Whether it be denying Cory's dreams, neglecting Lyons and breaking the barriers of his marriage with Rose. All of these decisions caused tensions around the family and ultimately fenced his family away from him.

Koprince, Susan. "Baseball as History and Myth in August Wilson's "Fences.." African American Review, vol. 40, no. 2, Summer2006, pp. 349-358. EBSCOhost,

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Troy Wilson's Troy

    271 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although, Wilson emphasizes this journey with Troy who believe that racial boundaries prevented him from being a major in baseball. He wanted to show that education is more valuable than sports. Troy felt that Corry could reach his true potential of becoming someone educated. He believes that his role as father to keep a roof over his family head. Troy doesn't realize how he became a bully pushing his family and friends around.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of August Wilson's Play Fences

    353 Words  | 2 Pages

    August Wilson’s play Fences was written in 1983. Fences is the sixth play in Wilson’s Pittsburgh cycle. Pittsburgh is important because it represents a better life for blacks; it provides them with jobs and helped them to escape the poverty and racism of the south after the civil war. It represents promises and promises that were broken. I feel like Fences represents the struggles Troy and his family faced because of their complexion and their constant disappointments as black people.

    Read More

  • Summary And Symbolism In August Wilson's Fences

    619 Words  | 3 Pages

    In August Wilson’s Fences, it should come as no surprise that the fence Troy is building throughout the course of the play holds multiple points of symbolism and importance, from Troy’s innate need to keep things at arm’s length, to an overarching symbol of Rose and Troy’s marriage, to a subliminal motif of the boundaries that kept Troy from his dream of reaching the Majors. For Troy, the fence is viewed as a chore and a nuisance at the beginning of the play. Troy shirks the chore to go “listen to the ball game” at “the Taylor’s” (33). On page 34, Cory retorts that his father has claimed they were to work on the fence “the last four or five Saturdays”, but his father “don’t never do nothin’”. By page 71, his old friend Bono is so convinced Troy will never finish the fence that he makes a pricey deal with Troy saying “when you finish building this fence for Rose… I’ll buy Lucille (Bono’s wife) that refrigerator”.

    Read More

  • Baseball Quotes In Fences

    910 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the book Fences by August Wilson, the author chooses baseball to compare many of the struggles everyday people deal with in everyday society. August Wilson created some very relatable characters to portray the message of life and love Fences attempts to display. It is ultimately displayed in a quote by the main character Troy Maxson. Troy said “That’s all death is to me. A fastball on the outside corner” (10).

    Read More

  • Troy Maxson Flaws In Fences

    811 Words  | 4 Pages

    His relationship with Bono shows this clearly. For it always appears as though Bono only listens and comments in their conversations. It is rare that he brings up a new topic, and when he does Troy is sure to make it go in a direction he wants it to. Rose has to be the worst victim of Troy’s selfishness because Troy never even considers her feelings or how he might hurt her. He also ignores the responsibility he owes her in being her husband, all because he wanted to indulge himself with another women.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Troy In Fence By August Wilson

    884 Words  | 4 Pages

    This meant that all professional baseball teams were still not for black people from playing. In fences, the troy character is very negative just because, he suffered in his past. In Fences, August Wilson shows that troy is a villain because he is unfair to his wife, wants to control everyone, and mean with his son. In the fences, August describe how Troy is a villain because of the unfair to his wife.

    Read More

  • August Wilson Fences Literary Analysis

    883 Words  | 4 Pages

    He persistently criticizes and neglects his two sons, which thus draws them away from him. Troy pushes Lyons away by refusing to hear him play his "Chinese music". He also scars hisrelationship with his other son, Cory, by preventing him from playing football and rejecting his onlychance to get recruited by a college football team. Also, Troy states that Cory's things will "be on theother side of that fence" when he kicks Cory to the street. Through this scene Troyacknowledges the fence as an actual, physical divide between him and his son.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of The Father In August Wilson's Fences

    1457 Words  | 6 Pages

    Troy 's hatred of his father acts as a catalyst for many moments in Troy 's life, in negative and positive ways alike. Unlike most fathers, Troy 's father didn 't leave him with a material possession such as a house but instead left him with emotional baggage that crippled the earlier and later parts of Troy 's life. From the beginning, Troy 's father was abusive to his mother and all of his siblings. Troy and his family worked hard on their father 's farm and endured his bitterness towards being a sharecropper. Troy states that his father was greedy and would put his own personal needs above the needs of the family.

    Read More

  • Troy's Unsympathetic Character In Fences By August Wilson

    970 Words  | 4 Pages

    Troy not only disapproves of his son Cory playing football, but he also disagrees with his oldest son Lyons aspirations of becoming a musician. We see this when Troy states “get recruited in how to fix cars or something where he can make a living”. Instead of focusing on sports, he believes Cory should pick up a trade that can provide an income for his future. Cory is a talented athlete just like his dad, but due to Troy’s dreams being shattered by the white man, his outlook is tainted. Although Troy is predominantly aggressive, he is attempting to protect Cory from the same disappointment he once endured.

    Read More

  • Troy Maxson Character Analysis

    1222 Words  | 5 Pages

    Troy believes that is better for Cory if he had a real job, something that no one can take form him and to provide a stable economic security for him. In Troy’s mind if Cory goes for the football thing, which is controlled by the whites, his dreams might be destroyed and he doesn’t want that for his son. Of course that resulted in disturbed relationship between Troy and Cory. Troy’s way in protecting or caring for his son might be harsh, that can be refers for Troy’s relationship with his father as the plays shows. Troy refuses to acknowledge that times have changed and Cory can be something if he plays, instead he ruined his son’s

    Read More

  • African American Experience In Fences

    978 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fences is a play written by the playwright August Wilson, who dedicated himself to writing plays capturing what it was like to be an African American in the United States during every decade of the 20th century. Fences was a play that was specifically written to provide an outlook into the lives of African Americans in America during the 1950s, during the process of demarginalization. Each character of the novel provides a unique perspective to capture different aspects of the “African American Experience” during this time period. In Fences, it was very important to August Wilson to truly capture “The African American Experience” and he was able to do so through the portrayal of the Maxson family, with his representation of African Americans during the 1950s in Fences, and with the multiple perspectives of African Americans captured

    Read More

  • Racism In The Play Fences

    702 Words  | 3 Pages

    The play Fences is a drama written by August Wilson who was one of six children and also dealt with opeesrrions and racism when he dropped out of school due the struggles of racism. The play Fences presents the character Troy Maxson a person who has faced racism and discrimanation throughout his life. The Pulitzer Prize winning play is set in 1957-1965, a time when African-Amercians where hopeful for a better life. In Fences, racism haunts Troy Maxon’s life past and present. The play brings the view of racism in the world through Tory Maxson, family and friends.

    Read More

  • Fences Vs. Troy's Parenting

    742 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rose’s Parenting is better than Troy’s Parenting In the play Fences, by August Wilson, Troy and Rose Maxson have extremely different parenting styles. They are the parents of three children, Lyons, Cory and Raynell. Lyons is the son of Troy’s previous wife, Raynell is Troy’s illegitimate daughter, and Cory is the son of Troy and Rose. There are many different styles of parenting.

    Read More

  • August Wilson's Fences Analysis

    485 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Fences" by August Wilson took place in 1957, before the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s. During this time period, racism and discrimination was still highly around which made it harder for African Americans to pursue their American Dream. Wilson, an African American male who dreams to be a major league in baseball, was denied the opportunity to reach his American Dream because of his skin color. This causes him to perpetual internalized oppression. Although some characters such as Rose, Cory and other sense the changes of racism in the present, there are others like Troy who stilled stuck to the American past.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Racism In Fences

    1501 Words  | 7 Pages

    In August Wilson’s playwright Fences, the narrator portrays racism in a social system, in the workplace, and in sports, which ultimately affects Troy’s aspirations. Troy Maxson is constantly facing the racism that is engraved into the rules of racial hierarchy –– fair and unfair, spoken and unspoken. Troy suffers many years of racism when he plays in the Negro major Baseball League; therefore he decides to protect Cory from ever experiencing those blockades in his drive for success. In the end, although Troy is always driving to obtain agency, Troy always succumbs to the rules of racism because those racist ideologies are too hard to overcome. Throughout the play, Troy is perpetually confronting the racist social system that displays unspoken

    Read More

More about Racism In Fences By August Wilson

Open Document