Fences Group
Question:
chevy-flawless
Student
High School - 10th Grade
Answers:
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bmadnick Teacher
High School - 11th GradePosted by bmadnick on Friday June 13, 2008 at 9:10 AMThe feelings the Maxon family has for each other are a consequence of the themes of the play, rather than being a theme by itself. The most obvious theme is the fences that people build around themselves or around others. Troy builds a fence around his son to limit his son's opportunities to achieve something in sports. As a result, Cory despises his father and stays away from his family for seven years. Troy has built a fence of anger and hostility around himself. His anger stems from the racial prejudice that he felt kept him out of baseball. Troy is also overwhelmed by his responsibilities as the father, husband, and breadwinner of the family. This is why he turns to another woman, and his affair signals the end of his marriage, even though he and his wife stay together. As a result of these themes of fences, limited opportunities, the burden of responsibility, and racial prejudice, the Maxon family is torn apart until Troy's death at the end.
I hope this helps. For a more detailed explanation, go to the enotes link below.
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