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Redemption In Shirley Ann Grau's Fences

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The end scene of Fences and Keepers of the House both represent the possibility of redemption in the face of the sins of the fathers. In his play Fences, August Wilson shows to the reader how a person can redeem himself if he is able to embrace both the evil and good of the man and find forgiveness of the father’s sins. However, Shirley Ann Grau presents that a person cannot redeem itself once the sins happen and the characters are stuck in the cycle of vengeance due to their unyielding characteristics.
Throughout his play Fences, August Wilson presents characters who are stuck in the cycle of the bitter relationship between father and son due to the past sins of the fathers. Troy’s father does not care for his family not even providing food or place to stay for Troy. Throughout the play, Troy creates a similar relationship with his son Cory. Although Troy thinks that he is showing love through providing economic stability to his family, Cory is unable to understand Troy’s thinking. To Troy, love toward his family meant providing food and clothing every day. Troy remembers his father as a person who “wasn’t good for nobody” (Wilson I). Even after long period of time Troy is still unable to forgive his father. However, it is this bitter feeling that what actually leads him to create a similar relationship with Cory although that is what he wants to stay away from. Troy wants Cory to “move as far away from [his] life” (Wilson I). Throughout the story he is too focused on the ill of the society that he …show more content…

However, while August Wilson shows how all the characters receive chance of redemption, Grau presents to the reader the ultimate destruction of a character’s life when she is unyielding. The closing scene of each literatures demonstrates to the readers of the different situations. Both works emphasizes the importance of the embracement of the goodness in the face of

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