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A short summary of August Wilson's Fences. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of Fences.
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Quick Quiz - Fences: Full Play Summary - SparkNotes
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Themes - Fences: Full Play Summary - SparkNotes
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Context - Fences: Full Play Summary - SparkNotes
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Free summary and analysis of the events in August Wilson's Fences that won't make you snore. We promise.
In 2016, Fences was adapted into a film directed by Denzel Washington, who also starred as Troy Maxson. Read the full play summary, an in-depth character analysis of Troy Maxson, and explanations of important quotes from Fences.
Downloadable PDFs. Plot Summary. Troy Maxson was once a great player in the Negro baseball leagues, but he was not allowed to join the major leagues because he was Black. He left home when he was 14 after a confrontation with his abusive father.
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Troy Maxson, the protagonist of August Wilsons Fences, is the son of a frustrated sharecropper whose harshness drove off his wives and Troy. Troy has made his way north to a world where African Americans live in shacks and are unable to find work. Troy takes to stealing, kills a man, and is sent to prison, where he learns how to play baseball, whic...
Although Troy has tragic flaws, the ending of Fences is not tragic. A spirit of reconciliation is brought by Gabe, who has been allowed to leave the mental hospital to attend his brothers funeral. Gabe thinks that, when he blows his trumpet, Saint Peter will open the pearly gates and allow Troy into Heaven. Gabes horn lacks a mouthpiece, however, a...
Rose, Troys wife, joins Troy and Jim on the porch. Troy explains to Jim about how he and Rose first met; Rose corrects his version of what happened. Troy and Rose disagree about shopping at the local black grocery store versus shopping at the A&P supermarket. Their difference of opinion continues when they discuss their teenage son, Cory, and his p...
Cory wants to know from his father why the family does not have a television. Troy responds by instructing his son on the importance of not going into debt. They discuss Troys baseball days and current baseball players. Troy wants his son to work, not to play football. Troys opposition prompts Cory to ask why his father does not like him. Troy resp...
At the heart of the plays father/son conflict is an unbridgeable disparity between Troy and Corys abilities to believe that society can indeed change the way it treats black Americans. Although Troys unbending harshness often casts him in an unsympathetic light, Wilson grounds his characters personality in the frustrations and injustices that have ...
Wilsons plays are notable for the powerful voice given to black women as well as black men, and nowhere is this more in evidence than in the compassionate, impassioned characterization of Rose. Her words speak for a generation of black women, just as her husbands life embodies the hardships faced by black men.
A summary of Act One: Scene One in August Wilson's Fences. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Fences and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.
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Need help on themes in August Wilson's Fences? Check out our thorough thematic analysis. From the creators of SparkNotes.