The Motif of a Fence in Fences

The Motif of a Fence in August Wilson's "Fences"

In August Wilson's play, "Fences," there's this recurring theme of a fence that pops up throughout the story. You see, this fence isn’t just about wood and nails; it's got some heavy symbolism attached to it. It acts as a real boundary that reflects the splits and fights within the African American community back in the 1950s Pittsburgh. In this essay, we'll dig into how this fence motif plays out in "Fences" and what it means for the characters and their relationships. By looking at different times when fences come up in the play, we can get a better grasp of the main themes like segregation, identity, and searching for where one belongs. When you really think about it, the fence symbolizes race relations' complicated dynamics and shows how societal barriers affect people’s lives.

Troy Maxson and His Fence

One of the first times we hear about the fence is when Troy Maxson, who's pretty much our main guy here, talks with his buddy Bono about putting up a fence around his yard. Troy thinks of it as marking his territory and keeping his family safe from whatever's out there. He says something like, “You gotta take the crooked with the straight” (Wilson, 4). For him, that fence means he wants things stable and secure. He figures building this barrier will somehow protect his loved ones from life's messiness outside.

But as we keep going through the play, that simple idea of a fence gets deeper. It's not just about security anymore; it's also about all these emotional walls Troy's put up around himself that make it hard for him to really connect with others. This especially shows in his rocky relationship with his son Cory. Troy's tough-love style, shaped by his own rough upbringing in a segregated society, sort of puts an invisible wall between him and Cory. He keeps shutting down Cory’s dreams of playing college football, pushing him towards practicality instead. At one point Troy goes on about how he doesn’t want Cory turning out like him: “I don’t want him to be like me! I want him to move as far away from my life as he can get” (Wilson, 36). The metaphorical fence between father and son stands for Troy’s fears about Cory doing better than him or breaking out from society’s chains.

The Fence in Rose's World

The whole fence thing also rings true in Troy’s marriage with Rose. Rose is often seen taking care of her garden that's set apart by this white picket fence. That little enclosure is her symbol for wanting peace and harmony at home. She figures tending her garden will create some kind of oasis amid their household chaos. But then things go south when Troy has an affair and another woman gets pregnant. That betrayal? It's like tearing down Rose's mental fence—wrecking all that stability and trust she thought she had going on at home. In one heart-wrenching scene Rose tells Troy off: “You take and... you build a fence around me and you know I'm the one that's supposed to take care of you” (Wilson, 64). That white picket now stands more for broken dreams than anything else.

Breaking Down Fences: Conclusion

The motif of fences in "Fences" isn’t just some backdrop—it’s a strong symbol running through everything from segregation issues to identity crises and searching for belongingness during those racially tense years in America’s past history books (no kidding!). The physical-and-metaphorical walls separate characters while highlighting racial divides within communities during those times long ago but not forgotten yet today either because folks still face similar struggles sometimes even nowadays too sadly enough unfortunately sigh...

So there you have it—the tale where fences become much more than mere structures but reflective mirrors showing generational divides alongside personal battles seeking freedom over control despite hardships endured along such challenging journeys towards potential happiness finally realized hopefully someday soon perhaps maybe...

References

• Wilson, A., Fences.
• Gantt Jr., E.D., & Fischer L., (2001), On Fences: Searching Self-Identity within Social Contexts.
• Collins W.J., Segregation & Community Barriers - Historical Analysis (1997).