Main themes and symbolism in August Wilson "Fences"

Introduction 

Fences is a play that was written by August Wilson in 1983. It is a play whose genre is fiction. The story however has drama, family drama to be specific and comedy in it as well. 

Title Explanation 

The title is symbolic of the entire play as it is used both figuratively and literary. In the play we see a literal fence being built around the home of Tory. His wife wants keep her loved ones safe and to some it is to keep others out. The fence also shows the struggle between blackness and humanity. 

Main Themes 

The themes discussed in the play include racism, loyalty, family, men and masculinity, hopes, dreams and plans, betrayal, dissatisfaction, duty, coming of age, survival or coping methods, death or mortality and interpreting and inheriting history. 

Race 

The play shows how Troy face disappointments in his life because of his skin color. He would discourage his son from participating sports because he believed his skin color would lead to his discrimination and dismissal (Shmoop Editorial Team). His choices in life were largely affected because of racism and he drills the same notion into the minds of his children. Wilson gives a picture of a world that is divide along the lines of skin color where ideas and how the power that whites have divorces itself from blackness. 

Loyalty 

Loyalty is the strong feeling of allegiance and support. In the play, it is observed that Cory has allegiance to football and despite the discouragement he receives from Troy, he is still determined and gives it his all. Troy on the other hand is loyal to baseball. In the play, he was a Negro League star before going to jail. When Troy is believed to be cheating, Bono is loyal to him by showing concern to him and his marriage. 

Father and Manhood 

Cory and Bono had a turbulent relationships with their father. Cory is fearful of his father at the beginning of the play. Troy also has a rough association with his own father and left home after he got into a severe fight with him. Troy tries to be a good father by discouraging Cory not to get involved with professional sports because he does not want him to get hurt. However, Cory learns to stand up for himself and embrace his manhood. He makes the choice to leave home in pursuit of his dreams. Cory did not feel loved and cared for by his father. However his father is depicted as having power to shape the future of his children. Bono on the other hand, chooses not to have children because he does not want them to feel unloved and uncared for. We are showed how Tory beat his son Cory in the play showing how abusive he was. Cory however rise above it all and chooses to follow his dreams showing ambition and determination. 

Betrayal and Family 

The play shows us how families can go through challenges and the impact father have on their children. Families are to be honored and respected. However, Troy was abusive to his Cory and Troy had an affair with Alberta betraying Rose in the process (Shmoop Editorial Team). His betrayal revealed that the bond of families should not be dishonored as this led to its falling apart. Troy also felt betrayed when his son left to pursue his dreams after he constantly told him to work and not focus on sports. His family also felt betrayed when he committed adultery. Cory felt betrayed when Tory raped the girl he was with. 

Coming of age 

There are numerous instances where the characters come of age and make big decisions that affect their lives. In the last scene of Act I and through Act II, Cory chooses to challenge or confront Troy. Troy and Bono also became of age when they stand up to their fathers and when they make decisions based on their childhood with their father. Troy left his home and became unafraid of his father after he beat him up and raped the girl he was caught with. Bono comes of age when he realizes that it was not his fault that his made him feel abandoned. He also realizes that it was a choice his father made and had nothing to do with his personality. 

Survival or coping methods 

In the play, Troy survives intense poverty, personal failure and even his father. He has instances where he came up with exaggerated versions of his stories in order to survive. He uses illusions as well when he exaggerates his fight with death after suffering from pneumonia. He was exaggerated when talking to the furniture man, the he compared the man to the devil. He also uses these survival mechanism when he meets Rose and when he talks about the daughter of Joe Canewell. He also copes with life with Alberta. Troy uses Alberta as a means for him to escape his duties and responsibilities (SparkNotes). He sometimes believes that he is living in an illusion which does not represent time. 

Death 

This topic appears in the play in the physical form and in the stories told by Tory. Gabriel is constantly thinking of the judgment day Troy has an obsession with death. Troy’s dreams and hopes died when he was dismissed on his skin complexion. Troy’s relationship with Rose is also ruined. In the play, Troy, Alberta and Gabriel’s brother all die. 

Interpreting and inheriting history 

Troy and Cory have different interpretations of history. Troy does not want Cory to go through the hardships and disappointments he went through in order to become a professional player in sports. He insists that Cory works instead of going for sports practice. Cory on the other hand believes that times have changed and racism will not affect his future career in sports. Troy refuses to accept the ideas and beliefs that Cory has because it will signify his acceptance of the demise of his dreams (SparkNotes). He also denies to accept the potential that Cory has because it will only show his acceptance of his own misfortunes. Troy prevents Cory from exploiting is his options in sports because of the past he had. Cory, however believes history will not repeat itself. 

Cory inherits his father history when he goes through a similar disappointing encounter in sports. Troy’s children sing the songs he sang when he was younger and say similar sayings that he used like “You gotta take the crookeds with the straights.” In Act II, Cory even informs Rose of how his father Troy was like a shadow that followed him everywhere. 

Symbolism 

The symbols in the play include the devil and fences. The devil is used as a symbol to represent the struggles that Troy has gone through. To him, it also symbolized cowardice and aggression. When he is fighting with the devil in his stories, it means he is fighting for justice. Fences are used to signify associations within the characters of the play. According to Rose in the play, the fence is a thing that is necessary and positive. She wants to keep the people she loves around. When Troy could not finish the fence, this was a symbol of how he was not dedicated to his marriage. The wholeness of the fence in the final scene means the strength and power of the family. Rose is a symbol of nurturing and love in the play. 

Language Specification 

The language use in the play is English. It explores the evolution that African-Americans had to go through before achieving equality and impartiality based on skin complexion. 

Cited Works 

Shmoop Editorial Team. "Fences Themes." Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. Retrieved on 4 Apr. 2018 from https://www.shmoop.com/ 

SparkNotes. “Fences: Themes” (2017). Retrieved from https://prezi.com