Week 15

"Fences"
By: August Wilson

The setting takes place in the front yard of Troy Maxson's house.  The family is a blended family with Troy's wife Rose, son Cory, who is still in the house, Lyons, Troy's oldest son from a previous marriage, Bono who is Troy's friend and Gabriel, Troy's brother.  Troy has lived a hard life and never seemed like her was truly happy.  He feels like being black held him back from succeeding in life.

Troy as a child life home at the age of fourteen and ended up in prison trying to support his first wife and son.  He spend fifteen years in prison where he meet his friend Bono.  After he got out he meet Rose and they got married and had a son.  Troy would not let his son Cory play football when he found out a recruiter wanted to come and look at him.  He thought it would be a waste of time for Cory because he was black.  Troy always thought he would be a great baseball player, but didn't try because he thought white people wouldn't give him a chance because he was black.  Troy was building his wife a fence around his yard and wondered why she wanted the fence.  Bono suggested that so people built fences to keep people out and others built them to keep people in.  With Troy being the looker he was I wonder wish one it was.

Troy ended up having an affair on his wife of eighteen years and fathered a daughter, Raynell, with another women.  The woman died during childbirth and Rose raised the girl as her own, but never really forgave Troy for what he did.  Not long after Raynell was born Troy and Cory got into a fight and Troy kicked him out. At this time Cory was only seventeen.  Cory didn't return home until seven years later for his father's funeral.  During the years he was gone Cory became a officer in the Marines and made something of his life.

To me Troy thought that he could do whatever he wanted and people was suppose to except his decision and I thought he was very selfish.  He thought his wife was suppose to be okay with him having a child with another woman.  He didn't want his son to play ball because he thought he should have been able to play but he didn't even try.  After all that I couldn't believe his wife stayed with him till he died.