Critical Scholarly works on August Wilson's Literature:
Play reviews: Fences by August Wilson (Historical Criticism Perspective)
by: Jakarta Alchura
August Wilson's Fences is a play with a theme centered on Troy Maxson, the main character. The theme, which exemplified the main character, was about what life was like for African Americans in the mid 20th Century. With the use of Historical Criticism, we will see how Wilson used his characters and setting to give us a view of African Americans in the 1950's-in the United States focusing on their inequality in society.Wilson's use of setting was simplistic as it took place in a single scene, in the main character's yard, and powerful at the same time by focusing issues close to the heart with a father and son relationship. With an abstract of events leading up to 1957 followed by a solitary and stationary setting throughout the entire play. Wilson sets the tone early, in the abstract, by outlining the lives of African Americans in that time. This powerful use of setting eludes to the historical context of how society was in the 1950's. Wilson sets the scene by writing about the lives of African Americans:
They sold the use of their muscles and bodies. They cleaned
Wilson is showing his readers the strength they possessed, physically and mentally. The importance of the setting is recounted in chapter 17 {"Plays"} in Schwiebert's Reading and Writing from Literature Third Edition under the heading of "setting." Schwiebert wrote the following about Wilson's use of setting, "This description of setting prepares us to understand and appreciate Troy's struggles and motivations, which develop in a context of historically entrenched racism" (Plays 179).
Throughout the play, we see the effects of racism that existed in the time of Troy Maxson which in the historical context mirrored the societies of the United States in the 1950's. Racism produces inequality among a society and we see several examples of the effects on Wilson's characters that the inequality had on them. Wilson shows us of Troy's frustration with the prejudice he endured when he recounts a conversation he had with his boss concerning the issue. Troy had this to say, "That's all I did. I went to Mr. Rand and asked him, Why? Why you got the white mens driving and the colored lifting?' (Fences 913). With the words "white mens" and "colored," Wilson is allowing his readers to better relate to the story by helping them understand how people of that time communicated with each other.
Wilson shows us more of the result of Troy's life of hardships, especially in dealing with prejudice, when his wife Rose tells him about their son Cory and how he {Cory} was asked to join a college football team. Troy's response possessed years of resentment and bitterness as he pointed out his perception of Cory's situation. He told Rose that "The white man aint' gonna let him get nowhere with that football" (Fences 915). Here, Wilson is relating the emotional turmoil that many African Americans felt at the time due to years of oppression. We see Troy's frustration again later when he and his wife remember a man {who was African American} who won the lottery and later become prejudice towards those of his own race. Wilson begins with Troy's wife, Rose, telling the story in this way, "That's one thing for sure. Besidessome good things come from playing numbers. Look where Pope done brought him that restaurant off of numbers" (Fences 922). Troy then responds with, "Got lucky there and hit the numbers {referring to Pope}" (Fences 922).
Troy then goes on a rant by saying the following:
Man bought him that restaurant down therefixed it up real niceand then didn't want nobody to come in it! A Negro go in there and can't get no kind of service. I seen a white fellow come in there and order a bowl of stew. Pope picked all the meat out the pot for him. Man ain't had nothing but a bowl of meat! Negro come behind him and ain't got nothing but the potatoes and carrots. (Fences 923)
Here, Wilson is relating the frustration of many African Americans of Troy's time that fought against prejudice and got upset when another of their own race turned their back on their heritage just to fit in with society despite society being wrong. In colloquial terms, Troy felt that Pope had "sold out."
In order to understand the historical context of Wilson's play, we look toward his influences for writing a piece so powerful. To do so, we look to The "Biographical Sketches" in the anthology Approaching Literature in the 21st Century which outlined Wilson's intent of using plays to raise "consciousness." Wilson's intent was to recount the struggles and "indignities" that were experienced by those before him ("Biographical" 1446). The intent matched the result, as Worldbook.com reports on a webpage entitled "African American Literature: Voices of Slavery and Freedom" that Wilson won the Pulitzer Prize for "Fences" in 1987 (Wilson 1).
Wilson's use of setting fits in perfectly with the historical context of inequality in the societies of America in the 1950's along with his use of characters, relates how life was like for people like Troy Maxson. Wilson best illustrates Troy Maxson's life early on in the play with a conversation that took place with his wife Rose and his best friend Bono in his backyard on a Friday night payday and the one night Troy could relax.
