Study Guide: August Wilsons Fences

Nearpod: 11 Things to Know about August Wilson #1 Wilson 101 notes

#2 The Century Cycle

#3 Hill District

#4 Pulitizer Prizes

#5 Ten Plays

#6 Broadway

#7 The Four Bs

#8 The Blues

#9 Wilsons Audience

#10 Wilsons Actors

#11 Lights Go Dark

Fences Cast of Characters

Troy Maxon: Early 50s. Legendary Negro League baseball player, now working as a garbage collector. Troy is a story-teller. He is at once jovial and loving and brash and overbearing. A complicated man embittered by the racism he has experienced throughout his life. Rose Maxon: Mid 40s. Troys wife. A strong, supportive woman who is fiercely protective of her husband and son. A loving presence that counterbalances Troys ferocity for life, Rose mothers almost everyone around her. She is quiet and laughs easily. A gentle spirit.

Study Guide: August Wilsons Fences

Jim Bono: Early 50s. Troys very good friend. The men met while in prison and Bono, as he is known, has stayed with Troy through his legendary days in baseball and today works beside him as a garbage man. Like brothers, the two men love each other deeply. Cory: Late teens. Troy and Roses son. Cory is a natural athlete like his father, eager to prove his salt to the legendary Troy Maxon. He has been playing football, hoping to catch the eyes of college recruiters, offering him the educational opportunities his illiterate father never had. Lyons: Mid 30s. Troys eldest son from a previous relationship. Lyons is a musician who cannot seem to keep a job. He is full of laughter and uses his charming personality to quell his fathers quick anger. A grown man, he lives with his girlfriend nearby. Gabriel: Early 40s. Troys brother. After being severely injured with a head trauma in World War II, Gabriel is left with a childlike innocence and a deep sense of concern for his older brother. He believes with every fiber in his being that he is the archangel Gabriel. Raynell: Nine years old. Troys daughter and youngest child from another relationship.

Setting (as written by the playwright)

The Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1957 The setting is the yard which fronts the only entrance to the Maxon household, an ancient two-story brick house set back off a small alley in a big-city neighborhood. The entrance to the house is gained by two or three steps leading to a wooden porch badly in need of paint. A relatively recent addition to the house and running its full width, the porch lacks congruence. It is a sturdy porch with a flat roof. One or two chairs of dubious value sit at one end where the kitchen window opens onto the porch. An old fashioned icebox stands silent guard and opposite end. The yard is a small dirt yard, partially fenced (except during the last scene), with a wooden sawhorse, a pile of lumber, and other fence-building equipment off to the side. Opposite is a tree from which hangs a ball made of rags. A baseball bat leans against the tree. Two oil drums serve as garbage receptacles and sit near the house at right to complete the setting.
The Mythic Hero Mythology scholar Joseph Campbell defines a hero this way: A hero is someone who has given his/her life to something bigger than oneself. The mythic heros journey:

Study Guide: August Wilsons Fences

The hero is often _____________________to undertake the adventure. The hero has _____________________________who help along the way. The hero has special ________________________that elevate him/her beyond other humans. The hero is put through ________________________to strengthen them for battle. The hero endures a supreme__________________. There is an apotheosis (________________________________) where the heros best qualities come together. The hero is _____________________and/or _____________________through his/her experience. What is the significance of Troys name? Essential Questions:

1.

What qualities of Troys character make him a mythic hero?

2. What journey or quest must Troy undertake in Fences in order to develop his characters meaning as a mythic hero?

3. If Troy is a mythic hero, what contribution or sacrifice has he made for his community/society?

4. Troy is ultimately a tragic character: a tragic mythic hero. What, in your opinion, is Troys tragic flaw that leads to his downfall? (note: tragic flaws come from within)

Study Guide: August Wilsons Fences

Themes Coming of Age a. What was Troys relationship with his father? How did that experience shape both his adolescene and adulthood? b. What is Troys relationship to his son Lyons? c. Describe Troys relationship with Cory. Inheriting/Interpreting History a. How does Troys experience with baseball shape his views on Corys football career? b. Why is Troy so insistent on Cory working at the A&P? Responsibility a. What is our responsibility to ourselves? b. What is a parents responsibility to his/her children? c. What is a husbands or wifes responsibility to his or her spouse? d. What is our responsibility to our community or society? e. What do we do when one or more of these responsibilities is in conflict? African American Identity a. What does the setting suggest about the Maxsons place in society? b. What evidence of Jim Crow and institutionalized rascism can be found in the play? c. What factors blocked Troy Maxson from playing professional baseball? d. Why can Troy not drive a garbage truck? e. What is the significance of Troy winning the right to drive a truck? f. Why does Troy oppose Corey playing football to get a college scholarship? g. How do Troys experiences affect his relationships with his friends and family?

1.

2.

3.

4.

Symbols and Motifs 1. baseball a. In baseball terminology, what is home and what is its significance to the game? b. What is home to Troy Maxson? c. In baseball terminology, what are fences? d. What is the significance of fences in the play? 2. fences a. Why does Troy want to build a fence around his yard? What is he trying to keep out? What is he trying to keep in? b. Does he ever complete this fence? 3. the Devil & death a. How does Troy speak of the devil in baseball terms? b. What stories does Troy tell about death? What do these stories reveal about his character? 4. seeds a. Explain the significance of Raynells garden.