Nick's Place

Nicholas Barnard Response to Fences 5/8/2001

Fences was the first play by August Wilson that I read. I believe it is the most accessible of all of his plays, because of its more realistic than any of his other plays, plus it has a symbol that everyone recognizes as such, but many people can discuss what exactly it means.

The image of the fence is such a powerful one, but it is so simple, and complex at the same time. It describes Troy's psychological makeup, his compartmentalization of every aspect of his life; Troy's desire to either have Cory do as he wants or not be in his life at all; Rose's desire to hold her family together; the mental structure that Troy puts up that prevents himself from allowing other to succeed; and probably many other relationships within the play that elude me at the moment.

I keep thinking of this play in terms of color, specifically the skin color of its audience. I think that in many ways this play is much more traditional than any of his other plays, perhaps designed as such to keyhole a specific audience into his plays as a body, and thereby expose them to some of his other works. As I attempted to expose in the discussion, Wilson believes Fences is either the “odd man out” of his plays or is the fulcrum that all of his other plays evolve around. Perhaps Wilson has an ulterior motive for this play, as he seems somewhat cryptic about the reasonings for it.

In thinking about staging this play I would place it much closer to the Inherited Winds, and Seagulls than I would to the OPSes, Taymors, and Mixed Up Mollys of our theatrical traditions. Perhaps this I the genius of Wilson, provide a bit of fare for everyone, and have every piece of fare, be palatable to everyone. Albeit this theory breaks off of Wilson's published positions of wanting to write and create black theatre, for blacks. I think in someways he should think about writing about us as humans more than writing about history - this is what Fences does, and does well. He has masterfully mastered the history, what is needed is the portrayal of the human condition.

We all intellectually understood the World War II Holocaust, but when Steven Spielberg brought fulcrum that all of his other plays evolve around to the screen we understood the Holocaust on an intimate emotional level. I honestly cannot say that I understand the struggle of African-Americans from an intimate emotional level, I understand their struggles intellectually in all of Wilson's plays, but in Fences I feel the struggle on an emotional level

Perhaps here is the point to segway into Nick's standard tangent paper. I feel like Wilson has captured the essence of every father-son relationship. There is an innate struggle whereas the son must establish himself as his own man, but still attempt to please his father in the process. In many ways I see parts of the relationship with my father, but in many other ways I see more of the relationship I have with my mother. She doesn't understand my desire for theatre, and has frankly asked me what I'm going to do after college. (A valid question) For some reason I doubt she would be asking me this if my degree were in many of a theoretical unapplyable area, like history or philosophy. These disciplines exist for very much the sole purpose of being taught and having books written about them. I have a few history major graduates working in fields totally unrelated to history, but part of the reason they got the professions the were in was because they had a BA, it wasn't important what their BA was in. In my household we also have the situation whereas my grandmother is very strong, and in some ways has emotionally wounded my mother. This against is not directed back toward my grandmother (the proper party) but is instead directed toward me. In some ways I feel that my mom is attempting to recreate the relationship she has with her mother with me, albeit with her in the opposite role. What frustrates her, is that I do not accept with it, and thus I deny her the control that Cory also denies Troy.

I have related to this play on so many levels while I've been studying it. I feel an emotional bond; an intellectual curiosity; a symbolic understanding; and above all a respect for this work, which will be one of Wilson's enduring plays.