When the play or another literary work wins a prize, it means that its message deserves attention and recognition. In 1985, August Wilson created a play, Fences, and described the life of a Black American family in a world full of white prejudices and judgments. Despite the intention to create a fair and just society, it is hard for black people to prove their rights and enjoy their civil freedoms. Troy’s family is not perfect because of certain internal and external factors, but Fences teaches how social inequality changes human lives and serves the racially-biased politics.
Wilson underlined that his play is a chance for the reader to look at black Americans differently and try to understand their decisions, problems, and attempts. On the one hand, Troy is a husband and a father who believes, “It’s my job. It’s my responsibility… A man got to take care of his family” (Wilson, n.d., p. 41). His skin color does not reduce the level of his obligation but increases the necessity of protection and care. On the other hand, Troy defines his race as the major reason for his failures and explains, “I just wasn’t the right color” (Wilson, n.d., p. 42). The father does not support his son and loses his wife’s love because of racial fears. White politics is depicted in Troy as a controversial character who knows that “life don’t own you nothing” but never tries to change that “you just another nigger on the street” (Wilson, n.d., pp. 21, 90). Society and racial discrimination provoke emotional and physical disagreements in Black families, destroying them from the inside, and nothing can be done to improve or protect young generations.
Wilson’s statement about politically-determined art is evident in his Fences through the main character’s life and the decisions made within the family. Instead of fighting against injustice and poor opportunities, some people prefer to build fences without understanding their initial goals. It is hard to accept Troy as a positive or negative character, but his damage by the political system is evident as he dies as a womanless and sonless Black man.
Reference
Wilson, A. (n.d.). Fences. Internet Archive. Web.