Fences Theme Essay

In the play Fences by August Wilson, four very important themes are brought to our attention. The four themes which Wilson says his plays are about are “love, honor, duty, betrayal” (Lewis 1028). These themes can be viewed throughout the play, and in fact are the reasons why Fences has gained such an influential nature. Love, honor, duty, and betrayal are all themes that can be related to from any stand point regardless of the time period (Lewis 1028). Love and betrayal can be predominantly seen and felt in the play Fences almost side by side, for instance with how Troy feels about Rose in the first scene of the play. Troy, Bono, and Rose were on the porch after Lyons came and borrowed ten dollars, after which Troy says to Bono: “See this …show more content…
Although many instances in the play exemplify duty, a major sense of duty was felt when Rose agreed to take care of the baby girl Troy had with Alberta. Rose as a character has sense of duty that is empowering almost overwhelming and let alone inspirational. This can be seen in her response to Troy about the baby, “Okay, Troy…you’re right. I’ll take care of your baby for you…cause…like you say…she’s innocent…and you can’t visit the sins of the father upon the child. A motherless child has got a hard time” (Wilson 1006). Rose embodies the theme of duty because through it all she still remains by Troy, and she takes care of the child like it is her own and that alone is inspiration. She also takes care of Lyons even though he isn’t her own blood. Troy also embodies the theme of duty in regards to how he supports his family. This can be seen when he is arguing with Cory about loving him, “ Liked you? Who the hell say I got to like you? What law is there say I got to like you? Wanna stand up in my face and ask a damn fool-ass question to like you…” (Wilson 984). That sense of duty almost comes as a responsibility that Troy will take care of just like his father did with him ( Kubitscheck

Show More