Fences Questions and Answers
Discuss the changing relationship between Bono and Troy in Fences.
Why wasn't Troy okay with Cory playing football in Fences?
Discuss the significance of the title Fences as it relates to characters, themes, and events of the play.
In Fences, what role does Bono play in the development of Troy’s character? Pick a scene that you think shows Bono’s role most clearly, and then explain.
What are some similarities and differences between Troy and Cory Maxson in Fences?
In Fences, the names Rose, Lyons, and Gabriel are symbolic. Explain how each of their names are appropriate, symbolic, and/or ironic.
Why was Troy in prison in Fences?
What are some literary devices used in Fences?
Discuss the quote below. " When the sins of our fathers visit us we do not have to play host. We can banish them with forgiveness. As God, in His Largeness and Laws" - August Wilson. Discuss your thoughts of the quote with examples from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Fences by August Wilson.
How does Troy's past affect his future in Fences?
Is Troy a bad father in Fences?
What are two example of situational irony in Fences?
Why did Troy cheat on Rose?
Assess Troy and Rose's relationship.
In Fences, why would Troy cheat with Alberta instead of just trying to make it right with Rose, a good woman?
How do you interpret Lyons’s response to his father’s criticism of his lifestyle in Fences: “I know I got to eat. But I got to live too. I need something that gonna help me to get out of the bed in the morning. Make me feel like I belong in the world” (I.1.340–341)? Discuss what it is that makes each of the central characters feel some sense of belonging in the world: Troy, Rose, Lyons, and Cory.
What is the significance of Troy's song Old Blue? Is it in any way about the failure of human love?
Who is Troy's father in Fences?
What is the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution for Fences by August Wilson?
Discuss Troy's experience of being in prison in Fences.
How did Troy die in Fences?
What traits make Troy Maxson an unlikeable protagonist in Fences?
What is the meaning of Gabriel's dancing and his line "That's the way that go!" at the end of Fences?
What is the symbolism of the garden and Raynell in Fences by August Wilson?
What does Gabriel represent in Fences?
What is ironic about Troy's job as a garbage truck driver in Fences?
Compare and contrast Cory and Lyons in Fences. Consider, too, in what ways they resemble Troy and in what ways they differ from him. Support your answer with textual evidence (quotes) from the play.
Analyze the conflict between Troy and Cory in the Fences.
How does Rose’s assertion in act I, scene 1 of Fences that “Times have changed” (l.153) set the mood for the action that follows? How does it anticipate the themes Wilson explores more specifically through his characters and the action of the play?
What is the central idea in Fences?
What is the moral of the play Fences?
What is Bono's function in the play, Fences? To what extent does he serve as a foil to Troy?
What is the significance of the end of the play when Gabriel's trumpet fails him?
In "Fences" how is the father-son relationship depicted? How does Troy's relationship with his father compare to and shape his relationship with his son? Why do you think the play includes Lyons as well as Cory?
What are the main differences between the film and play Fences?
Discuss how flashback is present in the play Fences by August Wilson.
The epigraph of the play Fences reads, "When the sins of the fathers visit us / We do not have to play host. / We can banish them with forgiveness / As God, in His Largeness and Laws." In what ways do each of Troy Maxson's children live out the epigraph? Provide evidence of the epigraph throughout each of the characters' lives. Baseball is one of the most important parts of Troy Maxson's past. In what way does he use it as an analogy to life, and what message can the reader glean from it?
Discuss Rose and Troy's relationship in act 2, scenes 2 and 3 of Fences.
What does the setting section of Fences tell you about the Maxson family?
Fatherhood is a major theme in Fences. Comment on Troy’s childhood and how it has influenced his parenting.
Does Troy’s character develop over the course of the play Fences or only the way others see him? Why, and how so? Give examples.
How is Troy’s behavior an instrument for the suffering of others?
How is the theme of betrayal depicted in Fences?
What is the major conflict of the play?
In Fences, Troy told Cory not to make three strikes. What were they?
What is the symbolism of the fence in Fences?
How does Troy view fatherhood in Fences?
What are some examples of symbolism in Fences?
In Fences, how do Troy's life experiences effect his relationships with his sons?
How would you describe Troy's tone towards his brother, Gabriel, in Fences?
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