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Fences: Troy's Uncontrollable Problems

Summary:   In Fences, by August Wilson, protagonist Troy cannot control his life and those around him. Examples cited and discussed include his baseball career, his family life, and racial issues such as prejudice and segregation.

(TS) Throughout the play, Troy faces problems that are not only self-created but also some problems that he simply cannot control. (CD1) "There ought not never have been no time too early." Pg. 9, Act I, scene I. (CM1-1) Here you can see how upset Troy was that he never got into the majors, but he should have because he was such a good player but never got the chance to show his talents. (CM2-1) Troy lived in a time where there were many racists in baseball, the Negro Leagues and the majors were kept segregated for many years, but there wasn't anything Troy could do to prove to the white racist people that he was better than many of the white MLB players and he should have gotten a chance. (CD2) The fact that he was forced out of the Negro leagues and into a regular paying job was also out of his control. (CM1-2) Troy was not earning nearly enough money in the Negro Leagues to provide for his family, so he was forced to take another job, and he became a sanitation man. (CM2-2) He really had no other choices, he was not very well educated and he was trying to make it in a world of racist people, so he was sent to the bottom of the heap of the garbage collectors, he couldn't even become a driver. (CD3) "I ain't worried about them firing me...they wanna come up with this pack of lies." Pg. 2, Act I, scene I. (CM1-3) When Troy made his complaint against the sanitation company he made that decision all on his own and whatever came out of it, weather he be fired or he be promoted, would ultimately be because of what he said to his boss and the complaint that he filed with the union. (CS) Tory's problems were brought on by his actions; going against segregation in the work force, and his problems were also out of his control; for instance him not getting signed to play for a major league team; in both instances it did create a problem for Troy.

(TS) The title Fences was very significant and it meant different things to different characters in the play, for instance the fence meant something different for Troy than it did for Rose, and the only one to realize the differences was Bono.

(CD1) "What you worried about ...woman." Pg. 5, Act I, scene I. (CM1-1) This quote shows how Troy is shutting out his family, not only does he not want Rose to hear about Alberta but he also doesn't want to be around his wife anymore. (CM2-1) This also shows what the fence means to Troy, Troy is building the fence to keep people out just like he is shutting of his family from himself. (CD2) "Some people build fences to keep people out...and other people build fences to keep people in...she loves you." Pg. 61, Act II, scene I. (CM1-2) Here we can see that Bono realizes that the fence is being built to serve two different purposes by two different people. (CM2-2) Troy is building the Fence to keep people out, but Rose wants the fence built because she wants to keep her family together all under one roof, she doesn't want anyone to leave her. (CM3-2) Rose grew up in a family that wanted to block themselves away from everything including each other, and Rose doesn't want to see her family live like her family did when she was a child. (CD3) The symbol of fences also reaches beyond the interpretations of Rose and Troy, fences extends to legal boundaries as well. (CM1-3) Before the book's setting fences could be described as the split between the northern (free) and the southern (slave) sates, each had different views and each side wanted their view to prevail over the other sides' view. (CM2-3) During the books setting the word fences could also be described as the boundaries between blacks and whites, this is most easily seen in baseball and in Troy's current job, the segregation of blacks and whites. (CS) The term fences throughout the book refers to any kinds of boundaries set up that serve as a block against something else; Troy and the outside world, Rose and keeping the family together, and the segregation of blacks and whites in the community.