ENG 15 Section 5825
May 4, 2012
Fences
Evaluate the Characters of Troy and Rose. To what extent is each responsible for their tragedy and how does the character of Troy change throughout the play. The play Fences by August Wilson revolves around the front yard of the main characters Troy and Rose Maxson between the years 1957 and 1965. Rose is a long, responsible mother, wife, and friend who tends to show forgiving and selfless character traits. Many of her words and actions also show that she is a strong and assertive yet tender woman. Her husband Troy, on the other hand, is pretty much her opposite. Troy’s character is very dominant. He is and imaginative and boastful person who mostly comes off as selfish and bitter. Within the eight years, which the play takes place, Rose and Troy find themselves in a tragedy. Troy’s character changes between Act I and Act II, however, both his and Rose’s character are responsible for the tragedy. Rose Maxson is a forty-three year old woman. She is the wife of Troy Maxson and mother of Cory Maxson. Typically Rose is seen cooking and/or cleaning. Through her actions, she is perceived as a woman who does everything they can to keep her loved ones close by and happy. She is a very selfless person. She offers food to anyone who comes to visit and also helps out financially where needed even when her financial situation is sparse. She is also loving and caring. She tends to show concern for others including her son, Cory, her brother-in-law, Gabriel, and even Bono and his significant other, Lucille. Rose has proven to be a loyal, responsible and realistic person. In Act I scene 3, when Troy was boasting about his athletic abilities and comparing his situation to Cory’s, Rose attempted to share her sense of reality with Troy. She reminded him that his age (and not his ability) was the reason he didn’t make it too far with baseball. She confessed her loyalty to Troy at the end of Act I scene 1 and continued to show loyalty by staying with him after he confessed to her that he had been with another woman and was going to father her child. Rose’s greatest act of kindness and responsibility was displayed at the end of Act II scene 3 when she agree to be the adopted mother of Troy’s motherless new born baby. Troy Maxson is a fifty-three year old man. He is the father of Cory and Lyons Maxson. He is also a “guardian” to his war veteran brother, Gabriel. Troy is a very dominant person; expecting people to do as he commands. He is portrayed as a domineering person throughout the play. In the beginning, he talks to Rose in a demanding tone. He pretty much tells her when he expects to be listened to, fed, and pleased. He also asks Bono questions with answers attached. At the end of a statement, Troy typically asks Bono a question that requires concurrence. He mostly displays his dominance when it comes to his son Cory. He demands respect from Cory and had placed a fear in him. Troy is a talker. His imagination gets carried away when he talks about his past and he tends to add a little ‘zest’ to his stories. In Act I scene 1, Troy tells two stories; one of his experience with pneumonia, and the other of his experience of buying new furniture for his home. In both stories, he mentions encounters with death and the devil. Rose does not entertain his stories in the way that Lyons and Bono do, however, Troy seemed to believe these encounters. At the end of Act II scene 2 when he finds out that Alberta dies while giving birth, Troy is alone but is conversing with “death” as though it was truly in his presence. Alberta’s pregnancy and death are vital parts of Troy and Rose’s tragedy. The Maxson family had broken apart because of the effects of Troy’s affair with Alberta. Alberta had become pregnant with Troy’s baby. Despite hearing this information, Rose made an attempt to continue playing the role of the loyal, loving wife that she is. The focal point of the tragedy is seen at the end of Act II scene 2 and all of Act II scene 3. The conversation, at the end of Act II scene 2 between Rose and Troy, shows Rose making and attempt to save her marriage with Troy, while troy seems more concerned with his relationship with Alberta. The turning point in the conversation is when rose receives a call from the hospital. The hospital informs her that the baby was born, but resulted in Alberta’s death. In Act II scene 3, Troy places pity in Rose in which she gives in and agrees to care for Raynell (Troy’s motherless, newborn child) as though she were her own. As far as the marriage is concerned, Rose tells Troy that he is a “womanless man”. Troy’s actions were the cause of the tragedy that the Maxson family find themselves in; however, Rose is also responsible. At a young age, Troy’s mother abandoned him and his siblings and although his father was caring for them, he was an abusive and neglectful parent. Troy uses the story of his parents in a way to excuse his self for his ways. He believes that he should be commended for not abandoning his family the way his mother did and for supporting his family the way his did not. In Troy’s eyes, he is not in the wrong because he is taking “responsibility” for his actions. Rose was partially responsible because of the role that she play as Troy’s wife. Rose tends to her husband’s every need. Although she proves to be a strong woman, she is very submissive towards Troy. Even after Troy confesses to her about his affair with Alberta, Rose continues to play the role of the loyal, loving house-wife. It was almost as though she was giving Troy consent to continue on in his love affair with Alberta. From the beginning of the play to the end of the play, Troy undergoes a character change. In the beginning of the play, Troy was of strong dominance that some looked up to in fear (Rose and Cory) and some in respect (Bono and Lyons). When he told the stories of his encounters with “Death” and “the Devil”, he spoke of them as though he had the confidence in him that he knew would result in survival. He was also considerate of how his actions would affect his relationship with Rose. In a conversation he had with Bono in Act II scene 1, he expresses his love for his wife and concern for her feelings regarding the situation he’d got himself into. By the end of the same act and scene after he tells Rose about Alberta’s pregnancy, however, he does the exact opposite of what said he didn’t intend to do; which was causing harm Rose. By the end of the play, Troy seemed to have lost his strength, confidence, and respect. In Act II scene 4, Troy and Bono’s relationship is changed. Usually, Bono seemed to follow Troy’s topic of conversation, however, here he seems to have detached from Troy’s hold. By the end of the conversation, Troy’s confidence is lowered due to the increase in distance from his loved ones. At the end of the same act and scene, he gets into a verbal and physical altercation with Cory. Cory had lost his respect (and fear) for his father, which lead Troy to attempt to regain his dominance in the household. Although he is victorious in the altercation with his son, hi last words were toward death. His words about death began in fear and wisdom, but are now foolish and defeated. From the beginning of the play to the end, the characters find themselves completely turned around. Rose and Cory gained their voice and lost their fear of Troy. Bono had also freed himself from Troy’s hold. Troy on the other hand lost his confidence and dominant role in the household. All of the character changes occurred due to the tragic event caused by Troy’s actions.