One important theme in the play Fences is dreams, and what different people do about their specific dreams. The play obviously centers on Troy as the main character, but every important character has at least one dream that does not completely work out for them, or are "deferred-. All of these dreams share similarities to the poem "Harlem- by Langston Hughes; whether it is by "festering like a sore-, or by "sagging like a heavy load-. A couple of these dreams might even explode.
Troy is the main character and is somehow involved in everybody's dreams. He also has several dreams of his own. Among these is the dream to play professional baseball, the dream to become the first black driver at the garbage company he works for, and the dream to "escape- from his daily routine in life. The hope of playing professional baseball can easily be related to the lines in Harlem referring to how a dream can "crust and sugar over "like a syrupy sweet-. The thought of playing professional baseball is certainly a sweet one, and the fact that it still brings Troy some joy to talk about baseball with Bono shows that he hasn't forgotten the good in the sport. He also demonstrates how the dream has crusted over by showing some disgust at everyone's admiration for Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron. Troy's disgust goes as far as to say that Robinson wouldn't even be able to make some negro teams and the Aaron is only doing what he's supposed to do. He then changes the topic whenever Cory tries to bring up other major league players, whether they are white or black. Troy's hopes to become the first black driver at his company are fulfilled, so it is tougher to relate this to -Harlem-, although the fact that Troy works for a garbage collection company makes for an interesting comparison to "stink like rotten meat-. Troy's third dream, to escape from his daily routine, is also fulfilled through his affair with Alberta, although the story does not end happily.