Introduction
August Wilson’s most prominent drama – Fences, explores the lives and relationships of the African-American Maxon family, who face many emotional and social hardships. The play’s central conflict revolves around the struggle for justice in the 1950s and the reluctance of human nature to recognize and accept social change. The protagonist manages to achieve what he desires through betrayal, but this has directly affected and worsened relationships within the family. Although the ending has a positive note, almost every protagonist would have expected the situation had developed differently. August Wilson reveals that treachery breeds an inability to trust a person in afterward life and consequently jeopardizes connections with the nearest people. Fences is a moving drama, and its setting and symbolism allow one to realize the peculiarities of human relationships by observing the complexities of the life of an ordinary African-American family.
Main body
Each of Wilson’s works depicts the efforts of the more inferior class of blacks, whether they are sanitation staffers, household employees, drivers, or convicts. Through his dramas, which span decades of the 20th century, the speechless get a voice (Turki and Hindreen 209). The plays reveal the personal turmoil that marginalized people experience because their humanity is frequently not recognized by their employers, strangers, family members, and America as a whole. While Wilson’s plays expose stories about the poorest black community, they are universal (Turki and Hindreen 211). In the Fences setting, the critical issue of racial discrimination correspondingly reflects the hardships of human nature, which is undeniably relevant. Betrayal and gain are frequent occurrences nowadays, and understanding their causes and consequences is especially important for everyone.
The central characters of the drama can be compared to the key personalities in Arthur Miller’s works. Nevertheless, Wilson’s plays are notable for their emotional seriousness and lyricism. The playwright did not desire to gloss over the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow and their impact on his protagonists’ life. The action occurs in the 1950s and relates to the tight connection between a former Negro League baseball player working as a sanitation staffer and his son, who dreams of an athletic career (Hassinger 48). The central personality of Fences is Troy Maxson, who bitterly resents his skipped opportunities. There are also several other key characters in the drama, such as Troy’s wife Rosy and his brother Gabriel. The relationship between the characters heats up as the story progresses, revealing their essence and nature.
Although Troy loves his son, he constantly feuds with him and refuses to let him accept a soccer scholarship to go to college. His primary argument is that a black man has no business being among the white population, which is racist (Wilson 22). However, Corey is a stubborn teenager with a strong desire for freedom. He insists that times have altered, and this moment can be considered a reference to the beginning of the struggle for civil rights. The relationship between father and son worsens from a lack of understanding and support, but it is only the beginning of great disappointments. The audience watches Troy and Rose’s relationship deteriorate as the play continues. The calm and loving woman experiences her husband’s betrayal and infidelity, which causes her to lose her ability to trust men.
Another essential essence in the play is Gabriel, the only brother with whom Troy has nonetheless communicated, although it is noted that he had many more siblings. He is a World War II veteran and has a metal plate on his head because of a wound he acquired during the war (Wilson 26). Because of this injury, Gabriel gets a weekly disability check, which Troy uses to buy a house for him and his family. After Gabriel leaves, Troy no longer receives the money, and he signs a paper to admit Gabriel to a psychiatric hospital (Wilson 68). Through the lens of the character, the author demonstrates the lack of human values and the pursuit of profit that constantly occurs in the modern world.
Relationships with the most immediate family can be compromised by betrayal effortlessly. Each of the characters’ attitudes changes and can no longer be exact, but their lives continue, and they need to adapt to new circumstances. Observing the Maxon family disintegrate and try to rebuild after Troy does the incomprehensible is challenging. Still, it is impossible to look away from because of the complex characters, the magnetic performances, the breathtaking dialogue, and the genuinely magnificent writing and direction. Fences is complete of symbolism as the house serves as a metaphor for family, and the fence functions as an analogy for decisions affecting the family (Ashley 23). It becomes evident to the audience that one may have all the details to complete the fence, but if there is no original purpose or steadfast commitment to the task, there will be no favorable outcomes.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the characters in the drama Fences are created to emphasize the significance of human relationships. Trust is fragile, effortless to lose, and almost incomprehensible to restore. In addition to this central theme, the author portrays the life of an African-American family trying to adapt to the conditions of the prevailing white population. The ending brings positive emotions, but one should not forget the price paid to achieve the desired.
Works Cited
Ashley, Adele Bruni. “Considering Fences: Who Can Step into Whose Shoes?.” English Journal, vol. 110, no. 3, 2021, pp. 20-26.
Hassinger, Troy. “A Quest for Furniture: Labor and Social Institutions in August Wilson’s Fences.” English Journal, vol. 108, no. 2, 2021, pp. 43-62.
Turki, Harith, and A. Hindreen. “Double Consciousness in August Wilson’s Fences.” Eurasian Journal of English Language and Literature, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 207-217.
Wilson, August. Fences. Penguin Books, 1991.