Fences, by August Wilson (Story Map)

Information Technology High School
Ms. Hyde
English E5
January 2, 2008
Marya Altaf

Fences, by August Wilson

Characters & Characterization: Protagonist: Troy Maxson

Troy Maxson: Protagonist
The main character of this play is Troy Maxson. He is a fifty three years old man who is the husband of Rose and the father Cory, Lyons and Raynell. Lyons is the son of Troy, and the woman Troy met before he met Rose. Raynell is the daughter of Troy and Alberta, the woman Troy had an affair with after Rose. After giving birth to Raynell Alberta died. Then Rose took care of Raynell because Rose thinks that she has nothing to do with Troy’s past sins. In this play Troy’s best friend is Jim Bono. Both Troy and Bono met in jail. Bono is influenced by Troy and admires him a lot. Both Troy and Bono work at sanitation. At the sanitation Troy and Bono lift garbage into trucks. But Troy doesn’t want that, he wants to drive the truck just like the white men. So, during this play Troy fights for driving the truck instead of lifting garbage, which he eventually wins in the middle of the play. Gabriel is Troy’s brother. Gabriel was a soldier in a war and faced a head injury. Troy is a strong man who tries to keep his family happy. But sometimes it doesn’t workout. Troy’s first son Lyons doesn’t live with Troy, but he lives with his girlfriend Bonnie. He has a hard time finding a job. Cory lives with Troy and Rose. Both Troy and Cory once come into an argument about Cory leaving the football team. Cory wants to continue playing football but Troy doesn’t want him to. The one time both Troy and Cory get into a physical fight was when Troy didn’t let go of Rose’s hand, when they both were having an argument about Troy’s affair with Alberta. Rose also wants to keep her family together and hold on to her family by building a fence around the house.

Setting:
The setting of this play takes place in the year 1957 to 1965. The setting mostly takes place in Troy’s house and yard. The beginning of the play takes place on a Friday in the night. Another setting can be from the quote on page 90 in act two, “The time is 1965. The lights come up in the yard. It is the morning of Troy’s funeral. A funeral plaque with a light hangs beside the door. There is a small garden plot off to the side.” The quote reveals a setting that takes place in 1965. The setting in this quote is in a yard and a small garden. The main point of this setting is about the main character Troy Maxson and his funeral.

Vocabulary:

1- Vigilant- Ever awake and alert; sleeplessly watchful.
2- Atavistic- reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type.
3- Eerie- uncanny, so as to inspire superstitious fear; weird.
4- Penitentiary- a place for imprisonment, reformatory discipline, or punishment.
5- Sterilize: to destroy microorganisms in or on, usually by bringing to a high temperature with steam, dry heat, or boiling liquid.

Plot: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Conclusion/Resolution:

Fences, by August Wilson talks about a black African American family and the way they endure with life. Troy Maxson is married to a woman named Rose. Troy is fifty three years old and Rose is forty three. Troy’s children’s names are Cory, Lyons and Raynell. Cory is Troy’s and Rose’s son. Lyons is the son of Troy and the woman he met before rose. Raynell is the daughter of Troy and Alberta. Alberta is the woman Troy had an affair with after Rose. Alberta died after giving birth to Raynell. Troy’s son Cory plays football in high school, and wants to continue playing. On the other hand Troy doesn’t want him to continue playing, but instead he wants him to find a job and work. Troy gets into an argument with Cory. Troy and his best friend Bono work at sanitation. Both characters have to lift garbage. However Troy doesn’t like that. He wants to drive the truck just like the white people. The rising action for this play is when Troy is about to tell Rose that he is going to be a father and that he had an affair with a woman named Alberta. Rose’s character seems to be very shocked at this point. The Climax is when Troy tells Rose about his affair and when they are having an argument. It’s a very attention-grabbing moment for the reader because the reader wants to see the reaction of the characters.

The falling action occurs after Troy tells Rose about him becoming a father and about his affair with Alberta. Troy and Rose create a big argument. Troy tries to tell Rose that he just needs some of his own time and that he happens to find this time with Alberta. Troy becomes very angry at Rose because she doesn’t seem to understand him. Troy grabs her arm and starts to hurt her. Later Cory comes out to the yard to help his mother, he for the first time gets involved in a physical fight with his father. The ending is very dramatic. Troy Maxson the main character dies in act two and the last scene, scene five. He dies in the year 1965. Raynell is older and the family reunites on the day of his funeral. The play ends with Toy’s brother Gabriel telling Rose that its time to tell “St. Peter” to open the gates, and he talks to Troy’s dead body and asks him if he’s ready.


“Quotes”:

“The whole time I was growing up… living in his house… papa was like a shadow that followed you everywhere. It weighed on you and sunk into your flesh.”
PAGE: 96, Act 2 Scene five

The speaker of this quote is Cory. Cory is Troy’s and Rose’s son. This quote takes place at Troy’s funeral. Cory finally comes back after a long time and reunites with his family. Later on in the day, Cory tells Rose that he doesn’t want to attend Troy’s funeral. He tells her that Troy was a huge weight on Cory. Cory felt like he couldn’t do anything when Troy was around. In this quote, Cory is trying to say that in order to get the “heavy weight” of Troy off him; he will not attend his funeral. In this quote Cory describes Troy as a shadow that follows him around everywhere. Cory says that Troy followed him around all his life.


“Them feet and bones! That pumping heart, nigger! I give you more than anybody else is ever gonna give you.”
PAGE: 86, Act 2 Scene four

The speaker of this quote is Troy. At this point Troy is referring to Cory. Both Troy and Cory are having an argument. Cory tells Troy that he has done nothing for him and that he never gave anything to him. Troy than becomes angry and tells Cory that he gave him a life. Troy tries to tell Cory that he took care of Cory and that’s a big thing he ever gave to him that no one else ever can give. Cory tells Troy that he never did anything for him.


Conflicts: External, internal

An external conflict in this play can be when Troy Maxson the main character has an argument with everyone in his family. Troy gets into an argument with his wife Rose about him having an affair with another woman. He tells her that she doesn’t seem to understand him. He wants some of his own time and Alberta, the woman he had an affair with gives him that time. Rose becomes angry and argues about his affair with another woman. Cory and Troy also have an argument. Cory tells Troy that he never really gave in anything and also has never done anything for him. Troy argues with Cory saying that he has given him so much that nobody has ever given him. This argument leads Cory into leaving his house and finding another place to live in. An internal conflict can be when Cory doesn’t want to attend his father’s funeral. He thinks that the way to take his fathers shadow away from him, is not attending his funeral. This is a big conflict for his mother Rose. She wants Cory to attend Troy’s funeral.


Themes:
“The perspective of life varies from person to person”

This theme relates to the play in many ways. Each and every character in the play has a different point of view about life. Each character looks at life at a different point. The main character Troy Maxson thinks life is like a baseball game. He wants his children to work hard for the future. Since he couldn’t do things, racism didn’t allow him to do; he doesn’t allow his children do those things. His son Cory wants to play football and continue playing. But Troy doesn’t allow him to. Cory tells his father that he’s a capable player. But troy just wants him to work. Troy also has another son named Lyons. Lyons view of life is all about music. He once told his father that he views life at a very different point. Lyons works for a jazz. Troy’s wife Rose wants to build a fence all around the house. She wants to keep everyone in her family together. She thinks that a fence around her house will do that. Troy has a brother named Gabriel. Gabriel was once a soldier in a war and got a head injury. He believes that he is not a person but an angel who open gates for heaven. All characters have a different perspective of life.


“Following a dream can change lives”

Many characters in this play have their own dreams. For example Troy Maxson, he always wanted to play baseball but never could’ve because blacks weren’t allowed to play at that time. But even though Troy didn’t play baseball, I think he still never gave up hope. Troy and his best friend Bono worked at sanitation. They had to lift garbage as a job. Troy wasn’t too happy about his job. He wanted to drive the truck just like the white workers. He never gave up until he got to drive the truck. Cory had a different dream. He wanted to play football. But his father never let him. I think that Cory’s life would have been very different if he followed his dream.


Literary Elements:

Personification-
“Death standing there at me… carrying that sickle in his hand.”
This quote form act 1, page 11 represents personification. This quote say’s that death can stand and carry something. Death cannot stand nor carry a sickle in its hand, so it simply would be a personification.

Metaphor-
Troy thinks that life is like a baseball game. He thinks that there are three strikes in life. This is a metaphor because Troy refers life to a baseball game. Troy basically represents life as a baseball game.

Genre-
Fences is a play written by August Wilson. This is a drama about a black African American family who faces life in various ways.


Annotated Bibliography:

August, Wilson Fences, New York Penguin Group, 1986

Fences by August Wilson mainly talks about a black African American family who struggle throughout many things in life. August Wilson won the Pulitzer Prize for this drama. This play is set in the 1950’s. Fences is the second play Wilson had written. Wilson had became a Playwright during this play. Fences talks about a man who often fails to keeping his family happy and together. In this family each character wants to do something different in life. Troy Maxson is the main character for this play. He is the husband of Rose and the father of Cory, Lyons and Raynell. Troy Maxson deals with many situations in life.