Fences by August Wilson - Research Paper Example

Development of a theme using symbols A theme is the central idea of a play, story, or any other work that a person presents. It is what a reader infers from a story. A theme is tremendously noteworthy since it explains the main role of a certain presentation. It brings out the main role of a presentation in a lucid manner. The author has made use of symbolism to develop various themes in the paper (Anderson 18). This makes the process of communicating discrimination easy for him to bring out the issue of discrimination clearly in the United States. The author ensures that the audience comprehend various issues, which involve discrimination, through the means of theme development. He introduces the audience to the theme of being unsatisfied. The author develops this theme through the use of symbolism where he talks about sports. He clearly shows how Troy does not appreciate his achievements. The use of symbolism to elaborate on various themes has been tremendously effective in the play (Wilson 34). August Wilson created the play fences in the year 1965 as one of his dramas for the 20th century investigation of the evolution of black people. The author has sufficiently made use of symbolism to tell the life of Troy and his family. Fences by August Wilson are a play that revolves around building a fence in their backyard. It also concerns a metaphorical fence. Troy Maxson who acts as the protagonist of Fences is displaying a strong and hard character. Troy has lived his life in America where being a black; one had to face various pressures that would even crush one’s body and soul. In the beginning on the play, there is the use of foreshadowing and conflict that one can attribute to his belief that he has failed in life. This also explains that the world did not give him what he deserved (Anderson 34). Troy believes that he has to go outside to seek refuge. He uses the introduction of the drama to reinforce the plight of African American as a method of preparing the audience. This enables the audience to view the drama based on economic and social conditions of the African American in the 1950s. The natives look upon these people as inferior people and rank them low as immigrants who come to America to find a better life. Many of the African American had migrated to the North which instead of welcoming them, pushed them aside. It is this life that Wilson intends the audience to comprehend through this play (Shanon 17). He makes a clear introduction of the fence to act as a symbol on various levels, which comprise of, both individual and societal levels. When the audience settle down, he drives them into a happy life that Troy Maxon leads before he makes it clear that he felt a failure. He makes use of the first symbol which displays the difference between the white and the black people. Troy makes a particularly critical question as to why the black never drive the trash trucks. Most of his co-workers find themselves in astonishment and think that he might be fired (Wilson 34). The audience at the end of the play realizes the significant step that Troy makes for the African American. The author brings out the theme of not being appreciated and contented when Troy is not satisfied with his achievement. He still thinks that it is not enough. The author has used this theme throughout all the symbols in the play. This plays a tremendously critical role in ensuring that the play is effective. The use of themes and symbolism is critical during the performance of the play since it makes the audience comprehend vital aspects easily (Moneyhun 24). The author uses the second symbol when he talks about sports and individual dreams of the future. Troy had been a particularly critical and serious player of baseball until he attained an age of 40 years. A problem arises when the management of the professional baseball league overlooks Troy due to his age. This smashed his dreams of playing for the professional white league (Shanon 45). This leaves Troy having nothing to show for years he had faithfully followed the game. This frustrates him a lot, and he felt being inferior since he did not make it for the big leagues. This defeat in career frustrated him, and he felt defeated mentally. Since then, he views his family and life as a failure and wanted to escape from them (Moneyhun 56). The fact that he felt he owed them a responsibility is what keeps him from escaping. Troy extends the feeling of failure to his relationship with Cory. Troy refuses to accept the fact that Cory is an excellent football player. He deters Cory to succeed where he failed. This is evident where Troy refuses his son to go to college on a football scholarship that he wins (Pereira 67). The praise and love that Troy speaks about his wife Rose is contradicting. This acts as a symbol of hypocrisy in Troy. Troy states that there is no better woman than Rose and that she is the best thing that has ever happened in his life. A problem arises after Troy’s friend Bono brings up his interest in Alberta. Troy cannot deny his interest in Alberta and instead asks Bono questions. He continues with this avoidance until he tells Rose that he made Alberta pregnant (Wilson 47). Rose is a strong African American woman since he puts her soul and life into Troy. She does not mind the fact that Troy has sought companionship in another person. Troy explains the affair as a way of ignoring various responsibilities of his failed life. This makes Rose feel frustrated since Troy does not consider her wants or needs. Despite the fact that Troy marries Rose, she continues to see Alberta with Rose’s knowledge. We find Rose picking up a call when Alberta dies when giving birth. Troy brings the child home and requests Rose to raise her. Since Rose is a strong woman, she accepts to raise the child but declares Troy as a womanless man. Rose is reasonable since she argues that the child has no mistake and will never show her animosity or jealousy. Rose assures Troy of no responsibility on the child but will have responsibility of Rose, Lyons, and Cory (Moneyhun 87). This leads to the development of the theme of lack of satisfaction. It is evident that Troy is not satisfied with his achievements in life. He has a dutiful wife and family and still cannot appreciate them. We find Troy going for Alberta and finally make her pregnant. This is despite his description of Rose that she is the best in the world. The author has ensured that he clearly develops the theme through this series of actions which concerns family life (Anderson 98). One finds out that the fence and baseball are intrinsic during the explanation of life of Troy. This is because the fence is a representation of Troy’s affair long before the family comes to know it. We find that Rose had made a request for a fence which symbolically meant to hold her family together (Shanon 41). The fact that Troy never did anything on the fence is a lucid indication that he did not love Rose but only felt a responsibility to her. The fence is a particularly vital symbol that the author has used in the play since it indicates Troy’s acceptance of his life as a failure. It extremely contributes to the development of the theme in the play since the audience use the symbol to understand the intended plot of the play. The symbol of the fence has been tremendously effective since they bring about the fact that Troy is unhappy with his life and felt that he is a failure. He takes failure to those he owed a responsibility. These include Rose and Cory. He felt no responsibility to Lyons and hence their relationship was better (Moneyhun 103). The story looks into the minds of the African Americans of 1950s and not a story of a life that people perceive as a failure. The use of symbolism has been singularly effective towards development of the main theme of the play. Symbolism has prepared the audience with the possible outcomes that will happen in the play. One assesses and determines what will happen in the near future (Wilson 54). The use of symbolism clearly describes the life of Troy and enables the audience to comprehend the life the African American of 1950s. The audience understands this life that they led through analysing their behaviours and thoughts. We find that where Troy failed, he cannot let his son Cory succeeds (Shanon 59). We find him to be denying Cory a chance to advance his education through a scholarship program that he wins through sports association. Troy feels that where he failed, his son cannot succeed and hence he is entirely jealous of Cory’s achievements. Work cited Wilson, August. Fences by August Wilson. New Mexico Repertory Theatre Shanon, Sandra. August Wilsons Fences: A Reference Guide. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003 Moneyhun, Clyde. Themes: A Prentice Hall Pocket Reader. Pearson Education, Limited, 2006 Anderson, Laurie. Speak. Speak, 2001 Pereira, Kim. August Wilson and the African-American Odyssey. University of Illinois Press, 1995. Print. Read More