FENCES
Troy Maxson is a fifty-three-year-old African American man who works for the sanitation department by lifting garbage into trucks. He is a former baseball star who still carries the resentment of not getting the money or recognition for his talent. His complicated relationships with those closest to him are attributed to the harsh relationship with his father. He endured a lot of abuse from his father, and this draws sympathy from his viewers. For instance, he suffered physical abuse when he was beaten with leather straps and emotional torture when his father raped the girl he loved. These experiences made him cold and rigid to those closest to him, making him build metaphorical fences to keep out those he loves most.
Rose, Troy’s wife, is a loving and understanding woman who shows compassion to all characters in the film. The sacrifices she makes to maintain her family are evident in the movie. She even helps raise Raynell, a product of Troy’s infidelity. Troy uses a baseball metaphor to explain why he had an affair. Rose asks Troy and Cory to build a fence in their small backyard, showing her desire to keep her loved ones near her. Troy is uncommitted to building the fence, similar to his relationship with his wife.
Tory’s parenting style towards Cory is harsh, much like that of Troy’s father. His efforts to teach Cory about the importance of responsibility are futile due to his unconventional parenting style and inadequate means of communication. Cory has his eye on playing football with hopes of getting a scholarship, much to the disapproval of his father, who believes he should play football only as a hobby and instead work. This can be attributed to the lost dreams of Tory’s baseball career and is a way of him protecting his son. Cory’s efforts to try and connect with his father is always met with hostility, with Troy occasionally using baseball metaphors to explain his son’s failures. This destroys the relationship between the two to the point Cory does not want to attend his father’s funeral.
Troy’s relationship with his oldest son Lyons is strained due to their difference in opinion on life. Troy, on the one hand, was brought up in an era where African Americans were mistreated as compared to other races while Lyons is growing up in an age where African Americans receive more opportunities politically, socially, and economically. To worsen the situation, Lyons is a struggling musician whose music awards him a sense of belonging. His father continually ridicules him, destroying their relationship.
As mentioned earlier, Raynell is Troy’s illegitimate child with Alberta. She is the only child who will grow up without the harsh rules of her father. In one scene, she is seen planting seeds in the once barren backyard, symbolic of hope for the future.
Gabriel is Troy’s brother, who was a soldier in world war two. He receives checks from the government for his services and head injury during the war that helps Troy afford the purchase of their home. Troy ends up betraying Gabriel by having him committed to an asylum.
As Troy destroys the relationships he has with his family, Bono, his best friend, is always in support of him. Bono admires Troy’s leadership and views on responsibility and is always entertained by Troy’s stories about the devil, which Troy uses as a metaphor for death. This, however, changes when Bono finds out about Troy’s infidelity. He tries to caution Troy to no avail. When Bono realizes Troy will not change, he becomes distant and eventually stops being friends.
Overall, Troy built a metaphorical fence with the people he was closest to. He managed to destroy these relationships due to his rigid nature. He lost his sons due to his controlling nature, his wife, due to his selfish need to escape responsibility and his best friend due to his hurtful ways. As Bono said, “Some people build fences to keep people out, and other people build fences to keep people in.” Troy managed to keep everyone out.