The Play Fences by August Wilson Essay Example
The Play Fences by August Wilson Essay Example

The Play Fences by August Wilson Essay Example

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  • Pages: 5 (1118 words)
  • Published: November 25, 2021
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In life, there are many tough things that are hard to explain in human life. As a result, they force people to use metaphor in their speech. Regardless of it being comparing love with a rose, a woman comparing a man to a dog, most of the human being use this device in their day to day life events. However, August Wilson, the author of the play by the name ‘Fences’ elaborates the use of metaphor in writing both the literal and the figurative terms. All these writing forms are employed in the play to help people analyze and understand the characters and theme much better. This paper will drive to analyze how fathers influence their sibling’s ability to be protectors, providers, and leaders the society in the future.

Qualities and Flaws as evidenced in the play Fences by August Wilson, T

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roy is characterized as a fearless, unfaithful and responsible husband as well a controlling father. As a matter of fact, he is uncaring to his wife Rose, his son Cory and his bloody brother Gabriel. Troy has both good and bad qualities as a father and husband. The negative qualities are more protruded in his life than the positive qualities (Huebner, Angela &Laurie 76). However, he is more responsible to his family.

Freud’s thinking summarizes the Oedipus complex relationship which leads to revival, an impasse that causes resolution with a hope of giving the young man a chance of giving his desire to his mother with the fear of getting castrated by his father. Consequently, this pumps a question to human; what is the relationship between hate and love in Tom males? As a result, these

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impacts theoretical questions to the society what do father teach to their sons? According to the play Fence by August Wilson, this is well answered by the relationship between Troy and his son Cory. A father can be a leader, provider as well as a protector to his son.
As argued by Chapman, the role of being a father is a hard and a difficult task when raising a son (259). In an ideal situation, a father is responsible for setting rules while the son is responsible for following the rules set by his father. However, this kind of leadership leads to unhealthy relationship between father and the son because the father has some expectations from his son.

For instance; in the play Fence by August Wilson, Troy is an example of a father who does not deserve and difficult to earn respect from his son Cory. Under this situation, Troy can’t be a role model to his son because of his disgusting behaviors. He uses baseball to show courage in the society as a metaphor (Astone 318). He protects himself to end what he is doing and does what he wants in the play court. As a result, the entire people within the court warn him about the behaviors. However, he does not care about the compact majority decision about him. He goes on with what he thinks is right. As a father, this has a negative impact to your son. His relationship with his son portrays how he misses some marks. His son Cory is over excited because he is chosen for a college scholarship. Likewise his father, troy was addicted to games although the

greatest disappointment is in Troy’s life is the fact his son was not given an opportunity to play baseball like he did. This is a fact that he influences his son to be a protector.

Notably, most of the African American fathers are involved in the parental care of their sons regardless of their social-economic status, residential, relationship with their mothers unlike the white fathers. Most of the African American fathers provides to their sons showing how responsible they are in lives of their siblings regardless of the relationship between them with their mothers (Leon 20). This intervenes that African Americans mostly provide, protect and lead their siblings to success unlike Troy who fights with his bloody son at the climax point of the play when tension is exploded between Cory and his father. The two goes to each other with a bat. Troy loses his son forever although he wins the fight. This show how troy sarcastically provides protection to his son unlike the American culture and norms.

In the power of leadership, this is the last part played by fathers in the lives of their children. Fathers should monitor the activities undertaken by their sons in their daily activities (Leon 23). For example; listening to music, watching TVs, doing homework, exposure activities, and friend and sons whereabouts. For instance, troy is much concerned with the game his son plays at school. He is more hurtled when his son is denied an opportunity to play baseball.

Additionally, troy proves to be a leader when everyone tries to make him understand that time has changed and his son should have a better chance. His wife and Cory friends,

surrounding him tries to explain to him that change has ruled the world. Due to the protection power, he tells the group that the white men will not give him a chance to play football in the current world. Unlike Oedipus, troy did not acknowledge that time has changed and the black Americans are being valued by the white Americans. As result, troy destroys his sons dream by denying signing of the recruitment paper. Actually, this proves that fathers are leaders in daily life of their children.

As argued by Astone et al (310), the author of the play Fences (August Wilson), educates the society about the purpose of fathers taking their roles in providing, protecting and leadership role of their children. However, Troy portrays negative qualities of a father as well as husband.

In conclusion August Wilson, the author of the play ‘Fences’ proves to the society that fathers have key role in life span of their children. It is critically true that fathers are leaders, providers and give protection to their siblings. Mostly, the black American has a strong bond with their children unlike the white American. This is well evidenced between troy and his son Cory.

Work Cited

  1. Astone, Nan Marie, and Sara S. McLanahan. "Family structure, parental practices and high school completion." American sociological review (1991): 309-320.
  2. Chapman, Peter. "Who’s the Daddy now? Fathers, sons and the search for a sense of self." Psychodynamic Practice 19.3 (2013): 251-263.
  3. Huebner, Angela J., and Laurie W. Howell. "Examining the relationship between adolescent sexual risk-taking and perceptions of monitoring, communication, and parenting styles." Journal of adolescent health 33.2 (2003): 71-78.
  4. Leon, Mario Chacon, and Celia A. Harvey.

"Live fences and landscape connectivity in a neotropical agricultural landscape." Agroforestry systems 68.1 (2006): 15-26.

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