FENCES BY AUGUST WILSON
AUTHORIAL BACKGROUND
August Wilson (April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America".He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called The Pittsburgh Cycle, which chronicle the experiences and heritage of the African-American community in the 20th century. Plays in the series include, Jitney, Fences, Jeo Turner's Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson ,Two of his plays received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (Fences and The Piano Lesson), and won the Tony Award For Best Play (Fences).
PLOT SUMMARY
The play is divided into two acts, Fences begins on a Friday night; payday for Bono and Troy; when the two friends engage in a weekly ritual of drink and conversation. As they talk, we learn that Troy has confronted their boss, Mr. Rand, about the fact that only whites are assigned to drive the trucks at their garbage collection company, while black employees are hired exclusively to carry the garbage. Bono then suggests that he’s suspicious of Troy’s relationship with another woman (Alberta) besides his wife. Further, Cory; Troy’s Second son, has the opportunity to play college football, but Troy is wary about his son playing sports because of his own past with racial discrimination in major league baseball. Troy also succumbs to his tendency to spin tall tales about his life, and starts talking about his encounter with Mr. Death; when he wrestled with the Grim Reaper. Rose;Troy’s wife, enters and reveals that he’s really talking about his battle with pneumonia.
Later, Troy and Cory work on constructing a fence which Rose has asked them to build, and the two clash over Cory’s desire to play football. Troy thinks that, as a young black man, Cory has no future in football, but says he will allow Cory to pursue football on one condition: he must work his job at the A&P store and juggle football practice at the same time. Even though Cory is scheduled to meet with a recruiter, who would present Troy papers which, if he’d sign, would secure his son a position at a college, Troy says he won’t sign anything unless Cory works.
Eventually, Cory never gets his job at the A&P back, and Troy tells his coach to take him off the team. This enrages Cory, as the future he’d imagined for himself has crumbled before his eyes.
When working on building Rose’s fence, Bono tells Troy that he thinks he should realize just how good and loving of a woman Rose is to him. Irritated by the fact that Bono feels the need to tell him this, Troy asks why Bono feels motivated to say such a thing. Troy eventually admits to having an affair with Alberta, and Bono tells him that he needs to find a way to make things right. He also says that he’s always looked up to Troy, precisely because of his wise decision to choose Rose over all the other women who were interested in him.
Soon after, Troy confesses to Rose that he’s had the affair with Alberta and that he’s going to be a father to her baby. Shocked, Rose can’t believe Troy would do such a thing at his age, and stands up for herself, blaming Troy for not sacrificing himself enough for the preservation of the relationship. Walking in on Troy and Rose fighting, Cory is angered at the sight of Troy roughly holding Rose by the arm, he hit Troy's chest
Six months later, we learn that Alberta died when she gave birth to Troy’s baby, Raynell. Rose agrees to raise Raynell. Then, on another one of Troy’s Fridays, Troy and Cory end their relationship, in an argument over Troy’s infidelity to Rose.
After eight years—the last act begins at the advent of Troy’s death. The family—Cory (now a US Marine Corporal, reluctantly came,),Lyons(Troy’s son from a wife before Rose), Rose, Raynell, and Gabriel (Troy’s brother, who suffers from a brain injury and thinks he’s an angel)—are gathered at the Maxson household, with Bono, preparing to attend Troy’s funeral. Cory, however, says that he does not want to attend—and Rose reprimands him, saying that Cory is obligated to go because Troy was his father, and that refraining from mourning his dad doesn’t make him into a man. Gabriel enters the scene and tries to play the music of spiritual exaltation with his “trumpet of judgment,” but no sound comes out. In response, Gabriel dances hysterically, and August Wilson writes, in a note in the script, that the gates to Heaven are opened.
SETTING
The setting is the yard which fronts the only entrance to the Maxson household, an ancient two-story brick house set back off a small alley in a big-city neighborhood. The entrance to the house is gained by two or three steps leading to a wooden porch badly in need of paint.
A relatively recent addition to the house and running its full width, the porch lacks congruence. It is a sturdy porch with a flat roof. One or two chairs of dubious value sit at one end where the kitchen window opens onto the porch. An old-fashioned icebox stands silent guard at the opposite end.
The yard is a small dirt yard, partially fenced, except for the last scene, with a wooden sawhorse, a pile of lumber, and other fence-building equipment set off to the side. Opposite is a tree from which hangs a ball made of rags. A baseball bat leans against the tree. Two oil drums serve as garbage receptacles and sit near the house at right to complete the setting.
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