Fences: An Analysis of the Character Troy Maxon
Fences is a short play of about ten minutes written by American playwright August Wilson. Set in the late 50s, the play talks about themes such as race, relationships, and issues of trust. All these themes and others are brought to the fore by the main character Troy Maxon who in the play is a black man of about fifty-three years. As the reader will learn from this play, this man Troy was a significant character who did things that many people would fail to understand he was what kind of person. This essay, therefore, tries to bring to light the character of the man in question as a tragic figure, a hero and a villain.
A Tragic Figure
A tragic figure as is learnt, is a character who used to perform good deeds before other people but the again allowed his imperfections to stun him. Most of the times, such a downfall may lead to the death of such a character. In the play by August Wilson, the main character Troy Maxon struggles evidently to keep up with his good deeds to his family. However it is unfortunate that like other tragic heroes, he allows his inners imperfections to lead to what the reader will discover is his lonely and tragic death (Letzler, 305). Thus, Troy is considered a tragic hero indeed and there is evidence throughout the play towards this conclusion. Sometimes when people think of a hero, they consider them immortal or somebody with some supernatural power. However, it should be understood that heroes do not need to be like Superman. A hero can be found in any piece of literature as most of the main characters are heroes in their different ways. Troy like other main characters has made his life revolve around mostly work and his family. To this end, troy even goes to the extent of quitting his ambition of becoming a player in the major league baseball (Saunders, 5). After realizing that he needed a steady income to manage his family affairs like purchasing a house to live in.
The Protagonist
As indicated earlier, Troy is considered a protagonist in this play as a protagonist with whom the audience can identify. Despite the fact that Troy may have made mistakes, he ensured that he did not do what his father had done before. For instance, he made sure to provide for his family. This made even Rose, his wife, respect him as her husband. He loved his wife and is even quoted to say, "I love this woman... I love her so much." It is from this context that the audience learns that the Maxon family had been built on the foundation of love (Letzler, 310). The two sons, Corey and Lyons, admired their father so much since they considered him a figure worth emulating. Not just to his sons, but Troy was a role model to many including Bono, a friend he had met at the correctional facility. The main thing Bono admired from Troy was his sense of leadership and responsibility.
The Villain
After getting to know the heroic side of Troy Maxon, it is also very prudent to put into consideration that he, as a human being, had some weaknesses. At an early age, Troy was left by his mother and was forced to be raised by his father. Having been raised by his dad, he was denied the much-needed love such that even when he needed approval from his father. Also, when he enrolled in professional baseball, he was rejected by the team (Saunders, 3). All these factors combined make Troy a villain. Due to all these struggles in life, he became bitter to the extent of pushing away his family and friends. He did not give the needed support to his sons, especially Corey, the same way his father denied him. It is important to understand that while he may have provided for his family in terms of materials, he failed big time in showing them love. The author says that Troy managed to give Lyons ten dollars a week but that is not all that Lyons wanted. He needed more from his father than just the money, to an extent he decides to just stay with his music "to live in the world." His dream of becoming a musician one day needed more than the ten dollars from his father. With all these, it shows that despite the heroic side of Troy, he was also a villain.
Conclusion
From the evidence provided above, it is clear that Troy Maxon was a tragic figure, a protagonist, and also a villain all in one play. Therefore, all these three descriptions fit the character in question and it is what the author needed to create him. All of the three are important in their own way by bringing out the different sides of Troy so as to match the character intended by August Wilson. Also, it is a good way to help pass the relevant message to the audience.
Works cited
Letzler, David. "Walking Around the Fences: Troy Maxson and the Ideology of" Going Down Swinging"." African American Review 47.2 (2014): 301-312.
Saunders, James Robert. "I done seen a hundred niggers play baseball better than Jackie Robinson”: Troy Maxson’s Plea in August Wilson’s Fences." Baseball/Literature/Culture: Essays, 2004–2005 3 (2006).
