August Wilson

03/01/13 August Wilson’s Fences is a play set in 1957, about a man named Troy Maxon, who lives his life through societal expectations. He has a family that he destroys by having an affair and getting his mistress pregnant. In August Wilson’s Fences, the character who is most bound by societal expectations is Troy. Troy is most bound by societal expectations because he couldn’t live out his dream of becoming a star baseball player because of his past. He refuses to believe that society has changed a lot since then.He settles with what he grew up knowing about society. When Cory tells him he wants to be a football player, he basically tells him to choose another path. Troy settles with being a garbage lifter because he feels that’s what is expected of him. He regrets his past and not becoming a pro baseball star. He takes it out of Cory because he had big dreams like him and he didn’t make it. The character who is least bound by societal expectations is Cory. He is least bound by societal expectations because he is trying to go out and make it playing football.He tries not to pay attention to Troy and his beliefs that he won’t make it because of the society. Cory wants to live outside of the societal expectations and play football in college. In the play Fences Troy failed to see how much society has changed since he was younger. He takes it out on his son Cory who has realized that society has changed and has big dreams. All of Troy’s actions in this play were based on the way he feels about societal expectations and he destroyed his family.