Project 3 M

Troy Maxson, the main character in "Fences," is a sanitation worker who believes African Americans are treated unfairly in all areas of life. He tries to shield his family from societal negativity but ends up alienating them. Despite his negative mindset, he acts out of love and protection for his loved ones. The title "Fences" symbolizes both the figurative and literal barriers Troy faces. His prejudice and actions lead to the breakdown of his family, making him a tragic character. An Exploration of Troy Maxson in Fences Greetings everyone, my name is Mason Cassidy and I am going to share an exploration of a character, Troy Maxson from the Pulitzer winning drama Fences, written in 1985 by August Wilson. Denzel Washington also produced a movie based on this drama in the year of 2016. The setting for this drama is in 1957 set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The cast of the characters are African Americans which are faced with dealing with the effects of civil rights reform. The main character is Troy Maxson, a sanitation worker who feels that he and all other African Americans at his work are being treated unfairly by not being allowed to drive a garbage truck. His attitude might be considered in a negative light since he feels African Americans are treated unfairly in all areas of their lives. Troy's outlook on life, both his present and past circumstances are affected by perceived differences in their treatment. Troy's perception spills over into all parts of his family and even his work life. His relationships with his kin perhaps can be described as strained by his point of view of life and actions he takes throughout the drama. Although the majority of the portrayal of Troy can be viewed in a negative light, he does attempt to shield his family from the negative effects of society that may affect them. While there is mainly an overriding feel of negativity in both the drama and the movie, Denzel Washington's portrayal of Troy Maxson allows moments of humor to show through his joking nature. When he is attempting to poke fun at his reactions to issues that he has faced. Character Analysis From the beginning of this drama, Wilson shows Troy's mindset and stance on an unequal treatment of African Americans in his workplace by stating, Why you got the white mens driving the colored lifting? Wilson, Act 1, Scene 1, Page 7, 17. The question proves Troy is very opinionated and is not afraid to stand up for his beliefs regardless of the potential backlash he might receive. From pushing for equal treatment for all African Americans, within the same scene, Troy lets his feelings against both of his son's life choices they have made. His son Cory is playing football for a potential scholarship. After Troy's experiences with attempting to play professional baseball did not pan out due to his skin color, he is adamantly opposed to his son playing football and demands that he prepares for his future by working in the afternoons rather than practicing for football. He does not want to consider football as a method of his son being able to have a better future simply because Troy did not have a positive experience with sports. Troy continues to talk down to his other son, Lyons, whenever he comes into the backyard claiming that Lyons is only there to see him because he needs to borrow some money. He feels Lyons is wasting his time trying to be in band rather than going and having a real job. These negative reactions can also be seen as Troy taking an active role as a protector of his family in somewhat a questionable manner. While Troy tends to have a negative mindset on the other hand he can be viewed as attempting to protect his family also. Even in the darkest moment of his relationship with his wife Rose, he physically appears to be distraught when he has to tell her that he is going to be a father with the woman he loves. Despite the fact that Troy is verbally harsh with every family member in both the screenplay and the movie, he is acting out of motivation to ensure those he cares about are taken care of. Perhaps this can all be attributed to his anger towards the unfairness of not being allowed to play baseball because of the color of his skin. Even though he had a better batting average than players who were allowed to play, Troy stated, if you could play bowl then they out have let you play. Wilson Act 1, Scene 1, Page 720. Ultimately in the end, Troy has alienated himself from his wife Rose, his brother Gabriel, and both of his sons Cory and Lyons before his death. Analysts of Figurative and Literal Fence. August Wilson's title of Fences is appropriate to illustrate both the internal and external struggles of Troy Maxson faces on a daily basis. In Hizel Kanzaki's race component in August Wilson's Fence, her statement, being torn from his own path in life, Troy has bitterly experienced that he is not a part of the society he lives in. Kanzaki, this can be constructed as Figurative Fence society has placed around Troy and prevented him from being able to achieve everything he wanted to achieve in his lifetime. Another example of Figurative Fence within Troy's life is when he states, you can't find a better woman than Rose, I know that, but it seems like this woman just stuck on me where I can't shake her loose, Wilson Act 2, Scene 1. In this portion of the text, Troy has once again been put behind a Figurative Fence, even though it was his own actions that made it happen. Furthermore, another example of Figurative Fence could be when Troy is attempting to insult death by saying, anytime you want, come on, I'll be ready for you, but I ain't gonna be easy, Wilson Act 2, Scene 4, Page 758. Shortly after this scene, the reader is told of Troy's death, the physical fence is built by the end of the drama. This is a way of showing that although Troy's words and his actions broke his family apart, in the end, Troy's death actually brings them all back together. Personal Reflection Troy Maxson is a contradiction throughout the drama. He has a negative outlook on life because of the prejudice he has faced both currently and in the past tens to cloud his opinion of life and how both his family's lives should be lived. Troy is a firm believer that white Americans have an advantage over African Americans in all aspects of life. While he attempts to pass this view on to his children, he ends up alienating them. He ends up treating both of his sons in a determined way to the extent that neither one of them wants to spend any more time with him than they have to. Although it is evident that Troy loves both Rose and Gabriel, when everything is done, he has betrayed both of them. In my opinion, Troy Maxson is a rather tragic character because of his own thoughts and actions. While he sets out and achieves being the first African American garbage truck driver, he ends up lost and all alone away from the people that he loves the most.