The evolution of Troy's Legacy

Troy was the main character whose decisions changed the lives of many people. His very existence affect these lives and I will say that those effects are his legacy. First of all in the first act Wilson makes the reader know that he is a very hard working family man who does provide for his family. Wilson makes this very apparent on page 40 when Troy says “You all line up at the door with your hands out. I give you the lint from my pockets. I give you my sweat and my blood” (Wilson 40). Wilson is trying to exaggerate the amount of hard work he puts in to provide for his family. It also becomes pretty apparent when he worked hard to get a chance to play professional baseball. As that was shown in act two that his legacy was a selfish man because of what he decided to do and go out and cheat with Alberta and get her pregnant. Wilson makes this very apparent when Troy says “I can laugh out loud…and it feels good. It reaches all the way down to the bottom of my shoes. Rose, I can’t give that up.” (Wilson 69). The way Troy said this it makes it seem that he was the only one who wanted an escape when he didn’t know that Rose as well made some huge sacrifices to be with him. Troy’s last legacy he made or left was Corey because as Rose put it he became just like his father a “man”. Troy raised him how he knew and wanted him to come out like. 

What Makes Troy Happy?

In the book Fences, the overlapping theme of happiness is doing what your heart desires. For example for Troy it’s being able to live with no responsibilities and not worrying about paying the bills or fixing the roof. As Troy said “I ain’t got to wonder how I’m gonna pay the bills or get the roof fixed. I can just be a part of myself that I ain’t never been” (Wilson 69). As Troy goes on he’s talking about being in the same spot as in “first base” because he has to always worry about his family and working hard to get the money to pay the necessities. Another thing he says that Is happiness for him is not going back to the old him when he was in penitentiary or with a bottle of wine in his hand while passed out in the middle of the street. Given that perception of happiness back then, today’s happiness is very over glamorized. Looking at every commercial that is on TV the actors are all living a good life smiling about the newest product they bought.Like if your going to eat a bowl of cereal in the morning chances are your not going to be that happy these commercials aren't the accurate portrayal of real life. Given that happiness is “easier” to get and is everywhere. Happiness now is not a right but its something you can work hard because happiness is even in our Declaration of Independence. Looking at both these time periods we can see many similarities and differences of happiness. I believe that back then and now, happiness differ from the periods of time. Back then happiness was more towards family as in your son and wife and being able to provide for them. While for today’s happiness is more towards materialistic possessions and that is what can make you happy. 

Breadwinners of the Family

Troy’s Society expects him as a Father to be the bread winner of the family. Society expects him to provide all the necessities to his family. For example food, clothes, and a bed to sleep in every night. I found this especially true because on page thirty seen to thirty eight. At this point of the book he begins to show how in his society what his responsibilities are at that point in time. As Troy says “It’s my job…you understand what I’m saying, boy?” (Wilson 38). This makes me think this because since the beginning of time it was socially accepted that the men would provide for the family while the women stay at home and raise the family. For that reason that’s why Troy goes off on Cory to get him to understand the duties and responsibilities of a man at that point in history. I believe Troy is not necessarily a great man but isn’t bad either. He is very strong in the point where he is the bread winner of the family and provides for their every needs. The point where he falls short and can be deemed weak is the way he treats his own son. He only treats them like it’s a job to take care of them when it’s more than just a job. For that reason I believe he wouldn’t meet the emotion standard for men during this age as a father he needs to be able to provide for the emotional needs of your children. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs he states that humans have steps of needs and children of this generations are getting babied and given that emotional needs fulfilled.  

Legacy through the Eyes of your Spouse

First of all legacy in the dictionary dot com defines legacy as “anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor” (dictionary).The legacy of August Wilson culminates in the Pittsburgh Cycle which he received two Pulitzers prizes for drama. Each one is written about a different decade, each one describing the aspects of the African-American experience. Each one is a story of love, honor, duty and betrayal. His legacy also includes the ability to create the first complete cycle. Another legacy that he left was he was married three times to all separate women. He will be known to two of them as a failed marriage, but for Constanza Romero he was everything she ever wanted. She defined his legacy as the “marriage to one of the finest modern American playwrights, his ties to Seattle” (Berson).  She does her best to carry out his legacy how he would want it to be. She also said that his legacy of his personality and how he had her with his genuine interest in people, his humanity. As well as that she was taken by his thoughtfulness. Lastly how he will always be her past, her present, and her future.

Thinking about the biggest legacy anyone can point to is his Pittsburgh cycle is that race, power, and language all intersect in the United States. His cycle points at how all this race concept is seen through the eyes of an African American living in the U.S. His cycles will always be talking about how race is only seen through one way and pushes it to get away from thinking race is only about the differences between people and see them for their power, language and class.