In “Fences” written by August Wilson there are two brothers, Lyons is the oldest brother and came from a previous marriage by his dad Troy, and Cory is the younger brother and is the son of both Troy and Rose (Wilson Fences 2016). With Lyons and Cory having different mothers there are slight contrasts between them throughout the story (Wilson Fences 2016). We will compare and contrast the similarities and differences between Lyons and Cory, these similarities and differences come to make an effect on where they end up later in life and their relationship with their father. (Kirszner & Mandell 2016)
Lyons in “Fences” can be described as more of a Static character, Static characters tend to remain unchanged throughout the story, for example, if someone is selfish they will remain selfish regardless of the story's conflict (Kirszner & Mandell 2016). This also leads to Lyons being seen as a Flat character who is barely developed and sometimes seen as stereotypical, their growth is not usually relevant to the story’s development (Kirszner & Mandell 2016). Troy, Lyon’s father had always demanded that he get a steady job with a consistent income, which Lyons always revolted against because he wanted to become a professional musician (Wilson Fences 2016). Lyons never really gets upset about the way his father treated him, Lyons always seemed to be passionate and solely focused on becoming a musician (Wilson Fences 2016). Lyons would always take things as they come, never really getting caught up in conflict with situations and other characters. The only real-time Lyons comes into conflict with his father, is when he occasionally comes by to borrow ten dollars, which he pays back. Even though Troy denies coming to see Lyons play music, which Lyons takes great pride in, Lyons still seems to respect his father as an individual. The relationship between Lyons and Troy was much more relaxed and less strict than Troy and Cory's relationship. (Kirszner & Mandell 2016) (Wilson Fences 2016)
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Cory can be described as more of a Dynamic character, Dynamic characters grow and change throughout the course of the story, also reacting to events as well as other characters. This also leads to Cory being seen as a Round character who is well-developed and closely involved in the action that occurs in the story. Cory was trying to take the role of his father. On multiple occasions, Cory tries over and over to interact with his father in a conversation about baseball and sports in general, but Troy constantly puts him down. On one occasion Cory picks up Troy's bat and attempts to hit the baseball ball in the yard the way his father did. Even though Cory tries to play sports just like his father, this is the exact issue that breaks them apart. When the story first started Cory tried to be like his father, whereas later on, he ends up trying to escape him. Towards the end, Cory returns home on the day of Troy's funeral, wearing a Marine corporal's uniform. It’s noticeable that Cory has been through a lot since Troy kicked him out. It seemed like he was finally on the road to becoming his own man, but Cory was still shaken by his father’s actions. (Kirszner & Mandell 2016) (Wilson Fences 2016)
Lyons and Cory have both differences and similarities, we will first analyze the similarities they have to one another. Both brothers seem to have a love/hate relationship with their father, deep down both Lyons and Cory care for Troy because he is their father and raised them, but they also have hate for Troy due to his aggressiveness about what lifestyle/career path they should take. Another similarity Lyons and Cory share is the idea of following their desired career path, Cory is an athlete and got a scholarship to play football in high school but once his father denied him from playing he decides to join the military and become a marine. Lyons is an aspiring musician and decides to stick with music because it makes him happy, and gets him out of bed every morning similar to Cory. The last similarity is how Cory and Lyon’s Revolt against Troy, on multiple occasions Troy had demanded that they work a steady job whether or not it was what they wanted to pursue, therefore, Lyons and Cory’s dreams challenged Troy’s fixed sense of what a proper profession really is. (Kirszner & Mandell 2016)
Next, we will analyze the differences between Cory and Lyons, the first and most noticeable is the way their father treats them, with Cory being younger than Lyon, it seems as if Troy is not as hard on Lyons as he is on Cory. One example is seen when Cory gets into an altercation with his father when he tries to walk past Troy sitting on the steps to his house, it quickly becomes physical (Wilson Fences 2016). Lyon’s never had an incident with Troy where it becomes physical and this could possibly be due to Lyon’s being older and seen as more mature. The next difference is their outcome at the end of the story, Cory ends up taking the path of becoming a marine in the military, and not through playing college football as he first intended. Lyons unsurprisingly fails, he was too narrowed down on becoming a musician, Lyons has to resort to crime, such as cashing people's checks, in order to make ends meet. To top it all off Lyon ends up following in his father’s footsteps by ending up in jail. (Kirszner & Mandell 2016)
In conclusion, the differences between Lyon and Cory have a dramatic impact on the story and the direction it takes, Lyon is more of a Static/Flat character whereas Cory is a Dynamic/Round character. This is shown throughout the story how Lyon remains unchanged by still trying to become a musician even though he is financially incompetent, whereas Cory grows and changes throughout the course of the story, reacting to events as well as other characters. When Cory was kicked out of the house he decided to change for the better and joined the military, he gained more maturity and financial stability (Wilson Fences 2016). (Kirszner & Mandell 2016)
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