A Nation on the Fence over Abuse
A man knows early in life that if they want to have a happy home, where they would come home to every day after working hard to meet the needs of the family. Most are taught early by society that a man loves his wife and children, while caring for them physically and financially. In many cases they are not taught how to effectively deal with the inevitable frustrations and disagreements in a relationship. Unfortunately some men are so unequipped to deal with these circumstances that violence is their solution. In August Wilson’s play Fences we see how the lead character, Troy, was unequipped to handle the occasional stress of a relationship. In review of the character Troy the issue of abuse in domestic relationships …show more content…
Abuse comes in many forms, and while the words domestic violence may bring a mental picture of a woman with a black eye and a busted lip, the first of which is verbal abuse. The mental and verbal side of domestic abuse comes first and is usually the most damaging form. Troy experienced this at an early age and had a profound effect on him for the remainder of his life. (Fences Act I Scene IV) Troy was once the victim, but became the violator. This may have been from the way in which he was reared, or merely from the example his father set during his youth. From his youth Troy’s father was hard and unyielding in his ways. He ruled with an iron fist, without any sense of compassion for his son. This type of parenting often results in a cycle of parent-child relationships that play out for generations with very negative results. In fact many studies have shown that adolescents who have been abused are much more likely to commit more acts of violence and even commit crimes. (Fagan) Even though the victim vehemently resents the violator, they often times become exactly what they resent. This behavior cycles through generations, as seen from Troy’s father, to Troy and then into Cory. Rose did her best to convince Cory how important it was to stop the cycle of abuse, but as is the case with all victims, you cannot force them to withdraw from the cycle. (Fences Act II Scene V) The victim of abuse can be the one and only person to break the cycle. They must decide enough is enough and only then will change
A man knows early in life that if they want to have a happy home, where they would come home to every day after working hard to meet the needs of the family. Most are taught early by society that a man loves his wife and children, while caring for them physically and financially. In many cases they are not taught how to effectively deal with the inevitable frustrations and disagreements in a relationship. Unfortunately some men are so unequipped to deal with these circumstances that violence is their solution. In August Wilson’s play Fences we see how the lead character, Troy, was unequipped to handle the occasional stress of a relationship. In review of the character Troy the issue of abuse in domestic relationships …show more content…
Abuse comes in many forms, and while the words domestic violence may bring a mental picture of a woman with a black eye and a busted lip, the first of which is verbal abuse. The mental and verbal side of domestic abuse comes first and is usually the most damaging form. Troy experienced this at an early age and had a profound effect on him for the remainder of his life. (Fences Act I Scene IV) Troy was once the victim, but became the violator. This may have been from the way in which he was reared, or merely from the example his father set during his youth. From his youth Troy’s father was hard and unyielding in his ways. He ruled with an iron fist, without any sense of compassion for his son. This type of parenting often results in a cycle of parent-child relationships that play out for generations with very negative results. In fact many studies have shown that adolescents who have been abused are much more likely to commit more acts of violence and even commit crimes. (Fagan) Even though the victim vehemently resents the violator, they often times become exactly what they resent. This behavior cycles through generations, as seen from Troy’s father, to Troy and then into Cory. Rose did her best to convince Cory how important it was to stop the cycle of abuse, but as is the case with all victims, you cannot force them to withdraw from the cycle. (Fences Act II Scene V) The victim of abuse can be the one and only person to break the cycle. They must decide enough is enough and only then will change