Fences (Magill’s Choice: American Ethnic Writers)
At a glance:
- Author: August Wilson
- First Published: 1985
- Genres: Domestic realism, Drama
- Subjects: 1950’s, African Americans, Discrimination, 1960’s, Family or family life, United States or Americans, Racism, Communication, Marriage, Alienation, Yards or backyards, Adultery, City life, Working class
- Locales: Pittsburgh, PA
The Work
Troy Maxson, the protagonist of August Wilson’s Fences, is the son of a frustrated sharecropper whose harshness drove off his wives and Troy. Troy has made his way north to a world where African Americans live in shacks and are unable to find work. Troy takes to stealing, kills a man, and is sent to prison, where he learns how to play baseball, which he loves and at which he excels. Segregation confines Troy, after prison, to the Negro Leagues. He is angry at the racism that frustrates his attempt at achieving the American Dream in the most American of sports,...
[The entire page is 1116 words long]
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