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Characters · 8
Alberta
Alberta plays an important off-stage role in August Wilson's Fences, acting more as a force that drives the play's main moral and emotional conflict than as a fully realized character.
character
Cory Maxson
Cory Maxson is Troy and Rose's teenage son in August Wilson's Fences, set in 1950s Pittsburgh.
character
Gabriel Maxson
Gabriel Maxson is Troy's younger brother and plays a peripheral yet symbolically significant role in August Wilson's Fences.
character
Jim Bono
Jim Bono is Troy Maxson's oldest and closest friend in August Wilson's Fences, acting as the play's moral witness and conscience.
character
Lyons Maxson
Lyons Maxson is Troy's eldest son from a previous relationship before he married Rose, and he serves as a foil to both Troy and his half-brother Cory in August Wilson's Fences.
character
Raynell Maxson
Raynell Maxson is the youngest character in August Wilson's Fences, making her appearance in the play's final scene, which takes place seven years after the main storyline.
character
Rose Maxson
Rose Maxson is the heart and soul of August Wilson's Fences, a Black woman living in 1950s Pittsburgh whose quiet strength holds the Maxson family together.
character
Troy Maxson
Troy Maxson is the complex and larger-than-life protagonist of August Wilson's Fences, which takes place in 1950s Pittsburgh.
character
Key quotes · 10
“That's all you got, Rose. In the world. That's all you got to measure yourself against.”
This line is spoken by Troy Maxson to his wife Rose in August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fences (1985).
Troy Maxson
“Some people build fences to keep people out, and other people build fences to keep people in.”
This line is delivered by Bono, Troy Maxson's longtime friend, in August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fences (1985).
Bono
“A man got to take care of his family. You live in my house, sleep you behind on my bedclothes, fill you belly up with my food.”
This line is spoken by Troy Maxson, the main character in August Wilson's Fences (1985).
Troy Maxson
“I don't know nothing but what's in front of me.”
This line is delivered by Troy Maxson, the main character in August Wilson's Fences, during a moment that highlights his deeply practical — and ultimately narrow — perspective on life.
Troy Maxson · Act 2
“Jesus, be a fence all around me every day.”
This line is sung by Rose Maxson in August Wilson's Fences (1985), a Pulitzer Prize-winning play set in 1950s Pittsburgh.
Rose Maxson · Act Two
“I don't want him to be me! I want him to move as far away from my life as he can get.”
This line is delivered by Troy Maxson, the main character of the play, during a heated argument with his wife Rose.
Troy Maxson
“I've been standing with you! I gave eighteen years of my life to stand in the same spot with you!”
This heartfelt declaration comes from Rose Maxson as she confronts her husband Troy in August Wilson's Fences.
Rose Maxson · Act Two
“Death ain't nothing but a fastball on the outside corner.”
This line is delivered by Troy Maxson, the main character in August Wilson's Fences (1985), during an early scene where he is in his backyard, sharing drinks with his friend Jim Bono.
Troy Maxson · Act One
“I ain't never had nobody want me. Not the way you wanted me.”
This line comes from Rose Maxson in August Wilson's Fences, directed at her husband Troy Maxson after she finds out about his affair with Alberta.
Rose Maxson
“You got to take the crookeds with the straights.”
This line is spoken by Troy Maxson, the main character in August Wilson's Fences (1985).
Troy Maxson
Symbols · 5
Baseball
In August Wilson's Fences, baseball serves as a complex symbol of Troy Maxson's unfulfilled dreams, his fraught relationship with his own potential, and the systemic racism that characterized mid-twentieth-century Black American life.
Death as a Figure
In August Wilson's Fences, Death isn't just an abstract idea; it's a tangible foe that Troy Maxson grapples with both literally and figuratively.
Gabriel's Trumpet
In August Wilson's Fences, Gabriel's trumpet represents divine judgment, spiritual redemption, and the hope for grace for those overlooked by society.
The Fence
In August Wilson's Fences, the fence that Troy Maxson builds in his backyard over the years serves as the play's main symbol, capturing the conflicting ideas of protection and imprisonment.
The Yard
In August Wilson's Fences, the yard around the Maxson home symbolizes the struggle between hope and limitation.
Literary devices · 12
Metaphor
The fence serves as the central metaphor of the play, taking on conflicting meanings as the story unfolds.
Extended Metaphor
Troy’s ongoing depiction of Death as a wrestling opponent creates a powerful metaphor that runs throughout the play.
Symbolism
Wilson layers various symbols throughout the play.
Dramatic Monologue
Troy's lengthy speeches act as dramatic monologues where his attempts to justify himself also reveal his unacknowledged truths.
Allusion
Wilson incorporates references to African American culture and history throughout the dialogue.
Irony
Dramatic irony plays a significant role in Troy's arguments against Cory playing football.
Repetition
Troy's catchphrase, "You ain't got to like me…but you gonna respect me," comes up during crucial confrontations, each time deepening into a tragic refrain that highlights his waning authority.
Personification
Death is the most vividly personified force in the play, but Wilson also extends this personification to other abstract concepts.
Motif
Songs appear consistently throughout the play.
Narrative Poem
Wilson structures much of the play's exposition and characterization through embedded narratives—stories that characters share about their pasts rather than scenes directly portrayed for the audience.
Juxtaposition
Wilson contrasts Troy's outward generosity with his inner tyranny throughout the play.
Pathetic Fallacy
Wilson's stage directions utilize the physical environment of the Maxson yard to mirror and foreshadow emotional states.