The Theme Of Tragedy In August Wilson's Fences

When reading the play “Fences” by August Wilson, one may say that it is a tragedy, and that the protagonist, Troy Maxson, has tragic flaws that leads him through a path of false judgement. Troy is seen as a stubborn man and wants everything to go his way or the highway. However, in actuality, he is not a bad guy, Troy is just a father who wants to keep his family out of harm’s way. This led me to three journalists with similar judgments of Troy Maxson. Critics Joseph H. Wessling, Alice Mills, and Myles Weber all give their own insight on the play “Fences.” I agree with Wessling’s statement “Troy, for all his strengths, is flawed humanity in need of forgiveness,” disagrees with Mills’ claim “…Troy does not face trail of initiation until he crossed the fence and left behind the protection of his family for the world of difficult choices.”, and Weber’s claim “Troy’s cruelty constituted a clever method of challenging

This created Troy’s character. Even though Troy seems to be hold a wall in-front of himself, he really cares about his family. If his family would have acknowledge that they understood his actions and loved him regardless before his death, Troy’s actions would not have been as brutal as they were when they did not say anything. In addition, Alice Mills claims that “…Troy does not face trail of initiation until he crossed the fence and left behind the protection of his family for the world of difficult choices”, I disagree with this statement as well. To break down Mills claim, “Troy does not face trail of initiation until he crossed the fence…” symbolizes Troy’s death. Since the beginning, Troy would not let anyone tell him what is what. He is very stubborn when it comes to listening to other people’s perspectives on things. He would not allow no one, especially his son Cory, to experience the world beyond the