August Wilsonâ??s Fences :: essays research papers

August Wilsons Fences     August Wilsons 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "Fences" thoughtfully examines the escalating racial tensions in the States during the 1950s. The playwright deftly handles such complex social issues as racism and adultery withtaboo smug commentary. The subtle discussion of black the States offers more insight than lecture, which heightens the dramatic impact upon the audience. Wilson recognizes that the family lies the foundation for American alliance as a whole, and shrewdly chooses family as the emphasis for "Fences."      The plays central commission is the Maxsons, the instrument Wilson uses to introduce African-American culture to those who are unfamiliar. In the mid-1950s, America was still experiencing a post-World War II economic boon, and could at expire allow foreign affairs to take a back cigarette to domestic issues. The social climate was becoming increasingly heated with the 1954 lo rdly Court decision Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, which ruled give instruction segregation was unconstitutional. This landmark ruling ignited racial tensions across America, which had been easy simmering for years.     The protagonist of "Fences" is former baseball player- perverted Pittsburgh garbage man troy Maxson, and the antagonist is clearly racism. It is racism which has defied troy weight Maxson at every turn and his skin color stood in the way of his quest to grab a piece of the American dream for himself and his family. Racism creates the conflict, which causes Troy to feel that he has been "fenced" in by a discriminatory society. It has heated tensions within the Maxson dwelling between Troy and his wife, Rose, and Troy and his son Cory.     August Wilson establishes an impression of the 53-year-old Troy Maxson early in Act I, writing that he is "a sizable man with thick, heavy hands it is this largeness that he strives to fill out and make an accommodation with.