Troy's Legacy

At Troy’s funeral, his family and friends often make comments about some of his memories. Some of his family members were even hesitant to show up to his funeral. “Mama… I got something to tell you. I don’t know how to tell you this…but I’ve got to tell you... I’m not going to Papa’s funeral” (Cory 96). When Cory is talking to Rose in that scene, he says he needs to finally be able to say no to Troy, and Rose tells him that he is just like Troy in all ways. I would say Troy’s legacy is his children. He tried everything to raise his kids better than how he was raised. His father did not care too much about him and his siblings, and his mother left them when he was younger. Troy’s kids each end up making good decisions in their life in the end. Cory joined the military but didn’t end up playing football, and Lyons is still struggling to find a true job, but he stuck to what he wanted to do just like Troy did when he played baseball. “You got to take the crooked with the straights. That’s what Papa used to say. He used to say that when he struck out” (94). With Lyons being the oldest, I think he learned the most life lessons from Troy. I believe Cory learned almost just as much from Troy. He was the only one who was following in his footsteps a little bit. And even Rose says that Cory has a lot of Troy’s characteristics in him. “You just like him. You got him in you good” (97). I think when Rose said that she did not mean in a bad way. Raynell shows a little bit of the same stubbornness that Troy had. Troy’s legacy is his kids because each one of them symbolize a little part of him.

Happiness Comparisons

Troy’s sense of happiness seems to be a little different than others in Fences. He thinks of life as a game of baseball. "'I stood on first base for eighteen years and I thought...well, goddamn it...go on for it'" (70). That quote shows that his thought of first base was getting married, being with someone who truly makes you happy, having kids, and supporting the family. Another quote would be “But… you born with two strikes on you before you come to the plate. You got to guard it closely… always looking for the curve-ball on the inside corner. You can’t afford to let none get past you. You can’t afford a call strike” (69). Compared to this book, our modern society portrays happiness in a similar but different way. In our modern society, Troy would be getting the bare minimum of happiness. To be above and beyond happiness nowadays, you would be married, have kids, be working the job or career that you always dreamed of, and be earning a decent amount of money. Happiness of very over glamorized. Society always portrays being a celebrity as being the happiest of all. In reality, Troy’s idea of happiness is really all you need.

The main difference between happiness in modern day society and Troy’s idea of happiness would be money. Money is seen as everyone’s ticket to happiness. Even if you make enough to get by every day, people still wish they made enough to be able to buy all the extravagant things. In Troy’s world, as long as you’re making enough to feed your family and provide for them, then that is good enough.

Being the Bread Winner

As a man, Troy of course is looked at as the bread winner of the family. Back in the 1950’s, African Americans were still fighting for civil rights, and lots of them struggled to find jobs. Troy works for the white man as a garbage collector and gets paid every Friday, and his family still struggles living day to day. I think that makes Troy feel almost less of a man with the fact that he cannot fully support his family. In the book he is talking to Rose and says “woman… I do the best I can do. I come in here every Friday. I carry a sack of potatoes and a bucket of lard. 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 blood. I ain’t got no tears. I done spent them.” (Wilson 40). That quote shows a weak side of Troy. He wants so desperately to be able to provide more for his family but can’t. He even took the money that was given to his brother after his injuries in the war.

Standards in our modern day society for men are much different than how it was in the 1950’s. In the 1950’s women weren’t known to work and help pay the bills; it was pretty much all up to the men. Modern standards for men would be to have a great education, and become a business man of some sort. Going above and beyond with purchases are also a modern society thing. Troy would not be able to live up to the expectations because he doesn’t make enough money.

Race, Power and Language

August Wilson was an African American writer that wrote playwrights. His legacy is giving an insight of African American struggles through his playwrights, and his own personal struggles. His legacy that he left behind got him the August Wilson Center named after him in his honor for African American culture (from the article “Ideas Abound at Public Meeting Held to Save August Wilson Center”), and his plays are still well known. In the United States, there are many stereotypes. For example, people expect lower class communities to be filled with Hispanics and/or African Americans. Race is major factor in the United States. We are one of the most diverse countries. With each different race, there factors in a different language or accent. Language is considerably significant when it comes to your class or “power”. “Talking white” or talking proper is what can get you a higher paying job and will make people look at you more respectably. Speaking English in the United States makes it easier to communicate and get a job. Race, power and language all intersect in the United States because it almost all like a chain reaction. If you are white, in the middle or upper class, and speak proper, then you are more likely to be considered to succeed in life. If you are African American, lower class or middle class, and speak a little more ghetto, then it most likely will be harder for you to be considered to succeed. The struggles that August Wilson wrote about in his playwrights are still alive in today’s society in the United States.