Symbolism In Fences

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“Some people build fences to keep people out, and other people build fences to keep people in,” Bono tells his friend, Troy, in August Wilson’s play Fences. Fences centers on a fifty-three year old, African American man who played baseball in the Negro Leagues when he was younger but was neglected in the Major Leagues. Since he was too old by the time black men were allowed to play in the Major Leagues, Troy builds a wall of bitterness, harming his family. He cheats on his wife, Rose, he prevents his son, Cory, from doing what he loves, he judges his son, Lyons and his music and places his brother, Gabriel, in a mental institution. Rose asks Troy to construct a fence which he progressively builds, a fence which has both a figurative and literal …show more content…
However, perhaps she senses that her family is falling apart and wishes for a fence as a way to show that she desires to keep her loved ones close. Also, Rose is aware that Cory and Troy almost never manage to have a decent conversation or act as father and son, so she believes that by building a fence together, it will serve as an opportunity to improve her husband and son’s relationship. Rose’s symbolic fence, pertaining to protection, serves as a stability to the family, helping in resolving the problems within it. A.O. Scott remarks, “It falls to Rose to solve the problems her husband has created, to smooth over his relationships with his songs and his brother Gabriel, a brain-damaged veteran of World War II.” Rose is almost always there when Troy begins conflict. One afternoon, Lyons visits the house to ask for money. Troy and Lyons get in a heated argument and Rose attempts to end the argument by telling Troy, “Let the boy have ten dollars, Troy” which indeed helps (2073). Even though Rose is not Lyons’ mother, she cares for him enough to interfere with Troy and not just stand there and observe their dispute. Also, when Troy gets mad at Cory, Rose tries to …show more content…
Tony Arnold in “The Struggle for Power by August Wilson’s Male Characters,” says, “She has loved [Troy] and has stood by him, though she obviously did not agree with all of his decisions.” Troy gets away with certain things that Rose didn’t really approve such as his visits to Taylors’. Rose prefers for Troy to come home to her after work, but she never really did anything to stop him from going to Taylors’. Her leaving it up to him to decide his own choices, shows her commitment and love for Troy. Even when Troy admits his affair with Alberta, Rose still has the courage to tell him, “And wherever you was going I wanted to be there with you” (2099). It also goes back to the closure she wants to keep in her family. For example, when Bono sees Troy working on the fence and they’re talking about Alberta and Rose, Bono suggests that the reason why Rose wants a fence is “to keep people in [because she] wants to hold on to [all of him]” (2094). It’s a conflict between herself―wanting to keep Troy in but at the same time letting him go because she loves him. Perhaps, she sensed that Troy wasn’t devoted when she told Troy, “I had to try and erase the doubt that you wasn’t the finest man in the world,” meaning she didn’t want to think about him and his faults (2099). However, it is evident that even after Troy telling Rose “I’m gonna be somebody’s daddy,” Rose still loves him,
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