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Fences is a play written by the playwright August Wilson, who dedicated himself to writing plays capturing what it was like to be an African American in the United States during every decade of the 20th century. Fences was a play that was specifically written to provide an outlook into the lives of African Americans in America during the 1950s, during the process of demarginalization. Each character of the novel provides a unique perspective to capture different aspects of the “African American Experience” during this time period. In Fences, it was very important for August Wilson to truly capture “The African American Experience” and he was able to do so through the portrayal of the Maxson family, with his representation of African Americans …show more content…
The main character, Troy Maxson is a working class man who spends his days picking up other people’s garbage. For Troy, money is always a heavily weighted concern and in many ways it impacts many ways in which Troy decides to live his life. Troy is a stereotypical older black male of his generation, he is made out to be an aggressive figure who is upset with life and society because of the misfortunes he has dealt with and the way he has been treated in his life. The Maxson family as a whole are represented as lacking a higher education and therefore, poorly equipped for life. Along with his whole family, Troy represents other African Americans who desperately seek the American dream, but are unable to achieve it because of their …show more content…
In act one, scene one, lines five through seven, Troy recalls an instance with his boss and a coworker that involves a stereotype associated with African Americans when he says, “The nigger has a watermelon this big….Talking about.. ‘What watermelon Mr. Rand?’.. Trying to hide that great big old watermelon under his coat. Afraid to let the white man see him carrying it home”. This statement that Troy makes about the coworker being afraid to let “the white man see him carrying it home” shows that the man who was carrying the watermelon was ashamed to have a watermelon in his possession because he doesn’t want to seem like a “typical black person” to his boss. This stereotype illustrates the shame and self doubt many African Americans dealt with everyday living in a white dominated
Fences is a play written by the playwright August Wilson, who dedicated himself to writing plays capturing what it was like to be an African American in the United States during every decade of the 20th century. Fences was a play that was specifically written to provide an outlook into the lives of African Americans in America during the 1950s, during the process of demarginalization. Each character of the novel provides a unique perspective to capture different aspects of the “African American Experience” during this time period. In Fences, it was very important for August Wilson to truly capture “The African American Experience” and he was able to do so through the portrayal of the Maxson family, with his representation of African Americans …show more content…
The main character, Troy Maxson is a working class man who spends his days picking up other people’s garbage. For Troy, money is always a heavily weighted concern and in many ways it impacts many ways in which Troy decides to live his life. Troy is a stereotypical older black male of his generation, he is made out to be an aggressive figure who is upset with life and society because of the misfortunes he has dealt with and the way he has been treated in his life. The Maxson family as a whole are represented as lacking a higher education and therefore, poorly equipped for life. Along with his whole family, Troy represents other African Americans who desperately seek the American dream, but are unable to achieve it because of their …show more content…
In act one, scene one, lines five through seven, Troy recalls an instance with his boss and a coworker that involves a stereotype associated with African Americans when he says, “The nigger has a watermelon this big….Talking about.. ‘What watermelon Mr. Rand?’.. Trying to hide that great big old watermelon under his coat. Afraid to let the white man see him carrying it home”. This statement that Troy makes about the coworker being afraid to let “the white man see him carrying it home” shows that the man who was carrying the watermelon was ashamed to have a watermelon in his possession because he doesn’t want to seem like a “typical black person” to his boss. This stereotype illustrates the shame and self doubt many African Americans dealt with everyday living in a white dominated