An Analysis for the Play Fences
James E. May
Averett University
History of the Theatre
TH 220 / BBA 469
Ronal Stepney
November 07, 2011
The story line seemed melodramatic throughout the play. The author (August Wilson) has laid the ground work of many themes throughout the play. The play deals with Race, Men and their masculinity, Morality, Dreams and hopes of everyone involved, Family, Duty, Betrayal and Dissatisfaction. The play begins with Troy and his best friend Bono entering the yard chatting as they usually do coming home from work as garage collectors for their company. Every Friday is payday for Troy and Bono and one can usually find these two enjoy drinking down at Taylors (the local watering hole). Troy seems to be …show more content…
Rose, being the good woman that she is, accepts Raynell in to her family and agrees to raise her. Troy then comes to battle with Cory, when he attempts to step over his father and enter the house. Cory is then told that he no longer lives there, and was being kicked out of the house forever. Cory states to Troy that he doesn’t need anything from him and can take of himself. Since Troy had to deal with being on his own since he was fourteen years old, his son can do the same thing (Cory is a little older, 17 yrs. old). Troy, throughout the play is always speaking about, how he will be ready for “Grim Reaper and his sickle” and will not go down without a fight (which he often brags about beating death when he was younger). Troy just prior to his death (and finding out about the death of his mistress) Troy: "All right...Mr. Death....I'm gonna take and build me a fence around this yard. See? I'm gonna build me a fence around what belongs to me. And then I want you to stay on the other side. See? You stay over there until you're ready for me." So, this could be another underlying theme that Troy is always wrestling with a force much larger than he is and is always taunting death by saying "Then you [Death] come on. Bring your army. Bring your sickle. Bring your wrestling clothes". The last time we actually see or hear from Troy is in Act II scene 4 when he says “I can’t taste nothing.