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Fences
In Fences, social problems along with a lack of emotional connection all represent obstacles that prevent Troy from having what he wants. Troy believes he is socially marginalized. Racial...
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Fences
To start answering this question, think about the way fences function as symbols in this play. First, why do different members of Troy's family want to build a fence? As Bono says in Act II, "Some...
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Fences
The conflict between Cory and his father Troy is understood by each man differently. The idea expressed in the struggle between the father and son is connected to this difference in perspective, to...
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Fences
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Fences
Though Troy does not admit it directly, it becomes clear, through his recollections, that he is repeating the mistakes of his father. These mistakes are a lack of compassion for his son, Cory, and...
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Fences
Sports, and baseball in particular, have long enjoyed an almost mythological status in American culture. While the off-the-field problems of some players today has degraded that status, during the...
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Fences
August Wilson’s Fences can be seen as a play about cycles of behavior. Troy in particular is “fenced in” by a pattern of behavior that he learned from his own father. In turn, he attempts to...
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Fences
There are a number of examples of symbolism in August Wilson’s Fences. The most prominent example of symbolism comes in the repeated use of fences (variously literal and metaphorical) in the...
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Death of a Salesman
In my reading of both plays, I, too, noticed parallels between the patriarchs. Though Troy Maxson and Willy Loman come from disparate social backgrounds -- the former is black and poor, while the...
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Fences
Troy,in the play, Fences, has led a life trying to achieve what he thinks is due him. In prison for robbery, he learns to play baseball. He's quite good at it, and after his release, joins the...
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Fences
One of the most important characteristics of the relationship between Troy and his son Cory is that they are effectively repeating history (and, ultimately, breaking the cycle of history). As a...
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Fences
The play opens with a preface that speaks to the special/specific cultural experiences of African Americans. Also in the opening scene, Troy and Bono discuss the issue of unfair promotion practices...
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Fences
Tough question! This one is really up to you to decide as a reader. Here are a couple ideas that might help you figure out which side you land on. Among the conflicts that seem to be caused by...
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Fences
August Wilson, in his play Fences, explores the notion of the “American Dream” from the perspective of those who have been denied their rightful place in a democratic society. Early...
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Fences
August Wilson’s play Fences takes place in 1957 in a northern industrial city presumed to be Pittsburgh (presumed, by virtue of Wilson’s hometown and its steel industry-driven culture and...
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Fences
August Wilson uses the title Fences to reveal how people have their own interpretation of what a fence may be needed for or what it may do. There are the obvious literal understandings of a fence,...
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Fences
I would say that this quote, which means that a child should not be punished for his or her father's sins, does also apply to Cory, but in a rather different way. Throughout the play we see Cory...
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Fences
The play seems to marginalise women to some extent. Rose is the only major female character, and much of the time she takes second place to the main action involving her husband Troy and other male...
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Fences
The setting suggests that the Maxson family is poor and, to some extent, divided. Their house is an "ancient two-story brick house" with a porch that "lacks congruence" with the house. There is...
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Fences
Troy had complained to the management at the garbage company about discrimination. Troy claims that the reason he cannot get a promotion to the position of driver is the result of systematic...
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Fences
In the final scene of the play, Fences, Gabriel returns to open the gates of heaven for his brother, Troy. You see, the final scene takes place on the day of Troy's funeral. Gabriel suffered a...
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Fences
Outside of the self-deception that Rose claims Troy commits against himself, there are a number of significant deceptions in the play. Cory lies to Troy about quitting the football team (and...
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Fences
The most significant deceptions in the play relate to Troy's self-deceptions. Troy chooses to believe that race kept him out of big league baseball, but the fact is age had at least as much to do...
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Fences
Troy feels that his role as a father is to provide his son with discipline and opportunity. Troy insists that Cory refrain from playing football and he expresses his reasons. Football will not...
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Fences
Focusing on the symbolism of the setting, it is the literal, unfinished fence that stands out as the most significant element of the setting. The fence represents different things for different...
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Fences
In making the case for Troy to go to heaven, I think that one would have to point out his sense of financial duty and responsibility as a part of his being. Troy recognizes the obligations he has...
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Fences
I think that this becomes the critical question. Does anyone? In all sincerity, I think that part of what makes Troy's characterization such a challenge is that the "fences" the Troy builds are...
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Fences
Wilson displays the relationship between Troy and Rose as a complex one. Rose is a dutiful wife. She withstands much of what Troy puts her through. His anger, his emotional distance, and his own...
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Fences
Troy tells both the audience and Lyons and Bono about his past in Act I scene 4, which includes the story of how he came to be put in prison due to the accidental murder of somebody he was trying...
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Fences
Race and racism is of course a prevalent theme in this play, and is related very strongly to its title and the various and multiple "fences" that lie between different characters and the dreams...
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Fences
I think that Wilson is able to use the characterizations in the drama to help illuminate the power of the themes featured. For Troy's characterization, Wilson has been able to construct a...
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Fences
According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must be essentially good as a person. The hero must have dignity and personal quality in order to qualify as a tragic figure and then must suffer a downfall...
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Fences
Sympathizing with Cory is often easier in the play than sympathizing with his father Troy, but Troy, ultimately, is the more tragic figure, presenting and communicating more depth of emotion than...
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The Crucible
Both works display how freedom can result in futility to a great extent. What makes both works so very powerful is that they display how freedom is the only constant in their respective visions of...
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Fences
I think that Cory undergoes the greatest amount of change over the course of the play and the redemption intrinsic to this represents the greatest significance of it. Cory is able to follow his...
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Fences
In August Wilson's play, Fences, Cory is able to stop the destructive cycle that his father, Troy, had fallen into because of his father, and become his own person in this tragedy. A major theme in...
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Fences
In August Wilson's Fences, the one thing that is not used as a symbol is the cherry tree. We see the other items used significantly in the story. "Rose" is, of course, the name of Troy's wife. A...
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Fences
In August Wilson's Fences, Troy Maxson faces conflicts in some way with almost all of the examples provided. Tory loves his wife Rose, but has become involved with Alberta who becomes pregnant with...
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Fences
Tragedy is defined as... ...a serious play in which the chief figures, by some peculiarity of character, pass through a series of misfortunes leading to the final catastrophe. In light of these...
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Fences
Troy is a very complex and intricate character. Wilson has designed him as such. Accordingly, he can be understood as being a victim on many levels. Certainly, racism is a part of this equation....
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Fences
I think that your title should reflect the main ideas you are seeking to develop in your character analysis. From the outset, I think that asking yourself what exactly it is about Cory that...
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Fences
When Cory expresses a desire to play football and use the sport to help him go to college, Troy refuses to allow Cory to quit his job at the A&P. Troy intuits right away that Cory's story about...
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Fences
Troy's relationship with both his sons, Lyons and Cory, are dominated by his own relationship with his father. His father was brutal and controlling, and although Troy loves Cory, he knows of no...
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Fences
Death is a character, a practical concept and a symbolic concept for Troy in the play. Of these roles, the symbolic concept is the most important for understanding Troy's character and his internal...
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Fences
For Rose, the symbol of the fence has a protective meaning. She craves safety and security. These are the things she believed she would get from a relationship with Troy. These are the things she...
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Fences
Race and racism are both elements in Wilson's drama. Yet, I think that he presents the issue of racism in a very unique light. Wilson suggests that while the issue of race and racial identity are...
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Fences
One of the most important themes in Fences is death, \which Troy fights for much of the play. Another theme is that of responsibility. Tory is a father and a provider, who takes care of people. Yet...
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Fences
Cory's first strike is announced when Troy pulls Cory from the football team, having discovered that Cory is no longer employed at the A&P. Cory told Troy that he was working on the weekends...
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Fences
Jim Bono shares a history with Troy Maxson that goes back to their time in prison together. As the men age, they take the same job and both keep to steady relationships. Bono admits to looking up...
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Fences
Troy Maxson is only as good as his weaknesses allow him to be. He is, for the most part, an honest man who works hard to provide for his family. Duty and obligation characterize Troy's view of his...