WhatI

saLi
ter
aryTheme?(
Link-LI
TERARYTHEME)

Al i
terarythemei st
hemainideaorunder
lyi
ngmeaningawr i
terexpl
oresinanov el,shortstory
,
orot herli
terar
ywork.Thethemeofastorycanbeconveyedusingcharacter
s,setti
ng,dialogue,
plot,oracombi nati
onofal
l oft
heseel
ements.Thesixcommont hemesi nli
terat
urear e:Good
vs.ev i
l,Love,Redempti
on,
Courageandpersever
ance,ComingofageandRev enge.

Themesar
edescri
bedasi
deasthatdomi
nat
eaparti
cul
arpi
eceofl
i
ter
atur
e.I
nal
mostal
lcases,
pi
ecesofl
i
ter
atur
ewill
becent
eredathemeoranumberoft
hem.

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*

Don'
twr
it
ethi
s,j
ustf
ory
out
ounder
standt
hecommont
hemes:

Li
ter
aryTheme1:
Goodv
s.Ev
il

Theclassi
cbat t
lebetweenl i
ghtanddark,
altruism andantagoni
sm,thethemeofgoodversus
evi
lst
retchesbey ondev enBibl
i
calti
mes.Ast or yaboutgoodtri
umphingoverevil
maypi
ttwo
char
actersdir
ectlyagainsteachother
,asinJ. K.Rowling’
sHarryPot
terseri
es,oramai
n
char
acteragainstsocietyatl
arge,asi
nHar perLee’sToKi l
laMockingbir
d.

I
naddi t
ion,
thet
hemeofgoodver
susev i
lmaybeexpl
oredt
hroughtheext
ernal
act
ionsand
dial
ogueofthechar
act
ers,
orv
iathei
rint
ernal
str
uggl
etodotheri
ghtthi
ngwhenfacedwit
h
temptati
on.

Li
ter
aryTheme2:
Lov
e

Loveisoneofthemostuniv ersalthemesinlit
er at
ure,asi
nlif
e.I
nf act
,thethemeoflov
ei s
underpi
nsmanyoft hestor
ieswe’ vediscussedsof ar.Lovecanbeaf orceforgoodt
hatinspi
res
peopletosacri
fi
cet
hemselv esf orother
s,orat oxi
cf or
cethatdr
ivespeopletomadnessor
vi
olence.Di
ffer
entf
lavor
sofl oveasal i
ter
arythemei ncl
ude:

1.Forbiddenl
ove.Year
ninganddisappr
ov alcol
l
ideinfor
biddenlov
estori
es,
whichoft
enfi
nd
star
-crossedl
overshur
tl
ingtowardsatragicfat
e.Examplesincl
ude:RomeoandJul
ietby
ShakespeareandAtonementbyIanMcEwan.

2.Famil
ylove.Stor
iesaboutthelovebetweenparentsandchi
ldr
enorsi
bli
ngsof
tenexplor
ethe
costsorchal
lengesoffamil
yloyalt
y.Examplesincl
ude:TheSoundandt
heFurybyWill
iam
Faul
knerandMySi ster
’sKeeperbyJodi Pi
coult
.

3.Unr
equit
edl ove.Thepainoflov
ingsomeonewhodoesnotr
etur
nyouraf
fect
ioni
safrequent
subj
ecti
nliter
ature.Examplesi
nclude:
ThePhant
om oft
heOperabyGast
onLerouxandThe
SunAlsoRisesbyEr nestHemingway.

4.Fri
endshi
p.Thepoweroffri
endshi
ptocar
rypeoplet
hroughhar
dti
mesandchange
them—whetherforbet
terorworse—i
sanespeci
all
ycommont hemei
nyoungadul
tli
ter
atur
e.
Examplesi
ncl
ude:TheBodybySt
ephenKi
ng(
adapt
edi
ntoaf
il
m,St
andByMe)andTheLor
dof
theRi
ngsbyJ.R.
R.Tolki
en.

Li
ter
aryTheme3:
Redempt
ion

Failur
esortragediessetthestageforasadst or
y ,
buti tdoesn’thavetoendthisway:i
nbooks
thatemployr edempti
onasacent r
altheme,charactersseet heerror
softheirwaysandst
r i
vet
o
ri
ghtt hewrongsthey’
vecommi t
ted,makingforanupl i
f t
ingtal
e.Stori
esofredempti
onoften
i
nv olv
ear eformedcharactersacri
fi
cinghisorherfreedom orl i
fe.

Examplesofstor
iest
hatexpl
orer
edempt
ioni
ncl
udeAChr
ist
masCar
olbyChar
lesDi
ckensand
LesMiserabl
esbyVict
orHugo.

Li
ter
aryTheme4:
Cour
ageandPer
sev
erance

Thet
ri
umphoft hehumanspi ri
tint
hefaceofadversityi
sahugelypopul
art
hemeinli
ter
atur
e,
fi
l
m,andreall
i
fe.Charactersi
nstor
iesaboutcour
ageendur edi
ffi
cul
tcir
cumst
ancesor
i
mpossi
bleodds,per
sev eri
ngthr
oughsheerdeter
mi nati
on,
gri
t,andgal
l.

Exampl
esofstor
ieswi
thcour
ageast
hei
rcent
ral
themei
ncl
ude:
AWr
inkl
einTi
mebyMadel
eine
L’
Engl
eandBlackHawkDownbyMarkBowden.

Li
ter
aryTheme5:
Comi
ngofAge

Alsoknownasabi ldungsroman,acl
assi ccoming-of
-agestoryfoll
owsoneormor echar
acters
duri
ngthei
rjourneyofgrowingupintoadulthood.Thesecharactersmayexperienceeveryt
hing
fr
om alossofinnocence,toanawakeni ngorself
-awarenessbef oref
inal
lyr
eachingmaturit
y.
Whilecomingofagest ori
esarepopularinyoungadultli
ter
ature,they
’real
socommoni n
memoi r
s.

Examplesofbooksthatemploycomingofageasacentr
al t
hemeincl
udeLit
tl
eWomenby
LouisaMayAlcot
t,GreatExpect
ati
onsbyChar
lesDi
ckens,andTheCatcheri
ntheRy
ebyJ.
D.
Sali
nger.

Li
ter
aryTheme6:
Rev
enge

Acommonpl oti
nli
terature,
thet
hemeofr ev
engesetsupaconf li
ctbet weenonecharact
erand
hi
sorherenemiesasheorshej ourneyst
oavengewr ongsdonetot hem.Ar ev
engestorymay
depi
ctt
hetri
alsacharactermustendurei
nordertoachievet
heirvengeance—or,expl
orethe
humancostandmor aldil
emmasar oundpur
suingvengeanceinthef i
rstpl
ace

Examplesofstor
iest
hatuser
evengeasthei
rcentr
althemeincl
ude:TheIl
iadbyHomer,Carr
ie
byStephenKing,
TheCountofMonteCri
stobyAlexanderDumas,andFrankenst
einbyMary
Shel
ley.

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Whatar
ethet
hemesi
nthepl
ay,
"FENCES"byAugustWi
l
son?

(
Link-1-
3)

1)
.Raci
alDi
scr
imi
nat
ion

Oneoft hemostexi st entissuesi nthisplayisr acial discri

mination.Fencest ell
st hest oryofa
blackfami l
yl i
vinginaner awher esegregationandr aci albi
asi sexistent.Thisthemei s
portr
ayedt hroughmanyoft hechar actersint hi
spl ay .Theaut horchoosest oincor poratethe
i
deaofr aci
sm st art
ingi nt hef ir
stsceneoft hef i
rstact ,whenTr oytellshiscowor kerBono
abouthowhehadpr evi
ousl yquest i
onedhi sbossaboutt hefactthatAf ri
canAmer i
cansar eonly
all
owedt odoheav ylift
ing, wher easwhi t
epeopl ear egi venjobsasgar baget r
uckdr i
vers.From
thestart,wecanal readyseet hatinequalit
yexi stsbet weent het reatmentofbl acksandwhi t
es
i
nt hewor kplace.Whi t
epr ivilegeclearlyexists,prev ent i
ngblacksf rom receivi
ngt he
opportuniti
est heydeser v
e.Ast heplayunf olds,thei ssueofr acebecomesmor epr omi nent.
Troyoftent alksabouthowhewasunabl etosucceedi nsportsduet ohi sskincol or,even
thoughhecl aimsthathei sagoodbasebal lplayer.Thi smistreatmentl eadstohim notal l
owing
hissont obei nthef ootballteam ashebel iev esthathewi l
lulti
mat el
ybet reatedt hesameway
hewas.Thi sj ustshowst hatr acialdi
scriminat i
onl eav esaper manentmar konsomeone’ sli
fe
andinfluenceshowt heyt hink, f
eel,andact .

2)
.Ambi
ti
onsandGoal
s

Fencesexpl oresvar i
ousformsofi tscharacters’goalsanddr eams, drawingal inebetween
whatisachi evableandwhati snot .Cory’
sdream i stobepar tofthef ootballteam incoll
ege.
Howev er
, Troydoesnotappr oveofhisdr eam, drawingonhi spastexper ienceswhi chleadshim
tobeli
evet hatAfricansAmer icansarenotgi venequal opportunit
ieswheni tcomest osports.
ThoughCor yputsi nhisbesteffor
tsintoachiev i
nghi sgoals,hi
sfather ’
sdisappr ovalpr
events
himfrom obt aini
ngt hem.Thisshowst hatsomet imes,nomat t
erhowhar dy out r
ytoachieve
yourgoals,therear ecert
ainfactorsthatcanst il
lpreventyouf r
om doi ngso.

Lyonsisanot herchar act

erwhoi sunablet oachievehi sdream ofbecomi ngamusician.Simil
ar
toCor y
, healsodoesnothav ehisfather’
sapprov al
.Ot herchar act
ers, l
ikeRose,havesi mpl
er
goals.Throughoutt heplay ,
herdream isonlyforTroyt obui l
dhert hef enceasshet hinksthati
t
cangiveherpr otection.Shealsowi shesforhappinessandf orherf ami lytobeinunit
y .She
repr
esent stheideal goalofamot herandawi fe.Nev ertheless,sheisal sounabletoreacht hi
s
goal.Surpri
singl
y,theonl ypersonwhodoesachi evet heirgoal i
sTroy ,whor ecei
vesaj ob
promot i
onandbecomest hefi
rstAfri
canAmer icangar baget ruckdriver.Unli
ketheother
characters,
hedoesnotputi nalotofefforti
ntomaki ngt hisgoal ar eali
ty.

3)
.Responsi
bil
i
ty

Troyspendsalotofti
metal
ki
ngaboutthei
mport
anceofresponsi
bil
it
y.Par
ti
cular
ly,
hest
resses
howimpor t
anti
tistober
esponsi
blet
obothofhi
ssons.I
niti
all
y,r
eaderswi
llbeamazedbyhis
dedicationt oresponsibi
l
ity
.Hewor kshardtoprovidef
orhisfami l
yandseemst ohavehissons’
bestinter estsinmind.Howev er
,astheplayconti
nues,weseet hatTroyisanyt
hingbut
responsi ble.Becauseofhisbadpastwi t
hsports,hedi
sapprovesofhi sson’
sdream t
oplay
football
.Thought hi
ngshav echanged,hecannotseethisandisstil
lbli
ndedbyhispast
experience.

Thisshowst hathei si
rresponsibleasaf ather,
becausehef ail
sinhisdutyofsupportinghisson
i
nachi ev i
nghisdr eams.Ot heri
nst ancesfurt
herportr
ayTroyasani r
responsibl
eperson.For
exampl e,whenheusesGabr iel
’
sbr ai
ninj
urymoneyt obuyahouseandagai nwhenheuses
Gabriel
’sinstit
utionmoneyt opayf orhisownexpenses,itisclearthatTroyisnotbeinga
responsiblecaretakerforthisbrother.Hisaffai
ral
soshowst hatheisnotresponsibl
eashe
doesnott hi
nkaboutt heexpenseshewoul dhavetobear,andt heeffecti
twouldhav etohis
family,especial
lyhiswife,Rose.Thoughhei sportr
ayedasar esponsibl
epersonatfirst
,ther
est
ofthepl ayoffersacont rasti
ngv i
ewofhi struenatur
e.

(
Link-4-
10)

4)
.TheCr
eat
ionofOr
der

Theov erarchingt hemeoft hepl ay,al

ludedt oi
nt hetit
le,ist heideaoft hecr eat i
onofor der-a
fencei snotabar ri
erinthi
sreadi ng,butawayt ocompar tment ali
zet hewor ldi nto
under standabl e,
manageabl echunks.Tr oyMaxsoni schief lyresponsi bleforthi sdesirefor
order ,t
houghf oradi ff
erentreasonhi swifeRoseal socr av esi t
.Tr oyiscaughti nawor l
din
whi chhef eelshedoesnotbel ong.Hecar r
ieswi t
hhimt hescar s, oppression, anddi sorderof
hisSout her nchildhood, t
heabuseofhi sfather,andanunwel comePi ttsburgh.Ont heot her
hand, hei salsoapar tofthegr owingAf r
icanAmer i
canmi ddl eclass.Hei spr omot edf oraj ob
hef eelshedoesnotdeser v
eandhei sunabletoacceptt hei deat hathischi l
dr enmi ghthav ethe
freedom t ocreat et hei
rownl i
ves.ForTr oy,afencei sawayt osect i
onof fpartoft hewor l
das
hisown-hi sdesiref orafencei sadesi r
etof i
ndhi splacei nt het i
meandcul tureoft wentieth
cent uryAmer ica.

5)
.TheAmer
icanDr
eam

TroyMaxsoni stheembodimentofanAf r i
can-Amer i
cangeneration,growingupinthepost-
Wor ldWarIIera,thatfi
ndsit
selff
inal
lyablet oreali
zetheAmer i
cani dealofli
fe,l
i
berty
,andthe
pursuitofhappiness.Troyhasbecomemor esuccessfult
hanhisf at
her ,
whor emainedapoor
sharecropperandnev erownedhisownl andorpr oper
tybut,
instead, pai
dallhiswagesandhis
l
ifetoanunj ustlandowner.Troyhasboughthi sownhouse( t
houghhef eelsguil
tyaboutt
he
met hodsofpay ment )
.Andinhissexualrel
at i
onshipshehasembodi edthef r
eedom ofamant o
fol
lowhi sowndesi resinapursui
tofhappi ness.TroyMaxsonembr aceshi sdesi
retobean
i
ndiv i
dual.

Thispursui
toft
heAmer
icanDream,
however
,isnotwit
houtconf
li
ct.Tr
oycannotenvi
siona
generat
iondoi
ngmoret
hanhisownaccompl
ished.Hecannoti
maginehissonachi
evi
ngan
ev
engreat
erdr
eam,andhecannoti
magineali
feunbur
denedbyr
esponsi
bil
it
ytofami
l
y.I
nthi
s
way,
Troyr
emainschai
nedt
ohisexpect
ati
onsofwhatamancanaccomplishint
heworl
d.

6)
.Af
ri
canAmer
icanDi
ff
erence

InFences, aswel li
nhisot herplays,AugustWi lsonseekst opointouttheideaofdiff
erence
betweenr acesandcul turemor et hant hemonocul tur
alidealofsameness.TheCi vi
lRightsera
ofthe1960' sand' 70'
scanbebr oadl yconstr
uedasAf ri
canAmer ican'
sstruggl
eforthesame
ri
ghtsaswhi t
es.Byt he1980' s,
Wi lsonsawt hisstruggleforequali
tymorphingintoaculturethat
wasat t
empt i
ngt oeraset hedif
ferencesbet weenr acesandpeopl es.Afr
icanAmer i
cans,
accordi
ngt oWi lson,wer edif
ferentthanwhi tesoranyot herraces.Theyhavetheirowndi st
inct
cul
ture,hi
st ory
,andsoci ety.Nopeopl eshouldhavet obecomepar toft
hemaj ori
tycul
turejust
toenjoythemaj ori
ty'
srightsandpr i
vil
eges.

Maintaini
ngt hisdiff
erenceispainful
,andof t
endest ructi
ve,asFencesshows.I nhi
ssonCor ey,
Troyseesagener at
ionthatnotonlyaspir
esf ortheirownsuccessi nt hewor l
dbutalsoseeksto
fol
dt hemsel v
esi ntothewhi t
ecultur
eoftheday .Spor tsisamet aphorf ort
his;whi
leTroyis
bit
teratlosinghi schancet oplayi
nani nt
egratedMaj orLeagues,hest i
lli
deali
zestheNegro
Leaguesassy mbol ofAf r
icanAmer i
canpride.WhenCor eyseeksacol l
egescholarshi
ptoplay
football
,Troyfear sthathi
ssonwi lll
osethedi f
ferenceofhi sraceinhisdr i
veforsuccess.Thi
s
confli
ctofdifferenceulti
mat el
y,andperhapsnecessar i
ly
,destroystheirrel
ati
onshi
p.

7)
.TheI
deal
ofResponsi
bil
i
ty

TroyMaxsonisamanwhot akesseri
ousl
yhisresponsi
bil
i
tyforhisf
amil
y.Hisseriousnessal
so
becomeshisgreat
estli
abil
it
y.Troyi
samancaughtbet weenhisowndesireforfr
eedom,
embodiedi
nhisaffai
rwithAlbert
aandhisfat
heringofanil
legi
ti
matechi
l
d, andhisfier
cesense
ofloy
alt
ytohiswif
e,chil
dren,andbr
other
.

Troy'
ssenseofr esponsibi
li
tycomesf r
om hisownf ather'
sbit
tercareforhim andhissibli
ngs.
Hisfather'
sloyaltytohisfamilycanbeseenaspoi sonous;hisfather
'sbetr
ayalpoisonshisown
rel
ati
onshipwi t
hCor ey.Ul
ti
mat el
y,Troybecomeshi sf at
her.HeabandonsRosef oranother
womanandst ubbor nlyref
usest orepentforhi
ssins.Heal soabandonshi sownbr otherand
son,severi
nghi srelati
onshipsinhisownquestf orfreedom.Tr oydemonst r
atestheideathat
responsibi
li
tybecomesasmuchal iabi
li
tyasav i
rt
ue.

8)
.Per
sonal
Apocal
ypse

Troy'sbrotherGabrieli
sasy mbol oft hepersonalapocaly
pseofTr oyMaxson.Apocalypse,init
s
ori
ginalmeani ng,connotesar evel
ation,oranunder st
andingoftheworldthatbri
ngsabout
someki ndofendi ng.InFences, Troy'
sst r
uggleswithhisfamilyandwit
hhissenseofpur pose
revealtohimt henat ur
eofdeat handt hei
mper manenceofhi sownlif
e.Gabriel
,thi
nki
ngthathe
i
st heli
teralangelGabr i
el,
foretel
lsthisrevel
ationinTroy'
sli
fe.Heinsi
ststhatTroy'
sli
feis
writt
eninSt .Peter'
sbook, t
houghhi smor tal
ityisnotaconceptofwhichTr oycanconceive.The
tr
agediesofTr
oy'
sli
feser
veasaser
iesofdeathevent
s;theabandonmentbyhisfather,hi
sown
abandonmentofhi
sson,t
hedeat
hofhislover
,andult
imatel
ytheendofhisownlifeallremind
Troythathei
snoti
ncontr
olofhi
sownlif
e,evenasheattemptstocont
rolever
yonear oundhim.

9)
.Changi
ngAf
ri
canAmer
icanCul
tur
e

AugustWi l
son's"Pittsbur
ghCy cle"port
ray sAfri
canAmer i
canl i
feinPitt
sburghduringeach
decadeoft hetwentiethcentury.Fencesr esonatedwi t
haudi encespartl
ybecausei tso
accurat
elycapturedt heuniquesituati
onofAf r
icanAmer icansduringthe1950' sand'60'
s.Thi
s
wasat i
meofgr eatchangef orAf r
icanAmer i
canculture.TheCi vi
lRightsmov ementwasi ni
ts
nascentstages.AfricanAmer i
canswer esl owlymov i
ngi ntoar espectablemiddleclassandout
ofthedestitut
epov er t
yofthelatenineteenthandear lytwentiethcenturi
es.Thepost -
WorldWar
IIgener
ati
onwasf i
rstembr aci
ngt heideal ofpersonal f
reedom.

Therear esev eral

instancesoft hi
schangi ngcultureinFences.Onei sTr oy'sownadv ancement
i
nhi sjob.Troyi satrashcol l
ector,aseemi nglyundesir
ablejob,yethispr omotiontotruckdriv
er
bestowsonhi m alevel ofauthori
tyandpur poset hathefeelshehasot herwisenotachievedin
hislif
e.Hisdi scomfor twit
hhi sownadv ancementi sseeni nhisdesiret oreti
reshort
lyafter
getti
nghi sraise.Thischangi ngcultur
ealsocr eatesbit
ter
nessi nTroy .Thisisseeninhis
l
ov e/haterelati
onshipwi t
ht hegameofbasebal l.Ontheonehand, Troylov esthegamef orthe
i
dent i
tythatitoncegav ehim; ontheotherhand, hedespisesthegamef oritssegr
egationand
forrobbinghi m ofhischanceatgr eat
ness.Tr oyiscaughtinthechangi ngcul t
ureand
representsagener ationlostintheirunderstandingofthewor l
dar oundt hem.

10)
.Fr
eedom v
s.Pr
otect
ion

ThefenceinAugustWil
son'splayservesasasy mbolofconfl
ict
ingdesires.Inonesense, Tr
oy
andRoseseektobuildafencet okeeptheworldoutofthei
rli
ves.Rose'sdesireforafence
symboli
zesthewayinwhichsheseekst oprot
ectherf
ami l
y.Sheknowst hatTr
oy'scheckered
pasti
salwaysthereandthatheis,perhaps,
onlymoment sawayf r
om maki ngdecisi
onst hat
for
everaff
ectherandherchil
d.Rose'sfenceseekstokeepthefami l
yinandt hedangerous
worl
dout.Iti
sasy mbolofprot
ection.

ThoughTroyseekst opr otecthisfamilyandhiswayofl i

fe,thefencealsobecomesasy mbolof
di
scontentinhisownl if
e.Inhisconf r
ontati
onwi t
hRose, Troyexclai
mst hathehasspenthis
wholeli
feprovidi
ngf orthefami l
y.Hehasbeent hepr ot
ectoranddef enderofaquiet,
normalli
fe.
Thefence,theref
ore,doesnotpr otectTroybutinsteadkeepshimf r
om achiev
inghisult
imate
desi
reforindiv
iduali
tyandsel factual
izat
ion.

(
Link-11-
18)

11)
.Race
MostofFencesi sseti nt he1950s.Ther ehadbeensomepr ogr essmadeonr acer el
ati
onsby
thi
st i
me, suchast hei ntegrati
onofpr osport
st eams.Howev er ,onawhol e,Amer i
cahada
reall
ylongwayt ogo.Sl av er
yhasbeengonef r
om Amer icaf orov erseventyyears,butits
shadowst i
ll
pressesdownont hecount ry.Al
lthecharacter
si nthepl ayareAf ri
canAmer i
can,
andt heymustdeal withr aci
sm ev eryday.TheSout hi
sst i
ll
of ficiall
ysegregatedandmuchof
theNor t
hi sunof f
iciall
y .Keepinmi ndthattheplaytakesplacebef oretheCivilRights
Mov ementoft he1960s.Fencesshowswhati twasl i
keint hedecadebef orethemov ement
causedsuchr adical changei nAmer i
ca.Someoft hecharact ersseem t osenset hatpr ogressi
s
i
nt heair,
whi l
eot her sar estil
ltrappedi nAmerica'str
oubledpast .

Quest
ionsAboutRace

 Whatev
idenceofr
aci
aldi
scr
imi
nat
ioni
sseeni
nthepl
ay?

 Whatadvancement
shavebeenmadei
nracerel
ati
onsfr
om Tr
oy'
syout
htot
het
imet
he
pl
ayisset(t
he1950s)
?Inwhatway
shavethi
ngsstay
edthesame?

 Howdoissuesofr
aceaf
fectTr
oy'
sper
cept
ionoft
hewor
ld?Howabouthi
srel
ati
onshi
p
wi
thhi
sfamily
?

 Whati
sthekeydi
ff
erencebet
weent
hewayCor
yandTr
oyseet
hewor
ldi
nter
msofr
ace?

ChewonThi
s

Fencesshowst
hewayi
nwhi
chr
aci
aldi
scr
imi
nat
ioncanpl
acest
rai
nonAf
ri
can-
Amer
ican
famil
ies.

Tr
oyMaxsonr
efusest
oseet
hatr
acer
elat
ionshav
egot
tenbet
tersi
ncehewasy
oung.

12)
.MenandMascul
i
nit
y

Fencesisof t
enthoughtofasaf at
her-sonplay.Themai nconfli
ctcent
ersaroundt hetension
betweenTr oyMaxsonandhi ssonCor y.TheplayshowshowTr oyinmanyway srepeatsthe
mistakesofhisownf atherwhilerai
singCor y.Bytheend,we'relef
twit
hthehopet hatCorywill
beabl etobreakthecycle.Fencesalsoquestionswhati ti
stobeaman.Thr oughoutt heplaywe
areforcedtoaskwhati ttakestobeagoodman.I sitdutytoyourfamil
y?Isitfol
l
owi ngy our
heart?Checkout" Quot
es"andseewhaty outakefrom theplay.

Quest
ionsAboutMenandMascul
i
nit
y

 I
nTr
oy'
smi
nd,
whatmakesaman?

 I
nwhatway
scanFencesbeseenasaf
ather
-sonpl
ay?

 HowdoTr
oy'
sandLy
ons'
sopi
nionsofwhatmakeamandi
ff
er?Howar
etheysi
mil
ar?

 Woul
dTr
oybepr
oudoft
hemanCor
yhasbecomebyt
heendoft
hepl
ay?Whyorwhy
 not
?

ChewonThi
s

Tr
oy'
sideaofmanhoodi
sbasedont
hehar
shexampl
esetbyhi
sfat
her
.

BytheendofFences,Coryi
sont heroadt
obecominghi
sownmanbyt
aki
ngt
hebestofhi
s
fat
herandl
eavi
ngt henegat
ivequali
ti
esbehi
ndhi
m.

13)
.Mor
tal
i
ty

Thoughthereareonlytwoact ualdeathsinFences, mor tal

it
yisaconstanttheme.TroyMaxson
ki
cksitoffbytel
li
ngast orywherehel it
eral
lywr estledwithDeathandwon.Wegetsev eral
monologuesthroughouttheplaywher ehet auntsDeat h,almostdari
ngHimt otr
yandt akehim
agai
n.Intheend,Deathdoest akeTr oy,
butwe' r
el eftwiththeimpressi
onthatTroydoesn'tgo
downwi t
houtaf i
ght.Fencesseemst ovi
ewhumanmor tali
tyasbothadarkinevi
tabi
li
tyandour
ul
ti
mat echanceforpeace.Whent hegatesofheav enopenf orTroyatt
heendoft heplay,we'
re
l
eftwit
ht hei
mpr essi
ont hathe'
sf oundrestintheaf t
erl
i
fe.

Quest
ionsAboutMor
tal
i
ty

 Howwoul
dyoudescr
ibeTr
oy'
sat
ti
tudet
owar
dDeat
h?

 Wil
sonchosenottoshowtheaudi
encetheactualscenewhereTroydi
es.Whymighthe
dothi
s?Howmi ghtt
hisomissi
onaf
fectanaudience'
sexper
ienceofwatchi
ngt
heplay?

 Whati
sthesi
gni
fi
canceofTr
oydescr
ibi
ngDeat
hashav
ingwhi
ter
obes?

ChewonThi
s

Tr
oy'
sdeat
hal
l
owshi
sfami
l
y,especi
all
yCor
y,t
oheal
.

Tr
oyt
ri
umphsov
erDeat
hbecausehenev
erl
etsf
earofi
tcont
rol
hisl
i
fe.

14)
.Dr
eams,
Hopes,
Plans

TroyMaxson, t
heprotagoni
stofFences,hashadhi sdreamst akenfrom him.Hewant edmore
thananythingt obeaprobaseballpl
ayer,buthiscareerwasstoppedbecauseofr acial
discr
imination.Thecentr
alconf
li
ctofFencescent ersaroundTroy '
srefusalt
olethissonCor y
playfootball
,whichdestr
oysCory'
schancesofgoi ngt ocoll
ege.Inthisway,Fencesexpl or
es
howt hedamageddr eamsofonegener at
ioncandamaget hedr eamsoft henext.Byt heendof
theplay,Corymustf i
ndawayt oform newdr eamsoutt heashesoft heoneshe'sl ost.

Quest
ionsAboutDr
eams,
Hopes,
Plans

 DoesTr
oyputast
opt
oCor
y'
sdr
eamsoutofl
oveorbi
tt
erness?Whydoy
out
hinkso?

 I
nwhatway
shasRosecompr
omi
sedherdr
eamsf
orTr
oy?
  Whatar
eGabr
iel
'
sdr
eams?Ly
ons'
s?Bono'
s?

ChewonThi
s

Tr
oyal
way
swant
edmor
ethanhecoul
dact
ual
l
yachi
eve,
whi
chl
efthi
m abi
tt
erman.

Bononev
erhaddr
eamsofhi
sown,
causi
nghi
mtol
i
vev
icar
iousl
ythr
oughTr
oy.

15)
.Fami
l
y

Rev olvi
ngaroundt het r
ialsandt r
ibulat
ionsoft heMaxsonf amil
y,Fencesi
sagr eatexampleofa
fami l
ydrama.Wewat chTr oystruggletof ulf
ill
hisroleasf athertohi
ssonandhusbandt ohis
wife.Youcoul dsayt hatTr oydoesn'tdosuchagr eatjobinei t
herrol
e;bef
orehisdeath,hi
s
fami l
yhasall butdisi
ntegr at
eddueofhi sf ai
lures.Howev er,bytheendoftheplay,weseethat
thef amil
yhasal sogr ownbyhi sexampl e.Fencesdepi ctsthecompl exdynamicsthatbothtear
fami l
iesapartandhol dt hem together.

Quest
ionsAboutFami
l
y

 HowdoesTr
oyr
epeatt
hepat
ter
nsoft
hef
ami
l
yhegr
ewupi
n?Howdoesheescape
t
hem?

 Doyouthi
nkCor
ywi
l
lrepeatt
hesamepat
ter
nswi
tht
hef
ami
l
yhei
saboutt
obegi
n?Why
,
orwhynot
?

 Whati
sRose'
srol
eint
hef
ami
l
y?

ChewonThi
s

Fencesi
sthest
oryofaf
ami
l
y'sdi
sint
egr
ati
onandr
ebi
rt
h.

Thepl
ayusesaf
ami
l
yasami
crocosm t
oexpl
orel
argeri
ssues.

16)
.Bet
ray
al

Fencesexpl oresmanydi ff
erenttypesofbetr ayal
.TroyMaxsonmanagest obet r
ayjustabout
everyoneinhisl i
fe: hi
sson, hi
swife,hisbrother,andhisbestf ri
end.Pr et
tymuchev er
y
characterinthepl ayisbetrayedbyTr oyinsomeway .Ofcourse, t
hepl aydoesgodeepert han
that.Thoughmanyoft hechar act
ersar ehurtbyTr oy'
sactions,thefinalsceneshowst hatt hey
alsohav erespectf orhim.Perhapst heyseet hat,i
nsomeway s,Troynev erbetr
ayedthem i nhi
s
heart.Troynev erapologizesforany t
hinghedoesi ntheplay.Itcouldbet hatthisiswhyt he
othercharactersrespecthi m bytheend.Thought heywer ealldisappointedbyt hethi
ngshedi d,
Troyalway sdidwhathet houghtwasr i
ght.Youcoul dsayt henthatTr oynev eroncebetrayed
himself.

Quest
ionsAboutBet
ray
al
  HowdoesTr
oyj
ust
if
ycheat
ingonRose?

 I
sitabet
ray
alwhenTr
oysi
gnsGabr
iel
int
othement
alhospi
tal
?Whyorwhynot
?

 I
nwhatway
sdoesTr
oybet
rayCor
y?

 Doy
out
hinkBonof
eel
sbet
ray
edbyTr
oy?Whyorwhynot
?

ChewonThi
s

Tr
oybet
ray
sev
ery
onei
nthepl
aybuthi
msel
f.

I
nhi
sownmi
nd,
Troynev
erbet
ray
sanyoft
heot
herchar
act
ers.

17)
.Dut
y

There'slot sofdiscussionaboutdutyinFences.Mostoft hisinvolv

est hedutyofaf at
hertohis
family.Tr oyMaxson, theplay'
sprotagonist
,seemstothinkt hatafather'
sonlyreal dutyi
st o
providef oodandshel ter.Hedoesn'tthi
nkit'
simport
antforaf at
hertoshowl ovet ohisson, and
hedoesn' tfeelhi
sdutiestohi swi
feincludefi
del
it
y.Troyhasanaf fai
r,butdoesn'tbeliev
ei t
's
necessar ilywrong.He'sprov i
dedforhiswifeandl
ovesher ,buthislovenowi ncludessomeone
else.ThoughTr oyfulf
ill
shisowni deaofhisduti
estohisf ami l
y,ot
hersmayquest i
ont his.What
doy out hink?Whatdoesaf at
herandhusbandowehi sfami ly?Whati sherequiredt ogive?

Quest
ionsAboutDut
y

 WhatdoesTr
oyseeashi
scent
ral
dut
ytohi
sfami
l
y?

 DoesTr
oyf
ail
inhi
sdut
ies?Whyorwhynot
?

 WhatdoesTr
oyseeashi
sfami
l
y'sdut
iest
ohi
m?WhatdoesheexpectofCor
y?OfRose?

ChewonThi
s

Tr
oyi
nher
it
edhi
ssenseoff
ami
l
ial
dut
yfr
om hi
sfat
her
.

Tr
oydoesn'
tfeel
anydut
ytol
ovehi
schi
l
dren.

18)
.Di
ssat
isf
act
ion

Dissati
sfact
ioncausesl otsoftroubl
einFences.Thepl ay
'sprotagonist
,TroyMaxson, is
dissati
sfi
edwi t
hhislife.He'sunhappythathisprobaseballdr
eamswer estoppedbyr aci
al
discri
minati
on.Hef eelstrappedandunfulfi
l
ledinhisjobasagar bagecol
lect
or.Hisson
constantl
ydisappointshim bynotseeingthev al
ueofwor k.Andev enthoughhel oveshiswi
fe,
Troyfindsanewl ovei nanotherwoman' sarms.Fencesexploreshowdi ssati
sfacti
oncanlead
tobehav i
orthatdestroysaper son'
sli
feandt hel
ivesofthosear oundthem.

Quest
ionsAboutDi
ssat
isf
act
ion
  Whatar
eTr
oy'
smaj
ordi
ssat
isf
act
ionsi
nli
fe?

 Ar
etheotherchar
acter
sasdissat
isfi
edasTr
oy?I
fso,
whatar
etheyupsetabout
?Ifnot
,
whyar
etheymor esati
sfi
edt
hanTr oy?

 HowdoesTr
oy'
sdi
ssat
isf
act
ionaf
fectt
heact
ionoft
hepl
ay?

ChewonThi
s

Ev
enifTroyhadgot
tenever
ythi
nghewantedi
nli
fe,
hewoul
dst
il
lbedi
ssat
isf
ied,
because
di
ssat
isf
acti
onisj
ustpar
tofhisnat
ure.

Thoughi
twi
l
lbeast
ruggl
e,Cor
ywon'
tl
ett
hedi
ssat
isf
act
ionofhi
sfat
herpoi
sonhi
sownl
i
fe.