Kyle Krichbaum

Fences
Troy Maxson
Given Circumstances
1. The year 1958
2. Troy had to steal for his family
3. Troy kills a man
4. Troy goes to prison
5. Sanitation worker (junk hauler)
6. Tried to play pro baseball when he was age 40
7. Troy cannot read
8. Cheats on his wife
9. Drinks heavily every Friday
10.
Has 3 children with 3 different women
11.
Married to Rose
12.
Lives in Pittsburgh
13.
He walks slouched slightly limped
14.
He is African American
15.
He is 53
16.
Lives in a brick house with a dirt yard
17.
Hangs out at a bar called Taylors
18.
He wears a sanitation worker jumper
Relationships
1. Rose His wife of 18 years. He and Rose had a son together,
Cory. We find out that Troy has cheated on Rose with Alberta.
2. Cory- Torys son with Rose. Troy is consistently hard on Cory.
Possibly because of his bad relationship with his own father, or
possibly because he is jealous of Cory for his opportunity to play
college football.
3. Jim Bono Troys friend who he met while he served 15 years in a
penitentiary.
4. Lyons Troys son from a previous marriage. He did not raise
Lyons due to being in prison for 15 years. Lyons mother left Troy
because she did not want to wait for him. Lyons often visits Troy
whenever he needs money. Troy does not approve of Lyons
career choice in playing music.
5. Gabriel Troys brother who was injured in the war. He is
mentally unstable, but knows a lot of what is going on despite
this. Troy paid for his house using the money Gabe was awarded
for his injury. Troy later has Gabe committed to a mental hospital.
6. Raynell Troys daughter that he fathered in his affair with
Alberta.

Character objective:
Must have control over the lives of people in his family. He wants
excitement in his life. He only achieves this by creating a fictional
world where he makes up stories and has relations with another
woman.
Tactics:
Control:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Not allowing Cory to play football

Disapproving of Rose playing the numbers
Having Gabe put into a mental hospital
Disapproving of Lyons decision of being a musician

Excitement:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Creating stories about the devil/death

Embellishing on stories of things that have happened
Cheating on his wife
Getting away from the day-to-day pressures by hanging out at
the bar and flirting with other women, Alberta, more specifically.

Obstacles:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Rose and the way she suffocates Troy

Roses want/need for Troy to build a fence
Addiction
Self defeat
Corys disobedience to get what he wants for his own life
Raynell (bringing Troys fictional world into reality)

Bit/Task Change:
In Act 2 Scene 4 Troy is yelling at Cory for aiming the bat at him. Troy
attempts to take control of the situation by telling Cory if he going to
hit him, he is going to have to kill him. When Cory does not swing, Troy
takes the bat from Cory and yells at him to leave the house. The beat
changes when Troy finally kicks Cory out of the house. Troy has a
sudden power trip and feels invincible. In the next beat Troy is having a
conversation with death telling him that he will be ready any time he
comes for him.