Fences Character Analysis Essay

Words: 601
Pages: 3

According to a 2010 study, around 43% of men in the United States Military experienced emotional abuse at home as children (JAMA Psychiatry). These brave men rise above their past traumas and break the patterns of abuse and violence started by their guardians. In August Wilson’s play “Fences” Cory follows the same path, rising above the borderline mental and emotional abuse from his father and joins the Marines. Despite his admittedly difficult home life, Cory is a sympathetic character - a compassionate young man with a boundless ambitions for his life. In my opinion, Cory is extremely compassionate as seen by the way he cares for his mother. He seems to try his hardest to protect her, filling the trope of a son saving his abused mother from his father. When Troy grabs Rose’s arm so tightly it hurts her, Cory instantly jumps into action by pulling Troy away and throwing a “blow that catches [Troy] on the chest and knocks him down” to protect his mother (72). He puts himself at severe risk, even Troy himself acknowledges this by warning Cory to stay away and to not “strike out” as he repeats throughout the play - this being his “second strike” (72). Until this point in the play he seems vaguely sympathetic to what his mother …show more content…
In the few years between leaving home and returning for Troy’s funeral, Cory has been promoted to Corporal in the United States Marines. It is clear that while this advancement is relatively new to his family, this at least being the first time seeing him since gaining his stripes, he is comfortable in the position. He even expresses an interest in leaving the military to pursue other possibilities for his life. In conclusion, Cory is a hero in his own right by caring for those in his family, most notably his mother, affected by the abuse from Troy and pursuing his ambitions until they are taken from