Spirituality & Religion in August Wilson’s Fences Essay Example

souls to the gate of heaven, exemplifies this dedication to hope and spiritual grounding, and personifies the undertone of spiritual themes in modern Black literature collectively, even today. Thesis: Spirituality or religion, deeply rooted in Black culture, is often highlighted in literature to juxtapose the moral dilemmas of challenging or complex circumstances with the real human behaviors and interactions that result from the prescribed problem.

A line is drawn between what is perceived as “right”, and what actually happened, and brought fourth for the audience to examine based on their own systems of beliefs. The religious signifying and imagery act as an anchor in the story to give depth and realism to the characters, and to invoke compassion, apathy, or disdain for an intended purpose, person or situation as it relates to the framework of the message or overall theme of the story.

A central moral dilemma is attributed to the Maxons through the questions posed by their actions vs. intentions in pursuit of the American Dream, and their idea of family unity. Traditionally, characters that are portrayed as having a weak moral compass or disregard for religious tradition usually face a reckoning, while other characters are involved in resolution and progressive change that make the story come full circle in the eyes of the audience.

In this story, the truth is relative, and right and wrong are posed subjectively for the audience to consider. The reader asserts that the religious overtone in the final scene of “Fences”, makes a statement of elevation from human struggles and shatters our biased and flawed perceptions by closing with Gabriel’s described “slow, strange, eerie, and

life-giving dance” (p. 1353). His triumphant gesture is a necessary device to connect to the reader to the core of Black experience.