Fences is the play, which noticed about humankind society in the late 1950s, it is the sixth in Wilson's ten-part "Pittsburgh Cycle". Like all of the "Pittsburgh" plays, and the play started to begin in 1983. The beginning scene noticed about Troy, who is the man with fully strong controlling to his life, and his son, Cory and his wife, and the last scene is on the day of the funeral of Troy Maxson. Fences play is the portrait of kind other characters come with the flawed human, who has been the most controlling and power in their life. Their effort is also their result of its by understanding of this duplicates of the play involves to their audience. Fences play is the symbol of personal culture, and sympathetic but unforgettable central character.
The United State of America had gone through a severe recession throughout 1957, which increased by 50%. Farmers faced many difficulties agricultural prices went down and interest rates rose in exports after the World War II in excess of 1 million dollar. In 1960s-1970s, inflation has subsided, the economy recovered and the United States began a period of sustained economic growth. The price went up entail rising inflation at 13.5% in 1980s, had forced Federal Reserve System (FED) to implement tight the policy (Wikipedia). The United State had the bad inflation in the early century, unemployment increased concern for the month from 5.6% to 7.5% in 1979, and remained at a record high of 7.5% and reached 10.8% in 1982 (Wikipedia). The equal right struggle for African-Americans had reached its peak in 1960s after consecutive victories in the 1950s, African-Americans was increasingly stronger commitment to fighting form directly without violence. However, when released, the revolution led civil rights movement leaders become impatient because the pace of change was slow and African-Americans had not yet to be fully integrated into society mainstream of white American. The term "African-American" was used commonly in the United States since the late 1980s. In 1980, many organizations in North America have set up campaigns to support the international peace movement in Africa. The local action group explained racial discrimination before the American public from the poster of a forum in South Africa.
August Wilson was born on April 27, 1945 in Pittsburgh, PA, and died on October 2, 2005, Seattle, WA. August Wilson has an African-American mother, and his father is a white, who rarely take care him and his family. August Wilson is a good writer about African-American theater, which notice in his famous ones are Ground on which I Stand, Three plays, and Selected from Contemporary American Plays, and he gets award for Pulitzer Prize for Drama (1987, 1990), and Whiting Award (1986). His plays are the ones to appear the typical African-American culture in drama by Christopher J. Wheatley (2000). August Wilson prejudice facing black people in American society, and he begins to write when he was twenty, he used to be paid twenty dollars by his older sister for college term paper. August Wilson was the first person, who had two plays running on Broadway, and specification the black cultural response to the world by Internet Broadway Database (2014). The play of August Wilson is not the unique to African-American theater, but his landmark plays about African-American in the twentieth century, are the voice of African-American culture. According to The New York Times (2005), August Wilson resisted many offers from the famous director in Hollywood, August Wilson said he thought his plays offer, which was a different way to recognize African-Americans culture through the people. Fences (1983) is the one of Wilson's play, looking at Troy's life, and white American find out that the content of black man's life is the same with every people, which affected by the same things in their love, and their duty. Recognizing these things are as much part in life as their goal can affect how they think and deal with African-American, is accorded by Paris Review (1999). Wilson's authenticity and rhythms of the dialogue is the colorful vitality of metaphor and storytelling of the African American on African cultures, which is the superstitions and beliefs that affect his characters. Wilson received honorary degrees, and The Honorary Doctor of Humanities.
Troy Maxson, the beautiful perfect character of August Wilson's Fences, is the son of an African American sharecropper . He is fifty-three year-old, and he has made his own way to Northern of America, where African Americans live and able to find work. He is an African American man, who works for sanitation department, moving garbage into trucks everyday. Troy used to steal, kill a man, and he used to be in the prison, where he starts how to play basketball. Troy is also a big star in The Negro Leagues. Hard-working, strong, and prone to obliging, Troy married Rose and he is the family breadwinner, and the dominant role in his long term friendship with his co-worker at sanitation department, Jim Bono. Troy is angry at the racist, and disappointed in his attempt at achieving the goal in the American Sport Dream, but he still remains his resilient. Troy is the central of the play such as the controlling central in his family, Rose's husband, and father to Lyons, Cory, and Raynell, and brother of Gabriel. Troy is the picture of a tragic hero, who has excessive over pride for his breadwinning role. He never provide the love, and support to his family, but that would mean the most to his loved people, who he loves. Fences is the strong imagine such as the deep meaning picture with Troy's indomitable spirit in the acknowledging his flaws.
The stage was set up by dark colors from the wood color of the house, the uniform of Troy wearing to the Black-American character. all supplies, equipment, and the light stages are simply arranged in 1950s period since the America's economic crisis due to World War II. It notices about the miserable life, which is oppressed by the racist and lack the right equal of African-American. The stage of character Troy, who tries to build the fence to protect his family, fence is the rich meaning symbol with the barrier between the racism of African-American and White American. Troy wants to protect his family from a feudal society period in 1980s, and the equal rights struggle for African-American , who eager to be treated equally same as American whites.
Fences is the best title because fence is the physical equipment around the house in the yard ,which is emblematic of the divides in life of Troy and keep him, his family out of good opportunities. The protection does not work, but it keeps the people in a circle and no exit for chances. The specific of Fences is also a symbolizes of transition in Troy and Cory life, They are demonstrated contrary to each other (Fences, page 56). From the outside of the fence, a good opportunity is waiting for Rose, Bono and Cory but Troy doesn't know, which is noticed through the dialogue. The message is all of life happens within or outside the barrier of fence. Troy sums up the vigilant, the dangerous to his family from outside the fence. He keeps the vigilant, he makes the fence to keep the bad thing from the outside, and keep the good thing inside. In my opinion, when Troy feels the death is coming to take him (Fences, page 17), Troy believes about the the strength of fence, which can protect him from the death, but that just bring the possibility suffering to Cory and Rose from Troy's death (Fence, page 83). Rose, who hold all in family together, the mother, and the strong woman, she is there and always be there for her family, she loves, and she always does.
The language was chosen for this play notices the poor level education of the characters, the rude and abrupt language, which is the same as character Troy, he works at collecting garbage company. It indicates about a poor society of African-American in 1980s, who was struggle for their right equal in America. But his next generations had the good level of language such as Cory. He wants to stop the job at A&P supermarket, play football attend to the college ( Fence, page 38). He wants to have the opportunity to learn, bring himself to the world, and he does not want to yell at people same as his father all the time.
Fences is a perfect play of August Wilson, who portraits successful Troy Maxson character. The picture is represents for the poor life of African-American and uneducated in racism society and the heavy feudal in American period time 1980s. Troy was trying to protect his family from the feudal society behind a fence, which he builds. Through the Fences play, I realized Troy Maxon, who is poor, and uneducated man, but he knows how to protect his son and his family with his fence building. Cory is a character, the strong picture of people, who dare, and stand up to eliminate the social prejudices. Cory has followed his decision. Fence play is the represent for a brutal society through Troy Maxon. The justice to delete the eliminate of social prejudices to toward the future through the picture of Cory.