Putting Troy in place

Troy is Fence’s protagonist. He is a very responsible man whose failed dreams lead him to be prone to believing in telling fake stories and illusions to make his life sound better and more exciting than it really is. Troy instigates conflict as a result of his ability to believe in self-created illusions and his inability to accept other's choices in life when they differ from Troy's own philosophy.

Troy’s inability to accept other’s ideas is one of his crucial downfalls. He considers his route the only option. This characteristic has been developed because of the hardship that he has had to endure. I still don’t think it is right for Troy to inflict his opinions over other people’s lives as much as he does.

It’s important that people are able to forge their own paths and be unique. Troy doesn't allow others to create their own path, he institutes his own. But it turns out Troy’s path isn't so clean either.

Troy walks a jaded path of hypocrisy. He demands that his family and loved ones live very practical and responsible lives but he himself is guilty of having an affair and rebelling against racist practices of his employers.

Troy seems to refuse to see life in the way he presents it to other but rather through how he perceives the same events in his head.

Maslow’s hierarchy places love/belonging as the third most important level of needs to thrive as a person in an environment. While Troy provides for the bottom two, is that enough? I think a father figure should be viewed as more than just a provider.

At the beginning of the play we joke with Troy about getting away with his affair and viewing him as the hero of the family, but as things progress we have to analyze his negative attributes as major character flaws in a conflicted man.