Fences written by August Wilson is a play that revolves around the conflict within an African American family that takes place in the year 1957 in Pennsylvania. The play’s title has a metaphorical meaning, and the unfinished fence the audience sees on stage symbolizes the uneasy relationship of the main character Troy and his wife Rose that gradually falls apart. Numerous conflicts depicted in Wilson’s play reflect a new side of Maxson’s family, their internal and external factors that made up the complicated nature of the characters.
In Act 1 Scene 4 several storylines cross that involves Rose and Cory, Troy and Bono, and Troy’s son Lyon. Briefly, the scene starts with the conflict between Rose and Cory about an untidy room of the son running to the football practice. It is then followed by Troy and Bono entering the house talking about the job promotion of the first one. Unexpectedly, the other son Lyon appears; however, the parents thought he was supposed to be in jail for gambling, which was entirely false.
Scene 4 takes place two weeks after the previous one, where the conflict was about Troy’s son Cory and his urge to play football. The father negatively refers to his son’s wishes, but it does not stop him from playing sports, as the audience sees in Scene 4, «go on and get your book-learning so you can work yourself up in that A&P or learn how to fix cars or build houses or something, get you a trade” (Wilson 38). In such a way, Troy disregards the possibility of his son being good at something he likes. The scene starts with Rose’s direction to clean the room, so Troy does not know about his son’s whereabouts, especially if they are connected to football.
If talking about the goals of each character in the scene Cory must be pointed out first. The boy is hiding his going out late for football, which the father does not approve of. Rose is helping him with the lies because she wants what is best for her son. Later Rose defends Cory, showing that her main goal is to be a loving mother to her sons even though it means engaging in intense arguments with her husband. Troy’s aim in the scene is to show his superiority, fueled by his getting a new position at work, “[Troy’s] gonna be the first colored driver. Ain’t got to do nothing but sit up there and read the paper like them white fellows” (Wilson 48). His disregarding attitude towards the wife and later Lyon depicts ignorance and pride; however, he forgets that he cannot treat family employees. Lyon’s return shocks the family; his only goal is to rebuild the relationship with Troy once again; thus, the father does not give in and continues to let Lyon down.
The complete opposite characters of the hero’s and different goals nobody is able to achieve in the scene create numerous conflicts in the family. However, Troy seems to be the main instigator all family members are trying to soften and find the right approach, yet his past experiences and harsh nature is what slowly destroy his relationships.
From the playwright in Act 1, Scene 4, the audience sees Troy’s real self and his unforgiving character. The reasoning behind his nature becomes apparent after the story he tells about the motherland and his father. Troy inherited his bitterness and cruelty; thus, it is unclear if he understands it. The son’s Cory, Lyon, and Gabe are shown in a different light, where they try to stand up for their life choices, like Cory’s love for football and Lyon’s for music. Rose is shown as a loving mother who wants only the best life for the kids, and all her attempts to persuade Troy to be kinder are in vain.
The audience sees the conflicts between Troy and his sons, where Lyon is softer in his attempts to reassure the father of his choices, contrary to Cory, who is more short-tempered like his dad. In another argument, Lyon calmly says, “You and I are two different people, Pop” (Wilson 21). On the other side, Rose is simultaneously sentimental in relation to his sons, thus can be bold if she is treated disrespectfully like Troy did at the beginning of a scene, when he called her and said she must come immediately upon his request, to which she said: ” I ain’t no dog ” (Wilson 46). Speaking about Troy, his language in the scene is arrogant, overbearing, and offensive at times.
The scene is public as the whole family is witnessing the conflicts in the company with Troy’s best friend Bono. All characters are aware of each other and actively engage in conversations and arguments. Not all characters are candid with each other, regarding that the scene starts with a lie, where Cory sneaks out to a game without his father knowing. Not respecting the choices Troy crushes Cory’s dreams: “Papa done went up to the school and told Coach Zellman I can’t play football no more….Told him to tell the recruiter not to come” (Wilson 60 ). However, the boys remain truthful to themselves as it shows in a later argument with Troy about their passions and reluctance to follow the father’s wishes.
Fences is a play about conflict within the family, and Act 1 Scene 4 is an excellent representation of it. The scene reveals the character’s true goals, which Troy does not approve of. It depicts the main hero’s cruel nature that does not listen to anybody, but himself and such inability to compromise is what leads to so many arguments in Maxwell’s family.
Work Cited
Wilson, Fences. 1983, Internet Archive. Web.