Heartbreak & Forgiveness: Troy Maxson, Hero or Villain
Experiencing racism, violence, and poverty growing up can shape a person’s personality for good or bad. Some people feel Troy Maxson is a villain because of the suffering he causes his family. Troy is often thought of as a criminal, cheater, and a bad father. He also had a rough childhood upbringing and experienced discrimination, poverty, and abuse as a child. For this reason, others view Troy as a hero and argue that, despite his rough childhood upbringing, he manages to get back on a good path, gets a job, marries Rose, and provides for his family. Troy should be viewed as a hero because he was able to overcome his hardships, and he did all he could to ensure the best for his family,…show more content… In prison, Troy served his sentenced and pays for his wrong doing. There he learns to play baseball and it is known he was a great player. Once out of prison, Troy was not allowed to play in the major leagues because he was black. He faces racism and his resentment for not being allowed to play causes him to have a bad attitude towards life. Troy lived with anger his whole life for not being able to play baseball, and he allowed this to make him view life and others in a negative way. Letzler sympathizes with Troy, and says “Troy’s tragedy represents that of a lost generation of great black baseball players” (Letzler 301). This allows others to view the impact this made in Troy’s life. He see’s negative in a lot of things and this causes him to be over protective of his own life, belongings, and…show more content… He also experiences racism at work and argues that only the “whites” are allowed to drive the trucks. Troy refuses to accept this and complains to his jobs union. His friend Bono fears he will get fired, but Troy does not allow that to stop him. He shows perseverance, determination, and fight for the driver position. Weinert highlights that “Troy is pushing management to let him move to the front of the truck, as it were, and become the city's first black driver” (Weinert). Becoming the city’s first black driver was an accomplishment Troy felt proud of. This showing his son’s that if he works hard he can accomplish anything he sets his mind to. He faced racism but
