Fences as a metaphor revised PDF

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Fences as a metaphor In the play fences by August Wilson, the play focuses on an African American family in 1950s Pittsburg. August Wilson’s play Fences focuses on the central metaphor for the play in exploring the meaning behind the fence's metaphor. Tory Maxson, the main character in the play, a middle-aged Black sanitation worker, is proud of what he has to offer to his family. Tory builds the fence around the Maxson home throughout the play, but it functions as more than a mere fence and in fact is the central metaphor of the play. In fences, Rose, Troy’s wife, insists on building a fence, yet Tory does not understand why. the science opens when Rose sings to herself, “ask Jesus to be a fence around you, and you never have to worry anymore. Just bow down…Jesus, be a fence all around me every day.” (I. ii). The fence represents Rose's wishes and desires to keep her family by her side, as well as security and protection from the outside world. His friend and coworker Bono says, “Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you." (I. ii). Bono can see what the fence represents for Rose. Bono noticed that Tory is unfaithful, and he is cheating on Rose with Alberta, He warns Tory that he will lose Rose if he keeps meeting Alberta. However, Tory only sees his relationship with his family as a duty; He justifies his actions by putting food on the table and owning a house. His affair with Alberta makes him feel alive and he has an emotional connection with her. After Albertas’ death Tory says: “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 this yard. See? I’m gonna build me a fence around what belongs to me. And then I want you to stay on the other side. See? You stay

over there until you are ready for me. Then you come on.” (II. ii). This represents Tory's ongoing conflict with “Mr. Death.” He is fortifying the perimeter of his home, and similar to Rose he views the fence as protection and security. In addition, this also shows that Tory finally understands the meaning of the fence. Everything in Tory’s life is slowly falling apart and, in an attempt to keep everything together, he is determined to finish building the fence. In this scene, the importance of the fence illustrates that this is Troy’s way of coping. Building the fence gives him a sense of security and protection from everything that is currently going wrong in his life. Such as Alberta's death and his newborn's birth. Although the fence creates a perimeter around the house, its figurative meaning is to protect and keep everyone together. However, Tory notices that this balance is destroyed. Tory says, “I’m coming in and everybody’s going out…” (II. iv). Troys’ statement about everyone ‘going out’ speaks to the failure of Tory to keep his family together. Another example that proves the failure of the Tory is when Tory and Cory get into a massive argument, which leads to Cory leaving Tory's house. Tory says: “Go on and get away from around my house.” (II. iv). In this scene, the Tory failed to hold the Maxson family together. The family slowly starts to break apart and becomes divided. Troy invokes the fence to express that Cory has been expelled from the territory within it, and that, from now on, his home is outside the fence. In Fences, Wilson employs the image of "fences" as an instrument to convey the meanings within the play. Moreover, the fence represents the division of the family and the failure of keeping the family together. The play takes place in the 1950s, the period right before the civil rights movement. Troy struggles with understanding a world where options are just beginning to open for African Americans, contrasted with a life believing such options do not exist. Looking

at Troy's life, we see that he failed to keep his family united but, after his death, his family united again....