During the 1950’s society expected a man to be one
who could strive to provide for his family. The one to protect them from any
danger, but also the man to pass on values that would start building the
character of his children. In the play Fences Troy was the definition of a man,
but did have some flaws that seem to really stand out during key moments. One
flaw would be as a formal athlete, Troy was striving at his goal to be able to
play in the major leagues of baseball. Something an African American at the
time would find hard to accomplish. Thinking back to the setting of the play
that takes place during when the U.S. was dealing with the race relations and
segregation. Troy was trying to make it big and go after his goals, minding
that this was even earlier than the 50’s because now Troy is a garbage man and
not playing baseball anymore. So you can understand that Troy was going through
an even worst time because most pro sports teams hadn’t fully integrated blacks
into their programs, which is why Troy didn’t make it in to play baseball. This
is what I think sparked his despise of baseballs current state seeing all those
black men playing baseball, a chance Troy never got to have. "I decided seventeen years ago that boy wasn't getting involved in no sports. not after what they did to me in the sports" (39). Another flaw would
be Troy’s depiction of a man, striving to feed and shelter his family. Now that Troy's been doing just that for some time now, he has exauhsted his efforts to have a purpose in life. "That's all i got, Rose. That's all i got to give. I can't give nothing else" (40). But because of Troy’s past experiences
with society, it affects the way he treats others and you can see that when
Troy talks to his son Cory. Troy wants to show Cory how to be a real man, and
pass on his values to his son. But Troy’s values are somewhat decayed by
society, and this doesn’t represent a good example for his son. Troy is a
strong man, perhaps too strong for his own kind, which exploits his true
weaknesses.
I really liked how you explained what a man was suppose to do in the 1950 and then correlated it with how he wanted to raise his son Cory and how he just wanted the best for him
ReplyDeletei agree with what you said and really liked that you explained what a man was is the early to mid 1900's and that how he's dealt with segregation and him not being able to play in the major leagues.
ReplyDeletei agree with what you said and really liked that you explained what a man was is the early to mid 1900's and that how he's dealt with segregation and him not being able to play in the major leagues.
ReplyDeletei agree with what you said and really liked that you explained what a man was is the early to mid 1900's and that how he's dealt with segregation and him not being able to play in the major leagues.
ReplyDelete