“You got to take the crooked with the straight. That's what I'm trying to tell you.”
— Troy talking to Cory about life's difficulties and accepting them.
Archivist's Choice
Fences
August Wilson (1986)
Genre
Historical Fiction
Reading Time
100 min
Key Themes
See below
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In 1950s Pittsburgh, a former baseball star turned sanitation worker struggles with racial injustice, betrayals, and a new generation, trying to protect his family while pushing them away.
Synopsis
Troy Maxson, a sanitation worker in 1950s Pittsburgh, lives with the disappointment of his past as a talented baseball player who was too old for the Major Leagues when they integrated. His bitterness affects his relationships, especially with his wife, Rose, and his son, Cory. Troy's rigid views and resistance to change create a gap between him and Cory, who wants to play college football. Troy blocks Cory's dreams, fearing he will face the same racial barriers and disappointment Troy experienced. He also argues with his eldest son, Lyons, a musician who often asks for money, and cares for his mentally impaired brother, Gabriel, a World War II veteran.
The play ends with Troy admitting to an affair and the birth of a child with another woman. This devastates Rose and breaks the family. Troy's actions lead to isolation, and he dies alone in his yard. Years later, Cory, now a Marine, returns for Troy's funeral, at first refusing to go. Rose convinces him to honor his father, showing the complex mix of love, disappointment, and responsibility Troy left behind. The play looks at racial injustice, family duty, and the lasting effects of the past.
Reading time
100 min
Difficulty
Medium
Pacing
Moderate
Mood
Dramatic, Reflective, Somber, Thought-provoking
✓ Read this if...
You want a powerful, character-driven drama about family, race, and the American dream, or enjoy plays by August Wilson.
✗ Skip this if...
You prefer light-hearted stories or dislike plays that delve into difficult family dynamics and tragic outcomes.
Plot Summary
A Friday Ritual and a Brewing Storm
It's Friday, 1957. Troy Maxson, 53, a sanitation worker, is in his yard with his friend, Jim Bono. They've just been paid and are sharing gin, a weekly habit. Troy complains about racial bias at work; Black men can only lift garbage, not drive trucks. Bono tries to calm Troy, reminding him of his good job. Rose, Troy's wife, worries about their son, Cory, who has a football scholarship offer. Troy strongly opposes it, fearing Cory will face the same racial barriers Troy did in baseball. Their talk shows Troy's deep resentment and his struggle to provide for his family while dealing with his past.
Cory's Ambition and Troy's Obstinacy
Cory comes home, excited about the football scholarship. He tries to talk to Troy, but Troy dismisses him, bringing up his own baseball career that ended due to segregation. Troy believes sports will only bring Cory heartbreak, as they did for him. He insists Cory keep his job and learn a trade, like Troy's own practical approach. Rose tries to help, urging Troy to support Cory, but Troy's stubbornness and desire to protect Cory from future disappointments keep him from seeing Cory's potential. This interaction shows the generational conflict and Troy's inability to accept changing times.
Gabriel's Unsettling Presence and Troy's Burden
Troy's brother, Gabriel, a mentally disabled World War II veteran with a metal plate in his head, wanders into the yard. Gabriel believes he is the Archangel Gabriel and carries a trumpet, often speaking in prophetic, disjointed phrases. Troy is Gabriel's legal guardian and uses Gabriel's disability pension to help the family, which causes him guilt. Gabriel's presence reminds Troy of his past sacrifices and heavy responsibilities. His occasional outbursts and visions add tragic irony to the family's struggles, as he often speaks of heaven and judgment in a world where Troy feels constantly judged and restricted.
The Fence and the Metaphor of Confinement
Rose asks Troy and Cory to finish building a fence around their yard, believing it will keep loved ones safe and close. For Troy, however, the fence means confinement, a barrier, mirroring his feelings of being trapped by his past and situation. As they work, the tension between Troy and Cory grows. Cory often challenges Troy's authority and decisions, especially about his football dreams. The act of building the fence becomes a symbol for the emotional walls and divisions growing in the family, particularly between father and son. Bono notices Troy pulling away from Rose, hinting at his suspicions about Troy's faithfulness.
Troy's Confession and Rose's Devastation
Troy tells Bono about his affair with Alberta, a woman in another town. Bono, a loyal friend, tries to stop Troy, reminding him of Rose's devotion and his family's stability. Troy ignores Bono's advice, saying Alberta makes him feel young and free from his responsibilities. Later, Troy tells Rose about the affair, revealing Alberta is pregnant. Rose is devastated by Troy's betrayal, feeling her 18 years of dedication are meaningless. This confession shatters their marriage and marks a turning point, showing Troy's deep selfishness and his impact on those he claims to love.
A New Baby and a Broken Home
Alberta dies in childbirth, leaving their infant daughter, Raynell. Troy, overwhelmed and sorry, brings the baby home to Rose, begging her to raise Raynell. Despite her great pain and anger, Rose, guided by her strong morals and kindness, agrees to care for the child, saying, "From right now...this child got a mother. But you a womanless man." Rose's profound selflessness shows her capacity for love and forgiveness, even after Troy's betrayal. However, their marriage is broken; Rose cares for Raynell but withdraws emotionally from Troy, creating an unbridgeable distance.
The Final Confrontation and Cory's Departure
The tension between Troy and Cory peaks. Cory, still angry about Troy's interference in his football career and now aware of the affair, confronts Troy about his past and his treatment of the family. The argument turns into a violent physical fight. Troy asserts his authority as the patriarch and demands Cory leave the house. Cory, unwilling to be controlled by his father's bitterness and limits, packs his bags and leaves, cutting ties with Troy. This fight shows the complete breakdown of their father-son relationship, leaving Troy isolated and hurt, unable to understand his son's independence.
Troy's Isolation and the Dance with Death
After Cory leaves and Rose withdraws emotionally, Troy becomes more isolated. He often drinks alone in the yard, talking to himself and engaging in a symbolic struggle with 'Death,' personified as a white-cloaked figure. He tells stories of past encounters with Death, claiming he wrestled him for three days and won, believing he has a special pact. This symbolic battle shows Troy's internal conflict and his desperate attempts to control his life and legacy, even as his world falls apart. His bravado hides a deep fear and loneliness, as he faces the consequences of his actions without his family's support.
Gabriel's Arrest and Troy's Guilt
Gabriel, in a severe episode, is arrested for disturbing the peace and committed to a mental hospital. This weighs heavily on Troy, who feels immense guilt for signing the papers that institutionalized Gabriel, especially since he had been using Gabriel's disability checks. The loss of Gabriel's presence, however erratic, further isolates Troy and reinforces his sense of failure and moral compromise. Gabriel's commitment shows the reality of mental illness in their community and Troy's complex, often self-serving but ultimately caring, relationship with his brother.
Seven Years Later: A Family Gathers
Seven years pass. It is 1965, the day of Troy Maxson's funeral. The family gathers at the Maxson home, including a teenage Raynell, who represents hope. Lyons, Troy's eldest son, and Bono are there, thinking about Troy's life. Rose, still affected by Troy's betrayals but at peace from raising Raynell, prepares for the service. The most important return is Cory, now a Marine, who has come home for the funeral, though at first he hesitated. His return sets the stage for a final acceptance of his father's memory and a reflection on their complex relationship.
Cory's Refusal and Rose's Wisdom
Cory, now a grown man in a Marine uniform, arrives for Troy's funeral but at first refuses to go, still holding deep resentment for his father's actions and how he destroyed his dreams. He tells Rose he won't be like his father. Rose, with her characteristic wisdom, confronts Cory, reminding him of Troy's struggles and hard life, saying Troy did the best he could with what he had. She explains that Troy's harshness came from a desire to protect Cory from the pain he experienced. Her words help Cory see his father not just as flawed, but as a product of his time, allowing him to begin forgiving and understanding.
Gabriel's Final Trumpet and the Gates of Heaven
As the family prepares for the funeral, Gabriel appears, in his tattered uniform, carrying his trumpet. He tries to play his trumpet to open heaven's gates for Troy, but no sound comes out. Undeterred, he dances and sings a spiritual song, a primal cry that seems to shake the heavens. In this moment, heaven's gates seem to open, showing Troy's spiritual release and the peace he wanted. Gabriel's final act is a poignant send-off for his brother, moving past earthly struggles and offering a glimpse of redemption and grace for Troy's troubled soul.
Principal Figures
Troy Maxson
The Protagonist
Troy's arc is one of tragic downfall, as his attempts to control his life and family lead to his isolation and the destruction of his relationships.
Rose Maxson
The Supporting
Rose endures immense heartbreak but finds peace and strength by embracing her role as a loving mother to Raynell, moving beyond her shattered marriage.
Cory Maxson
The Supporting
Cory struggles for independence from his father's shadow, eventually leaving home to forge his own identity and later, to understand his father's complex motivations.
Jim Bono
The Supporting
Bono remains a steadfast friend, observing Troy's destructive path with concern and ultimately a quiet resignation.
Gabriel Maxson
The Supporting
Gabriel remains in his spiritual delusion throughout the play, culminating in his symbolic attempt to open the gates of heaven for Troy.
Lyons Maxson
The Supporting
Lyons continues to pursue his music, accepting his father's complex nature while maintaining his own path.
Raynell
The Supporting
Raynell grows into a young woman, representing the future and the enduring hope within the Maxson family, despite its past traumas.
Themes & Insights
The American Dream and Racial Discrimination
The play explores how the American Dream was often out of reach for Black men like Troy in the mid-20th century due to systemic racism. Troy's bitterness comes from his thwarted baseball career; his talent was denied because of his race, as he tells Cory, saying 'the white man ain't gonna let you get nowhere.' This theme extends to his sanitation job, where he fights for a driver promotion, a position historically denied to Black employees. The 'fences' of racial discrimination stop characters from reaching their full potential, leading to disappointment and resentment, affecting their ability to pass on hope to the next generation.
“I done seen a hundred niggers play baseball better than Jackie Robinson and ain't none of them got to the big leagues. I done seen Josh Gibson hit more home runs than Babe Ruth, and ain't nobody never heard of him.”
Father-Son Conflict and Legacy
A main theme is the difficult relationship between fathers and sons, especially Troy and Cory. Troy, scarred by his abusive father and racial injustices, struggles to show love. Instead, he imposes his will on Cory, fearing he will face the same disappointments. He actively sabotages Cory's football dreams, thinking he is protecting him, but instead drives him away. This conflict highlights the generational gap and the difficulty of breaking cycles of pain. Lyons also has a strained relationship with Troy, often seeking money and approval that Troy is reluctant to give. The play asks how a father's legacy, good and bad, shapes his sons' identities and futures.
“You just like him. You got that in you. In your blood. What you gonna do with it?”
Duty vs. Desire
The conflict between duty and personal desires drives Troy. He sees his life as a constant fight to fulfill his duties as a provider, often at the cost of his own and his family's happiness. His affair with Alberta is a desperate attempt to regain a sense of youth, freedom, and personal desire he felt denied by life's hardships and his marriage. He states Rose is his 'responsibility' and 'duty,' but Alberta makes him 'feel like a man.' This theme looks at the sacrifices in marriage and family, and the destructive results when personal longing overrides commitments, leading to betrayal and heartbreak for Rose.
“I got to make it for myself. I got to go out and make my own way.”
The Nature of Love and Betrayal
Love in 'Fences' is complex, often mixed with resentment and pain. Rose's love for Troy is deep and lasting, but his betrayal with Alberta tests and breaks it. She shows her love through unwavering support and commitment to their home. Troy's love for his family is clear in his desire to provide, but his inability to express it openly and his selfish actions undermine it. The theme explores how betrayal shatters trust and redefines relationships, leaving lasting scars. Rose's decision to raise Raynell, despite her hurt, shows a profound, compassionate love that goes beyond personal grievance, while Troy's actions show how love can be twisted by personal suffering and selfishness.
“I gave eighteen years of my life to stand in the same spot with you. Don't you think I ever wanted other things? Don't you think I had dreams and hopes?”
Death and Mortality
Death is a constant presence in the play, often personified by Troy as a wrestling opponent he has beaten many times. This symbolic struggle shows Troy's defiance and his lifelong fight against forces that try to diminish him. His stories of fighting Death are a way for him to assert control and maintain his pride, even as his life falls apart. Gabriel, with his spiritual pronouncements, often speaks of heaven and judgment, further highlighting mortality. Ultimately, Troy's death ends his personal struggle and gives surviving family members a chance to reflect on his life and legacy, finding closure, especially through Gabriel's final, symbolic trumpet call.
“Death ain't nothing but a fastball on the outside corner.”
Plot Devices & Literary Techniques
The Fence
A physical object symbolizing boundaries, protection, and confinement.
The unfinished fence around the Maxson yard serves as a central symbol and plot device. Rose wants the fence to keep her family together and safe, representing her desire for unity and protection. For Troy, however, the fence initially represents a chore he resents, and later, metaphorically, the boundaries and limitations that have confined him throughout his life – the 'fences' of racial discrimination, his responsibilities, and his past. As the play progresses, the fence also symbolizes the growing emotional walls between Troy and his family members, particularly between him and Cory, and between him and Rose after his betrayal. Its eventual completion after Troy's death suggests a complex legacy of both containment and a new kind of peace.
Baseball Metaphors
Troy's past baseball career used as a lens to understand his worldview and struggles.
Troy frequently uses baseball metaphors to articulate his life philosophy, his struggles, and his relationship with his family. His past as a talented baseball player in the Negro Leagues, whose dreams of the major leagues were thwarted by racism, profoundly shapes his cynical worldview. He sees life as a game with unfair rules, where he was 'struck out' by discrimination. He applies these metaphors to Cory's football aspirations, seeing them as another potential 'strikeout.' He even personifies 'Death' as a baseball pitcher he has battled. This device provides insight into Troy's deep-seated bitterness, his sense of injustice, and his inability to move past his own unfulfilled potential, directly influencing his interactions with his sons.
Gabriel's Trumpet
A symbolic instrument representing spiritual connection and the opening of heaven's gates.
Gabriel's trumpet is a recurring symbolic object that highlights his spiritual connection and role as a prophet-like figure. He believes he is the Archangel Gabriel, tasked with opening the gates of heaven. While his trumpet often remains silent or produces no sound, particularly when he attempts to play it at Troy's funeral, it symbolizes a spiritual longing and a connection to a higher power beyond the earthly struggles of the Maxson family. His final, wordless cry and dance at Troy's funeral, in lieu of a trumpet blast, is a powerful and poignant moment of spiritual release, suggesting that Troy's soul has found peace and the gates of heaven have indeed opened for him, despite his earthly flaws.
The Friday Ritual
A recurring scene symbolizing routine, male bonding, and the cyclical nature of life.
The Friday gin-drinking ritual between Troy and Bono in the yard is a significant plot device. It establishes the setting, the relationship between the two men, and provides a regular opportunity for Troy to voice his grievances and philosophies. This routine represents a stable, predictable element in Troy's life, a moment of male camaraderie and escape from the week's toil. However, as the play progresses and Troy's life unravels, this ritual changes. Bono's presence becomes less frequent, and Troy is often left drinking alone, highlighting his increasing isolation. The ritual's decline mirrors the breakdown of Troy's family and his own internal struggles, showing how even the most steadfast routines can be disrupted by personal choices.
Critical analysis
Notable Quotes
“Some people build fences to keep people out…and other people build fences to keep people in.”
— Bono observing Troy's motivations for building the fence.
“It's not easy for me to make a living. I got to bust my ass. And my daddy wasn't there for me. I had to pull myself up by my bootstraps.”
— Troy explaining his struggles and independent spirit to Rose.
“I planted myself inside you and waited to bloom. And it didn't take me no eighteen years to find out the soil was hard and rocky and it wasn't never gonna bloom.”
— Rose confronting Troy about his betrayal and her unfulfilled life.
“You can't change me, Rose. I'm thirty-four years old. I been on my own since I was fourteen. I done learned how to live.”
— Troy asserting his independence and resistance to change to Rose.
“How come you ain't never liked me?”
— Cory directly asking Troy why he seems to dislike him.
“I stood on the outside of it my whole life. Now I'm gonna be on the inside with you.”
— Troy expressing his desire to be part of the family and build the fence.
“Death ain't nothing but a fastball on the outside corner.”
— Troy's metaphorical and defiant view of death, drawing on his baseball past.
“You ain't never gave me nothing! You ain't never gave me nothing but a whole lot of questions!”
— Cory's angry outburst at Troy, highlighting his perceived lack of support.
“I done give you sixteen years of my life, Troy. Sixteen years I can't get back. We wasn't living in no fairytale, Troy. We was living in a real life.”
— Rose expressing her pain and the reality of their marriage after Troy's affair.
“He was a man who knew how to hold his own. You go on and be a man, Cory. You be your own man.”
— Rose's advice to Cory after Troy's death, encouraging his individuality.
“The white man ain't gonna let you get nowhere with that baseball bat. You got to go out and get yourself a education.”
— Troy's cynical view of opportunities for Black men in baseball, advising Cory to pursue education instead.
“I can't be like you, Pop. I just can't be like you.”
— Cory asserting his desire to forge his own path, separate from Troy's influence.
“You got to take the bitter with the sweet.”
— Rose offering a pragmatic view of life to Cory.
“A man got to have a house to come to. A man got to have a family. I done built this fence for you, Rose. I done built it for you.”
— Troy trying to justify his actions and the fence's purpose to Rose.
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Key Questions (FAQ)
The central conflict revolves around Troy Maxson's struggle with his past grievances and his inability to accept the changing world, particularly as it impacts his relationship with his son, Cory. Troy's bitterness over his own missed baseball career due to racial barriers leads him to sabotage Cory's dreams of playing college football, creating deep rifts within the family.
About the author
August Wilson was a celebrated American playwright, renowned for his "Pittsburgh Cycle," a ten-play series chronicling the African American experience through the 20th century. His most acclaimed works include "Fences," "The Piano Lesson," and "Gem of the Ocean," earning him numerous awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes. Wilson's powerful dramas are celebrated for their lyrical language and profound exploration of identity, culture, and history.
