Introduction
It is hard to disagree that different historical and cultural contexts in literary works allow for a better understanding of the meanings and plots implied by the authors. Therefore, those readers who are acquainted with the civil rights movement, World War II events, and other impactful processes in U.S. history, as well as people’s attitudes and behaviors in specific time periods, can receive valuable insights into plays. Fences, a 1985 drama play by August Wilson, is set in the 1950s, and one of the social processes it focuses on is racial segregation. The purpose of this topic is to explore this systematic separation of individuals based on their skin color and then discuss how this knowledge helps understand Wilson’s play better.
Exploring the Topic of Racial Segregation Deeper
To begin with, it is essential to define segregation and mention the key characteristics of this social process. According to researchers, racial segregation is a demonstrated and purposeful separation of individuals into groups based on their skin color or other ethnic features (Bones & Mathew, 2020). Before the civil rights, “regarded by many as second-class citizens, blacks were separated from whites by law and by private action in transportation, public accommodations, recreational facilities, prisons, armed forces, and schools in both Northern and Southern states” (The Library of Congress, n.d., para. 1). Interestingly, Jenkins (2019) states that “whenever the government recognized, certified, protected, tolerated, supported, or ignored discriminatory practices … it effectively produced and reproduced racial segregation” (p. 169). This is one of the key moments to know about this social process – it was promoted not only by citizens but also by the U.S. authorities.
The main characteristic of segregation is inequality faced by racial minorities. While it may be stated that all ethnic groups receive the same treatment, resources, and access to social benefits, African Americans experienced severe discrimination (Rosemblatt, 2018). They were considered ‘unworthy’ of fair and welcoming attitudes, and even when they managed to receive what was always available for the Whites, they never felt accepted or equal. Noticeably, those cases when discrimination was somehow reduced or eliminated were perceived quite negatively by most White citizens. As stated by Bones and Mathew (2020), “the longstanding racial segregation of American neighborhoods leads Whites to see integration as a threat to their social standing, as well as a visible decline in their own status” (p. 6). This is another interesting feature of racial segregation and a reason for its strength.
As a result of this process, White and Black Americans had to attend different schools, shops, and events and be separated in all other ways possible. There were specific professions and vacancies for White persons and others for African Americans, and sometimes such rules were only implied, not indicated officially (Rosemblatt, 2018). As a result, Black persons rarely strived for more than they had, considered White Americans to be more authorized and knowledgeable, and their attempts to reduce segregation levels in the 1940s-1950s were met with hostile reactions (Bones & Mathew, 2020). Even when the government made certain attempts to address discrimination and add more equality to the citizens’ everyday lives, it took African Americans much more years than expected to feel more welcomed, accepted, and eligible.
Relating the Context to the Play
The outlined characteristics and the role of segregation in the 1950s allow understanding the play better. In Fences, Wilson (1985) depicts his characters facing inequalities and discrimination and being unable to do anything with such segregation seen in all levels of life. These societal attitudes have become an integral part of fifty-three-year-old Troy’s vision, and the information explored earlier in the paper can help readers understand why this has happened to the man. For example, when discussing sports with his son, Troy says that African Americans have to put in much more effort than Whites and also resents: “They got colored on the team and don’t use them. Same as not having them. All them teams the same” (Wilson, 1985, p. 37). This situation shows the first attempts of the society and government to make the ethnic groups co-exist, but the resistance from people, including older Blacks, is still strong.
Further, Troy also indicates some unspoken differences between the Whites’ and the Blacks’ opportunities, showing that hierarchies exist everywhere. Troy is a garbage collector, and in his company, only White workers can drive trucks, and the work of Blacks is to lift the garbage (Wilson, 1985, p. 5). This minor inequality once again proves the power of segregation that managed to enter even the least wanted profession. Finally, to demonstrate how people perceived such separation as non-changing, it is possible to provide an example of Bono and his wife living in awful conditions for years. Bono exclaims: “To this day I wonder why in the hell I ever stayed down there for six long years. But see, I didn’t know I could do no better. I thought only white folks had inside toilets and things” (Wilson, 1985, p. 10). This situation can be understood better knowing that African Americans got used to experiencing inequalities, and even when it was possible to receive more, this fact never occurred to many of them.
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, one may say that contextual information actually makes it easier to understand the events and behaviors described in literary works. Without knowing the characteristics of racial segregation in the U.S. before civil rights, readers may be confused by the actions and attitudes of the characters in Fences. Precisely the behavior of Whites and the inability to change anything shaped Troy’s and other characters’ vision and resulted in the events described in the play.
References
Bones, P., & Mathew, S. (2020). The power (threat) of white women: A content analysis of gender, race, and context in police calls on racial minorities in America. Journal of Liberal Arts and Humanities, 1(7), 1-11.
Jenkins, D. (2019). Who segregated America? In S. Marcus & C. Zaloom (Eds.), Think in public (pp. 169-178). Columbia University Press.
The Library of Congress. (n.d.). Brown v. Board at Fifty: “With an Even Hand”: A Century of Racial Segregation, 1849–1950. Web.
Rosemblatt, K. A. (2018). The science and politics of race in Mexico and the United States, 1910–1950. UNC Press Books.
Wilson, A. (1985). Fences. Internet Archive. Web.