Fences
Fences is a story of a black man named Troy. Most of the story tells of Troy's experiences and how it shapes his character. The audience cannot overlook the main ideas expressed in the play. The themes include poor upbringing, racial prejudice, interpretation, and inheritance of history, and struggles in relationships. The audience can also note elements such as symbolism, dramatic irony, and characterization used by the play's author.
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Poor Upbringing
Poor upbringing is one of the main themes illustrated in the play. At the beginning of the play, Troy and Bono are talking about their childhood life. The two recall how complex their relationships with their parents were. As they tell their stories, they realize how much similar their childhood was. It appears that it was typical for parents to raise their children that way during their time. The memories seem to cause pain to them as they compare with how Lyons and Cory were raised. Troy talks about his father, who, after slavery was abolished, had failed miserably in life. Troy says that his father was a very evil one. Because of that, he had a problem maintaining his relationship with women. As a result, Troy had to accept the fact that he had to grow without motherly affection. As they talk, Troy recalls a time when his father found out that he had abandoned a mule he was supposed to take care of to spend time with a girl he liked. As a result, his father gave him a severe beating with a leather rein.
At first, Troy related the beating with his disobedience until later when his father went ahead to assault the girl sexually. This made Troy fear his father even more. At this point, Troy lacked both paternal and maternal love. Troy had to become a man. He could no longer live with such a dangerous man, and so he decided to leave home. He was homeless and did not only lack familial ties but also funds to sustain him.
Bono, on the other hand, tells of a careless father. His father was so depressed that he failed to provide for Bono. Bono's father had a problem settling in one place. He was always moving from one place to another, getting into relationships then leaving the women. As a result, Bono had no connection with his father and barely knew anything about him. Bono's father was searching for land just like other men who had just been freed from slavery and were not comfortable with the places they lived. Due to Bono's experience, he decided not to have any children to avoid going through hardships like him.
Racial Prejudice
Racial prejudice is also an evident theme in Fences. This is seen through the life experiences of Troy. Troy had been convicted and learned how to play baseball while in jail. Although Troy was very good at playing the game, he could not join the big leagues because black people were not eligible for recruitment. When the leagues began considering black people for recruitment, Troy was already too old to play. Instead, he is forced to work as a sanitization worker. This illustrates how black people have limited opportunities. As a result of racial prejudice, Troy has a very frustrating life and develops a negative attitude towards life.
Interpretation and Inheritance of History
The conflict present in the play is because the characters are not clear about how to interpret and how to use the incidents in their past to influence their direction in the future. A perfect example is that of Troy and his son. Troy is afraid that his son will not make it as a football player because he could not make it to the major leagues in the past. Therefore, he tries to stop playing football and eventually destroys his relationship with his son. Cory even tries to tell his father of people who has been successful as sportsmen. However, Troy does not accept to embrace his reasoning as that would highlight his misfortune. One can also note that although Troy's father was abusive, Troy was able to get a good character from him. He was focused on providing for his family just like his father had done for him and his siblings. Aside from that, Troy's children pick some attributes from Troy, such as learning to sing the songs he liked.
The idea of Troy not being able to accept that times have changed and allow his son to pursue his dreams show how one's interpretation of the past can influence his actions in the future. Troy leans some attributes from his father, and his children also learn some things from his show that history can be inherited.
Struggles in Relationships
Troy and Rose's relationship is not a bed of roses. The two are constantly faced with challenges that affect their marriage. Although the two can overcome the challenges, they are aware that their marriage has been stagnant since they got married. Rose is patient with her husband and tries so much to reconnect him with reality. Troy disagrees with Rose, who decides to play numbers, but this does not destroy their relationship. Later Troy confesses to having an affair with a lady named Alberta. However, Rose accepts this fact and moves on. It is clear to the audience that the two are constantly having challenges. However, their love for each other enables them to overcome their problems.
As stated above, the play's author employs excellent use of symbolism, dramatic irony, and characterization. An example of symbolism in fences is the play's name the use of a fence to illustrate Rose's love for Troy. Aside from that, the completeness of the fence symbolizes the strong bonds that Troy's family has. The fence is also a symbol of Troy's strength, even though his actions nearly break the family. There is also dramatic irony in the play.
An example is that while the audience is fully aware of Troy's affairs with other women, Rose has no idea of what is going on. This enables the audience to have a better picture of who Troy is. Roses are also known to be appealing but have thorns. Rose, on the other hand, is a thornless rose. Her character in the play is one of a flawless woman with sound judgment.
Characterization is also well used in the play. The audience can tell the characters of the people in the play through their actions. For example, Troy works as a sanitization worker to sustain his family. However, he pushes away his son and dares to have an affair even though he is married. On the other hand, Rose displays her loving character all through the play. She even accepts Troy's child, who is a result of another affair.
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