Essay - Literature Fatherhood in Fences the Purpose of This Paper is...

Literature

***** in Fences

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, d*****cuss, and analyze the play "*****" by August Wilson. Specifically, it will discuss his opinion ***** vision of fatherhood in the story. It will also ********** what critics think about his vision ***** fatherhood. August Wilson's opinion of ***** in this play is quite cynical. His portrayal ***** Troy Maxson is at least partially based on his own strained relati*****ship with his stepfather. His hope is to allow sons to learn from their fathers, while not committing the same mistakes their ***** make. However, ***** ***** illustrates just how difficult it is for fathers and sons ***** put the past behind them. Often, they never do until it ***** too late, and ***** never have the chance to make it right between *****m.

The play follows the lives of the ***** family, Troy, ***** father, ***** Cory and Lyons, his sons. Like most fathers, Troy wants more for ***** sons than he has, but he often goes ***** influencing them the wrong way. Wilson based the quarrels ***** fa*****r and ***** on his own relationship with his father and step*****, which may explain why his portrayal of fatherhood is so difficult to read. Critic Sandra G. Shannon notes, "The playwright's ***** turbulent passage into manhood ***** neither financial nor emotional support from his father is reflected in the escalating battle royal between the antagonistic Troy and his defiant son Cory" (Shannon 92). This ***** continues throughout the play, ***** ends much like ***** own relationship with his ***** ended. His stepfather died before he could reconcile with him, and afterward, he finally understood that no matter their differences, he still cared about his stepfather.

Troy is the main character in th***** play, and the one who *****fluences his son's *****, whe*****r they like it or not. Cr*****ic Shannon continues, "Troy Maxson, the tyrant of a father and the *****ting yet unfaithful husband, commands a full range ***** emotions ***** pity to disgust. ***** family and all other characters pale beside ***** boisterous elocutions and selfish codes of behavior" (Shannon 91). He is tyrannical, selfish, ***** extremely determined that his sons not follow in his ***** family's destructive footsteps, and *****, he meddles in their lives so much ***** he drives ***** away and alters their future completely. He thrives on conflict, especi*****y with those ***** do not agree with him, and ***** he is constantly at odds with ***** *****, who have dreams and aspirations that do not include *****'s ideas for their *****.

***** is the son ***** is most affected by Troy's constant meddling. Troy tells the football recruiter ***** to look at his *****, and ***** the coach Cory cannot play. This is too much of a blow for Cory, ********** so he enlists in t***** Mar*****es. He probably ***** would have considered such a thing if it were not ***** Tory's ***** in his l*****e. He thinks he is doing it for the right