I believe that Troy’s legacy is the family he leaves
behind, and the morals and beliefs that are instilled in them. In chapter 5, we
see his whole family come together for his funeral; Cory came back from the
Marines, Lyons came by, and Gabriel was able to leave the hospital. Each and
every one of these people, including Rose and Raynell, have been impacted by
Troy and his role in life. Troy shaped, developed, and ultimately left behind
his legacy throughout the play by trying his best to make a difference in
someone’s life; no matter the size. He tried his hardest, even at the smallest
things, to teach his children his own ideas and beliefs. He tried his hardest
to explain to Lyons that he should be able to support himself at his, he tried
to steer Cory to the right path, and he tried to provide all he could for his
daughter, Raynell. This developed throughout the novel since they soon became
more extreme, in the beginning Troy was stern in his advice, and later, he was
very straightforward- almost angry- when trying to get Cory to do the right
thing.
Ultimately, he left behind his
legacy in his family. They will always remember Troy as a father who just
wanted the right things for his children. Although most of the time his family
did not want to hear his advice or learn from him, they still held on to key
ideas from him; in Act 2 Scene 5, Lyons is explaining to Cory about the time he
has to do for cashing other people’s checks, and he says “It ain’t so bad. You
got to take the crooked with the straights. That’s what Papa used to say” (94).
This quote demonstrates how Lyons still holds on to advice from his father, and
still lives by it even after he has passed; it is a great example of how Troy’s
legacy remains in his family and the people he knew. Not only was Troy’s advice
and sayings something that lived on in other’s lives, but also his strength and
his presence on other people. In Scene 5, Rose went on about Troy and how she
opened up to him. In the end she says “Like I’d been blessed to relive a part
of my life. And if the Lord see fit to keep up my strength…I’m gonna do her
just like your daddy did you…I’m gonna give her the best of what’s in me” (98).
This quote shows how Troy has left behind something in Rose, he left behind strength
and motivation to work as hard as he did. His legacy is the ideas and beliefs
left in the family that he left behind.
I agree with you when you said that Troy was trying his hardest, even with the smallest thing, to teach his kids about his own ideas and beliefs because in the play, Troy was always trying to teach his kids about the real life -- he was telling Lyons to get a job so that he wouldn't have to ask his dad for money when he's in his 30s and he was telling Cory to get his job back down at the A&P because he wanted Cory to have something that was a guaranteed thing (his football career could end soon and he wouldn't have anything else to come back to because he was too busy worrying about football and Troy didn't want that for him). In the end of act 2 scene 5, Rose is telling Cory that Troy was actually a good father to his kids and that's what she's going to remember about him. "And if the Lord see fit to keep up my strength... I'm gonna do her just like your daddy did you... I'm gonna give her the best of what's in me," (Wilson 98).
ReplyDeleteYou used a lot of really good evidence that helped back up your opinion on his legacy. I agree with you that he left a huge impact on his family members. When Cory and Rose are talking towards the end, Cory explains that he cannot go to his fathers funeral because he needs to be free of Troy for once. "Everywhere I looked, Troy Maxson was staring back at me...hiding under the bed... in the closet. I'm just saying I've got to find a way to get rid of that shadow, Mama." (97). This helps to show that even though Troy is gone, he is still making an impact on his family.
ReplyDeletei agree with Jazmin, because of we also look we can see later on the same page that Rose tells Cory that “Your daddy wanted you to be everything he wasn't…and at the same time he was trying to make you everything he was. I don’t know if he was right or wrong…but I do know that he meant to do more good than he meant to do harm.” we can see how he wanted Cory to be a better man than Troy did. and left behind a person who has become strong thanks to Troy.
Deleteit is a really good point you brought up about what he left behind in each family member, but i also think he left something behind in his friend Bono, because he was able to treat his wife nicer because he learned from Troys mistakes of cheating on his wife Rose.
I agree when you said that Troy's legacy is the family that he left behind, as you said in your evidence, they all went to the funeral to remember the man that he was and what he left in each one of them to always keep inside. I also agree when you said how Troy impacted Rose and how she demonstrated to Cory when she explained to him why he should go to the funeral.
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