Symbolism In The Play Fences

Ironically, the author August Wilson did not name the play because of the building of the fence in Troy’s backyard. There is a significance to this title as it relates to Troy and Rose specifically. The characters’ lives serves as a literal and figurative representation for the building of the fence. They represent the relationships that are bonded and broken due to the building of this said fence. The characters create “fences” in their lives. Instances include the things that Troy wants to keep out of his life which are death and his relationships with his family and also the things that Rose wants to keep in her life which is her love for her family. The fence can be seen and represented as a symbol because it is an element that pretty much sums up the entire play. First of all, the fence takes the entire play to complete because Troy has been neglecting its construction. The neglected fence could be a symbol for Troy’s neglect for his family. There is an instance in the play where Troy’s son Cory tells him that “[his things] will be on the other side of that fence” because of the enormous argument they ran into. In this scenario, troy clearly establishes the fence as the dividing line between him and Cory. This is the literal meaning of the fence because it is an actual physical …show more content…
Troy’s downfall was that he let his history of being confronted with barriers separate him from his family and friends. He instigates conflict because of his inability to accept other people’s choices in life when they differ from his own. His lack of commitment in finishing the fence mirrors his lack of commitment in his marriage to Rose. In the final moments of the play, the fence is finally finished and the family reunites after Troy’s death. The completion of the fence comes to mean that through Troy’s death, the family was able to overcome it and stand together as