Along with the 4th of July and apple pie, baseball is a famous symbol of America. Since its invention over 150 years ago, the game has served as a powerful metaphor for the American Dream and the democratic hopes and ideals that accompany this idea. However, in 1957, when August Wilson's Fences is set, baseball was still in the early stages of desegregation, a process that had begun ten years earlier. This racial revolution left Wilson's protagonist, 53-year-old former Negro League star Troy Maxson, resentful of the opportunities he had been denied in his baseball career. Troy's disappointment affects not only his life, but also that of his family, especially that of his eighteen-year-old son, Cory. Based on his outdated assumption that discrimination still exists in sports despite cultural changes, Troy attempts to protect Cory by denying him a football scholarship and a chance to achieve the American dream. Troy explains his actions entirely through baseball terminology. Troy also relies on baseball imagery to describe an extramarital affair and his relationship with death itself. Using these vivid baseball images and charged rhetoric, Troy Maxson challenges the constraints of racism and the mundanity of his own life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Consumed by bitterness, Troy dwells on memories of his previous playing days while also attempting to distinguish himself as unique. After being denied his desire to play professional baseball, Troy focuses on the biggest deterrent to his old dreams. In Troy's mind, there is the only reason he hasn't succeeded in baseball, and that is his running. After Rose suggests that Troy was simply too old once he broke baseball's color barrier, he says, “What do you mean, too old? Don't come and tell me I was too old. I just wasn't the right color. Hell, I'm fifty-three and I can do better than Selkirk's .269 right now! (39). Troy's clear awareness of the power of race in determining opportunity is the main source of his discontent. Troy feels the need to get out, as evidenced by his use of “right,” to justify his distress. His comparison to New York Yankees outfielder George Selkirk, an average white player, also demonstrates his desire to make others understand that he was indeed talented enough to play in the major leagues. He goes further by comparing himself favorably to Selkirk, saying, “Man batting .269, you know? .269. What's the point? I was hitting .432 with thirty-seven home runs!” (9). Troy even goes so far as to compare himself to other black baseball players. Note: “Jackie Robinson was a nobody…Hank Aaron is a nobody.” (34) By bringing these legendary African American players to his level, Troy suggests that it is truly impossible for any black athlete to succeed in white-controlled professional sports. These claims, however, seem vain and unjustified coming from embittered Troy. His repeated use of the word “nobody” also serves to illustrate one of the reasons why Troy could never succeed in professional baseball, a reason he himself does not acknowledge. Wilson describes Troy as a stubborn and defiant character, with a much less conciliatory manner than would have been necessary to handle the difficulties of being black in the Major Leagues of the 1940s and 1950s. Troy's slander of other players and the racist culture of baseball thus make him seem like a provocateur rather than a victim. Yourprejudice and his bitterness also affect his son Cory's baseball career. Believing that African Americans will never be given a fair chance in sports, Troy denies Cory the chance to play college football. The clash between Troy and Cory persists throughout the play. It all begins when Cory receives news that he has been awarded a scholarship to the University of North Carolina. Troy's immediate reaction to this news is to assume that Cory actually won't even have a chance to succeed. Troy says, “The white man won't let you go anywhere with that ball anyway.” (35) This echoes Troy's complaints about his baseball career, but his concern for Cory's future is even more acute. Troy groups all sports organizations, or any person in power, as a “white man”. This generalization shows how disenchanted and prejudiced Troy has become after experiencing so much disappointment in his baseball career. Therefore, when his son receives an opportunity far superior to any chance Troy received, he immediately rejects it based on his long-standing fear of exclusion and rejection by those in power. When Rose tries to convince Troy to let Cory play, he explains that Cory is simply trying to be like his father. He says, “Why don't you let the boy go ahead and play football, Troy? There's nothing wrong with that. He's just trying to be like you with sports” (39). The indignant language Troy uses to respond suggests that Rose has touched on a very sensitive subject. Cory being exactly like him is exactly what Troy wants to prevent. Troy tells Rose, “I don't want her to be like me! I want him to get as far away from my life as possible... I decided seventeen years ago that that boy would not be involved in any sports. Not after what they did to me in sport” (39). The way Troy protects and cares for his son confuses Rose and infuriates Cory. In Troy's mind, he is protecting his son from falling victim to his own delusions. The world of sports and baseball have come to represent such evil to Troy that he lets his past shape Cory's future, determined not to let racism dictate Cory's life. Wilson leaves it ambiguous why Troy waited until such a late point in Cory's life to stop him from playing sports. This is perhaps because Troy realizes that because Cory plays a different sport at a different time, he may actually have a better chance of success than his father. This clash between Cory and Troy ultimately makes Cory unable to live in the same house as his father. As Troy drifts further and further away from his dream of playing baseball, he begins to blend the playing field with his family life. Troy begins using baseball imagery to direct his family and challenge white culture. Wilson describes the show's sole setting as "a small, dirty, partially fenced yard... A baseball bat leaning against a tree." This description suggests that Troy still treats his surroundings like a baseball game. The land in the courtyard is a field where you can go and battle with whoever you want, just like you did during the real game. Baseball imagery is central to how Troy makes sense of his world. He describes his attitude about life to Rose, saying, “You were born with two strikes on you before you came to the plate. You have to watch him closely…always looking for the curveball in the inside corner” (69). This powerful image shows a rebellious Troy as a perpetual fighter in the batter's box of life, struggling to make a livingdignified in a world that will always discriminate against him. Troy attempts to pass this combative and truculent mentality onto Cory as well, but after learning that Troy has destroyed his football prospects, Cory becomes so angry that he begins making angry accusations against his father. He says: “Just because you had no chance! You're just afraid that I'll become better than you, that's all” (58). Filled with idealism about the promise of the American Dream, Cory's reaction reflects the generational conflict between father and son. In response to Cory's accusation, Troy responds with the same images of baseball as a battlefield. He says, “I'll tell you what your mistake was. See... you threw the ball and didn't hit it. This is the first shot. See you in the mixing box now. You swung and missed. This is the first shot. Don't delete it! (58) For Troy, baseball is inextricably linked to pain and disappointment. He identifies Cory's failure with the physical action of missing a shot, a “strike”. This depiction of disappointment as a physical action shows the effect that disillusionment and racism have had on Troy's life, as well as how Troy perpetuates this in his parenting decisions. As Cory gets closer to "striking out," or rather, being kicked out of the house, Troy increasingly blends his baseball imagery with ominous warnings. Eventually, Cory gets into a physical fight with Troy and leaves the house, serving as the final blow in Cory's potential sports career. This conflict also puts Troy to the test. Just before the show's conclusion, Troy directs his baseball rhetoric toward death and his marital strife to emphasize his proud defiance. After exposing his affair to Rose, Troy attempts to justify his actions again using his traditional baseball terminology. He says, "I've been at first base for eighteen years and I thought...well, damn...keep it up!" (70) This explanation provides a window into Troy's character by showing how much his life had been focused on being responsible. He assures himself that he has the right to seek and achieve more because he has lived the same “dignified” and “useful” life for “eighteen years.” Significantly, he uses the “first base” image to explain his period of stasis because his baseball career was also stalled. Through this display of pride, the reader can see how important it is for Troy to differentiate herself and challenge her static life. This theme of defiance continues as the play progresses and Troy begins to face death itself. By connecting baseball and death, he convinces himself that he is invincible and close to immortality. Troy says of death: “Death is nothing. I've seen it before. I'm done arguing with him. You can't tell me anything about him. Death is nothing but a fastball to the outside corner” (10). A frequent habit of Troy's is to often hide his fear and dismiss reality using baseball terminology, the one thing he knows best. Troy's dream of becoming a professional baseball player is shattered, and since men were not allowed to show weakness, he constantly uses baseball terminology to downplay his flaws and greatest fears, including death. Wilson further exemplifies this connection between baseball and death, as Troy dies holding a baseball bat in his hand: “He was out here swinging that bat… he swung it and he stood there with this smile on his face… and then he fell” This final connection and symbolization of baseball and death allows Wilson to create this final message about Troy and his life. Troy equates the death with a pitch he could hit to score a home run. This speech parallels his disparaging comments about Hank.