Theme Of Racism In Fences

Register to read the introduction… His view of the present is the same as it was the day he grew up and that’s why his ideas of opportunities for Cory are limited to trade jobs as he believes that the world of opportunities belongs to the white man. The play is filled with multiple themes and motifs, one of which references Troy and Bono’s childhoods during the years of slavery. Both Troy and Bono grew up having difficult relationships with their fathers, their painful memories provide a context in which we can understand the similarities and differences of the generations separating Troy and Bono from Cory and Lyons. Troy’s failure to recognize change is what keeps him limited to what he has, consequently it also affects the decisions he makes in regards to Cory and the rest of his family. Troy’s first major brush with racism is during his baseball career. He was shunned from major league sports because of his skin color and age; therefore he had to relegate his abilities to the Negro leagues. The effect it had on him proved a lasting one, as is seen through his objection to Cory wanting to play football. Bitter about his own exclusion from major – league baseball, Troy expresses resentment towards Cory’s achievements telling his son that black athletes have to be twice as talented to make the team and that “the white man ain’t gonna let you get nowhere with that …show more content…
The constant reminders of his failure continue to haunt him, and eventually it leads him to have an affair with Alberta. Even though he still loves and feels a responsibility towards Rose and his family, he still feels lost and captured in the world of stereotypical threats and failure. In Troy’s defense he sees Alberta as an escape from the real world. He sees her as an opportunity to be someone else, a person without regret, loss, failure and responsibility. His affair represents his wanting to rid himself of the racial scars he suffered. Without caring for the people in his life, he acted out in selfishness without realizing the implications of his actions. Not only did racism affect him, it also destroyed the bonds he shared with his family. The title Fences plays a very important symbolic role in the play. In the beginning Rose pestered Troy to build a fence; Troy did not understand the reason behind her wanting a fence but it was later explained to Troy by Bono that: "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." (2.1.30-2.1.32) Throughout most of the play Troy neglected to complete the fence, which showed his neglect towards his family. When he finally came to completing the fence it was already too late. His actions and decisions had already destroyed