Why Is Troy Maxon Important In Fences

In the play Fences by August Wilson, baseball represents racism, failure, and doubt in the eyes of the main character, Troy Maxson. For Troy, the memories involving baseball are not particularly fond. Baseball changed him permanently, holding him back from who he could’ve been. It affected him in who he became as a husband and father, and how he dealt with situations in his life. Although Troy has some redeeming qualities, baseball was not an influence on them.

Knowing that the story is placed in the early to mid 1900s, and Troy Maxson being black, has everything to do with understanding this play. As great of a baseball player that Troy was, the odds of him fulfilling his dream of making it to the majors were stacked him from the beginning. On page 10 Troy says, “I’m talking about if you could play ball then they ought to let you play. Don’t care what color you were. Come telling me I came along too early.” Troy goes on a bit of a rant when Bono and Rose try to comfort him by telling him that times have …show more content…
When it comes to baseball, Troy feels as if he’s struck out. He also knows that the reason he is now a low income sanitation worker is because he didn’t make it to the majors. On page 28, “If my brother didn’t have that metal plate in his head… I wouldn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. And I’m fifty-three years old. Now see if you can understand that!” Troy struggles to express his frustration to Rose that the only reason he’s actually able to provide for the family is because of the money that his brother got from the government as compensation for being injured in the war. Troy is the kind of man who wants to be seen as the breadwinner and is unhappy with the fact that he could’ve been a big time baseball player, but instead ended up on the opposite side. Failing his baseball dream, brought many things into Troy’s life that he also views as