Borders, walls, and fences exist to show that two things are separate, and to keep them that way. When August Wilson wrote his play, Fences, he was writing a play about the things that keep people apart. Fences is about separation, the separations between different colors, of man and wife, life and death, and of generation to generation. These separations are illustrated thorough the members of a black family in 1957.
The father of the family, and main character, is Troy Maxson. Throughout the play, Troy works to build a fence around his back yard. The fence is symbolic of the difference between life and death. This is the meaning of this fence for Troy as he states so bluntly after his mistress dies,Alright.Mr. Death. See now. I'm gonna tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna take and build me a fence around what belongs to me. And then I want you to stay on the other side.(Wilson 77)?.
Though Troy tries to separate himself from death by building a fence, he also separates himself from his wife by taking a mistress. This separation comes when the existence of Troy's mistress is revealed by her becoming pregnant. Troy tries to defend his taking of a mistress, but his wife Rose will hear none of it. Finally, when the baby is born, Rose takes it as her own, but kicks Troy out, from now on he isa womanless man?(Wilson 79). .
When Rose removes herself from Troy, their son Cory goes with her. Throughout the play Cory and Troy have been at odds. Their conflict stems from Cory's wish to play sports and Troy's wish to have his son learn a trade. This conflict shows the separation between the generations. Troy is the spokesman for the older generation. In Troy's day blacks were banned from playing baseball. Troy was an excellent player, and competed in the Negro leagues. He is very bitter about missing his chance to play professional sports, and is trying to keep Cory from even trying, feeling that the attempt will only bring Cory the same misery it brought Troy.
