Fences

Plot Summary
First of all, read the following background information about the play, Fences. I’m referring to
the key characters and setting of Fences.

Setting
The action of the play, Fences, is spread over a period of about eight years (1957-1965).

The principal setting of Fences is in the house of Troy Maxson and his small but problem-prone
family.

Major Characters in Fences

The principal characters in Fences are the following.

 Troy Maxson. He is the husband of Rose and father of Lyons, Cory and, later, Raynell.

 Rose. Wife of Troy Maxson’s and mother of Cory.

 Alberta. Troy’s mistress and mother of Raynell. She dies while giving birth to Raynell.
 Jim Bono. A friend of Troy’s.
 The period, apparently, fall within the years of the Civil Rights Movement in the United
States of America.
 The atmosphere is riddled with a lot of angry verbal exchanges, emotional and physical
attacks and a good measure of suspicion and intrigue.
 This action is divided between two acts of four and five scenes respectively.

 Alberta. Troy’s mistress and mother of Raynell. She dies while giving birth to Raynell.

 Jim Bono. A friend of Troy’s.

 Lucille. Jim Bono’s wife

 Gabriel, also known as Gabe. Gabriel is Troy Maxson’s brother. He is mentally

challenged having received a serious head injury in World War II. The effects of this
injury make him behave improperly quite often. As a result of his condition, Gabriel
believes himself to be angel Gabriel. Troy bails him out of jail on at least one occasion
and he is sent to an asylum.

 Lyons. Troy Maxson’s elder son and a struggling musician.

Now here comes your shortest of summaries of the plot of Fences by What Fences is
all about
The play Fences is about an African-American middle-aged man named Troy Maxson and his
often troubled relationship with his family.

Troy’s Job
Troy works with a garbage collection company. He complains to Mr Rand, his boss, about the
refusal of the company to allow black workers to be promoted to the position of truck driver.

Troy gets to drive the truck soon after.

Payday Incidents
 Friendship with Bono

On a payday, Friday to be precise, Troy and his friend, Jim Bono go to his house together. They
share a drink of whisky and talk about their personal issues.

 Conflict over Cory’s football career dreams

Troy learns from Rose, his wife, that their son Cory has been drafted into his college football
team. But Troy would have none of it. He asks Cory to concentrate on his work with A&P, a
dealer in groceries and forget about football.

Troy Maxson goes further to make sure that Cory never gets to play in the college football team.

Troy has had his own unpleasant experience with sports. Though he excelled in the Negro
Leagues, he missed the opportunity to play in the Major Leagues. The explanation for his
rejection at the time was that he was too old to play. But Troy believes that they denied him the
opportunity because he was black.

 Troy’s hostility toward death

Troy tells of his epic struggle with death sometime in 1943. In fact, he seems to be in a perpetual
confrontation with death. Troy engages death like an enemy that he taunts each time it gets close
to him.

The death of Alberta, his sweetheart, provides one such opportunity for Troy to tell Death his
piece of mind.

 Troy’s turbulent past

Troy, clearly, is a troubled man.He recounts his story of how his father beat him and kicked him
out of the house when he was barely fourteen years old.

Also, Troy once spent time in prison for the killing of a man he tried to rob. This was at the time
his older son, Lyons was born.

 Lyon, the struggling musician

On this same occasion, Lyons, Troy’s elder son, who is now living on his own enters the house.
He knows the day is Troy’s payday and has come for financial assistance.

Domestic Squabbling
Troy is easily moved to engage in physical quarrels with his son, Cory. And Cory appears to
have little regard for his father. It is Rose and Jim Bono who have to step in and stop some of
these fights.

Meanwhile, Rose has asked Troy to finish building the fence in their house. Bono helps Troy on
the work but Troy is unhappy that Cory does not help him with it.

The Alberta Affair

Troy, who has been having a secret affair with another woman named Alberta, confesses to Rose
and Jim about it. Unfortunately, Aleberta dies later while giving birth to a baby girl. Her name is
Raynell.

Even though Rose is unforgiving towards Troy for his infidelity, she accepts the baby and
undertakes to take care of her.

Cory Leaves Home

It is around this time that the frequent quarrels between father and son result in Cory leaving his
parents’ house. They have quarreled over such issues as the following

 Troy’s bad treatment of Rose

 Cory’s perceived laziness. – he fails to help his father to finish building the fence in their house.
 His refusal to allow Cory to pursue a career in football.
 Troy’s use of Gabriel’s entitlements to pay for the mortgage of their house.

Troy Dies of Heart Attack

Cory only reappears after eight long years when Troy has died of heart attack. But, still, he is not
willing to attend Troy’s funeral. It takes Rose to convince him to do so.
Gabriel has turned up as well, trying unsuccessfully to blow the trumpet to open the gate of
heaven for his dead brother’s soul to pass through. The visibly disappointed Gabriel dances. He
makes a cry and the Heavens open wide. Then he says, “That’s the way that goes,” . This brings
the play to an end.

THE END

Domestic Squabbling
Troy is easily moved to engage in physical quarrels with his son, Cory. And Cory appears to
have little regard for his father. It is Rose and Jim Bono who have to step in and stop some of
these fights.

Meanwhile, Rose has asked Troy to finish building the fence in their house. Bono helps Troy on
the work but Troy is unhappy that Cory does not help him with it.

The Alberta Affair

Troy, who has been having a secret affair with another woman named Alberta, confesses to Rose
and Jim about it. Unfortunately, Aleberta dies later while giving birth to a baby girl. Her name is
Raynell.

Even though Rose is unforgiving towards Troy for his infidelity, she accepts the baby and
undertakes to take care of her.

Cory Leaves Home

It is around this time that the frequent quarrels between father and son result in Cory leaving his
parents’ house. They have quarreled over such issues as the following

 Troy’s bad treatment of Rose

 Cory’s perceived laziness. – he fails to help his father to finish building the fence in their house.
 His refusal to allow Cory to pursue a career in football.
 Troy’s use of Gabriel’s entitlements to pay for the mortgage of their house.

Troy Dies of Heart Attack

Cory only reappears after eight long years when Troy has died of heart attack. But, still, he is not
willing to attend Troy’s funeral. It takes Rose to convince him to do so.

Gabriel has turned up as well, trying unsuccessfully to blow the trumpet to open the gate of
heaven for his dead brother’s soul to pass through. The visibly disappointed Gabriel dances. He
makes a cry and the Heavens open wide. Then he says, “That’s the way that goes,” . This brings
the play to an end.
THE END

Nex steps…
12. What is the significance of the fence in the play, Fences?

13. Examine the relationship between Troy Maxson and Cory in Fences.

14. Discuss the theme of ambition in Fences.

15. Comment on the theme of disappointment in Fences.

16. Explain the use of “strike” as a metaphor in August Wilson’s Fences.

17. Discuss the theme of unfulfilled dreams in Fences.

18. Comment on the theme of hope in Fences.

19. Discuss the theme of marital infidelity in Wilson’s play, Fences

20. Describe the relationship between Troy and his family.

21. Comment on the theme of racial inequality in Fences.

22. Examine the relationship between Troy and Rose.

23. What is the significance of Troy’s extra-marital affair in the play?

24. Show the importance of Alberta in August Wilson’s play, Fences.

25. Assess the character and role of Alberta in the play.

26. Discuss the theme of death in Fences?

27. How does the death of Alberta contribute to the development of the plot of Fences?

28. What is the role of Gabriel in the play?

29. Will you consider Jim Bono as a good friend?

30. What do the tensions in the Maxson family reveal about the lives of African-Americans?

31. Highlight Troy’s fights with his family showing their significance.

32. Troy is a failed family man. To what extent is this statement a true reflection of the character
of Troy?
33. Examine the playwright’s use of two dramatic techniques in Fences.

34. Discuss the theme of friendship in Fences.

35. Consider the theme of crime in Fences?

36. Describe the condition of African-Americans as portrayed in Fences.

37. Assess the character and role of Cory in August Wilson’s Fences.

38. Discuss the theme of lost opportunities in Fences?

39. Why does Troy Maxson quarrel with his family?

40. Examine the theme of father-son relationship in Fences.

41. Discuss the role of women in the play.

42. What is the role of the blues songs in Fences?

43. Comment on the baseball symbolism in August Wilson’s Fences.

44. Metaphor is central to Wilson’s play, Fences. Comment.

45. Consider the playwright’s treatment of time in the play Fences.

46. What is the role of sport in Fences?

47. Discuss the symbolic significance of the asylum in the play.

48. What is the role of Gabriel’s trumpet in the play, Fences?

49. Consider Troy Maxson as a realistic character.

50. Examine Fences as a realistic drama.

51. What is the importance of the A & P Store in the play, Fences?

52. What makes Troy kick Cory out of his house?

53. Comment on the theme of poverty in Fences.

54. Assess the character and role of Raynell.

55. Discuss the theme of racism in August Wilson’s play, Fences.

56. Comment on the significance of Troy’s funeral.

58. How did Troy Maxson die? Show the significance of his death.

59. Discuss the theme of jobs in Fences.

60. What does prison mean to blacks in American society as portrayed in Fences?

61. Troy Maxson is not a completely irredeemable protagonist. Comment.

62. Examine the use of allusion in Fences.

63. What role does archangel Gabriel play in August Wilson’s Fences?

64. Examine the issue of mistaken identity in the play, Fences.

Do these seven simple things to answer Literature questions correctly: Identify exactly what the
Literature …

1. Identify exactly what the Literature question you are about to answer requires from you.
2. Have a brief outline or plan for your Literature answer.
3. Begin your Literature essay with a direct reference to the main point of the Literature
question.
4. State and develop each point of your answer in separate paragraphs.
5. For each point, quickly give evidence from the novel, drama or poem to support it.
6. Make brief, occasional general comments about how a point relates to real-life situations.
7. Finally, close your Literature essay with a brief but compelling concluding paragraph.