Cruelty In August Wilson's Fences

“When the sins of our fathers visit us we do not have to play host. We can banish them with forgiveness as God, in his largeness and laws.” August wilson quotes himself to start out Fences, and this quote he’s brought up embodies the play as a whole. The action in Fences is largely centered around Troy Maxson, a larger than life character who may very well be one of the best crafted and most controversial characters in modern literature. Troy is meant to be the tragic hero in Fences, but his interactions with other characters, specifically Cory, his son can make it difficult for the audience feel pity for him. Troy’s treatment of Cory and the way he tries to have total control in their relationship are what bring about the controversy surrounding …show more content…
Their first interactions of the play are rather harmless in comparison to the rest of the play, and we see some conversation between the two when Cory bring up the possibility of buying a T.V. Troy then goes on to say “I’ll tell you what… you get a hundred dollars and I’ll put the other hundred with it” (I.III). In this first interaction between Cory and Troy, we see some competitiveness in their relationship, however it is very light hearted. As soon as Cory brings it up, Troy immediately starts talking about how he needs two hundred and some dollars to fix the roof, as that should be the first priority. It’s very interesting that Troy only chooses to talk about other things that he can spend the money on only when Cory brings up the possibility to but the T.V. By doing this, Troy is characterised as being a bit selfish and having tunnel vision. However, Cory bargains with him and gets him to meet him halfway, where they agree on paying one hundred a piece. It is interesting that Wilson has their first interaction be so light hearted, it even looks like a standard father-son relationship. This lures the audience into perhaps trusting Troy’s good nature more than they should, as Troy and Cory’s interactions will only become more negative throughout the play. It is also worth noting that

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