August Wilson’s Fences explores the weight of dreams and the barriers we build ourselves
In short: In August Wilson’s Pulitzer-winning play, a former Negro league baseball player struggles with the limitations of his life in 1950s Pittsburgh. As he confronts his son’s ambitions and his own past, the physical fence he builds becomes a powerful, multifaceted symbol of protection, emotional distance, and the pursuit of greatness.
Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August Wilson’s 1985 play Fences centers on Troy Maxson, a 53-year-old trash collector and former Negro league baseball player. Troy’s life is defined by his past inability to join Major League Baseball due to racial barriers, though the play hints that his age may have been a more significant factor than race. Now, he projects his frustrations onto his teenage son, Cory, forbidding him from pursuing a college football scholarship out of a fear that he will face the same discrimination he once endured.
The play’s title refers to a literal fence Troy constructs over several years, which serves as a complex allegory. For Troy, it is a barrier to keep the Grim Reaper at bay, while for his wife, Rose, it represents a desire to keep her family secure and contained. Simultaneously, the fence symbolizes the emotional walls Troy creates between himself and his children. The title also alludes to the baseball idiom of 'swinging for the fences,' representing the ultimate, yet often elusive, achievement.
Beyond the domestic drama, the play incorporates themes of salvation and legacy. Troy’s brother, Gabriel, a World War II veteran with a head injury, acts as a symbolic figure of salvation, carrying a trumpet and chasing away unseen threats. Following Troy’s death, the family finds a fragile peace, bonded by shared memories and the necessity of forgiveness. The work, part of Wilson’s ten-part 'Pittsburgh Cycle,' remains a cornerstone of the Western Canon, having seen numerous acclaimed revivals and a 2016 film adaptation that earned Viola Davis an Academy Award.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Fences (play)
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