The metaphor of fences in the play was very potent. At one point, Troy wonders why exactly Rose wants a fence around the house. Bono replies that there are two reasons to put up fences: to keep people out, or to keep people in. Little does Troy realize, he's been putting up and knocking down many fences over the course of the play. He knocks his own fence down to go visit Alberta. He puts up another fence to keep Cory from excelling in football. He also fences Rose into the house. He keeps a fence up against Lyons and Gabriel, because they both make him feel guilty and frustrated--Lyons for reminding Troy of his past mistakes, and Gabriel for reminding Troy that he's is the only reason the Maxsons "have a pot to piss in" because of his pension. The main reason for all of these fences is that Troy, deep down, is actually quite a selfish character. He goes on and on about how he doesn't have to like people, it's his responsibility to take care of them. The problem is that without love, there just isn't any real motivation for Troy to keep taking good care of his family.
I liked the dialogue in Fences. It did not have that sort of forced dramatic diction that happens so often in bad plays. Here, the language is raw and the delivery is realistic. It really added well to the atmosphere of the play. I also know that the play was quite long to read--and I imagine the performance would be more or less the same length--but I think it was well-paced. There were strong monologues mixed into all the dialogue that occurs. I particularly liked Troy's speeches, as well as the one Rose delivers to Troy near the end of the play.
I agree with you about the whole adultery situation. It took me by surprise as well, even though I knew the entire time in the back of my mind what was actually going on. I suppose Wilson let us experience it from Rose’s point of view. She knew he wasn’t really a good, true man through and through, but she wanted to believe he was. I think it’s a sign of excellent writing that the character Troy was so skilled at smooth talking that he even fooled us, the readers!
ReplyDeleteI also thought the dialogue was very raw and realistic, but when we watched that filmed version of it in class it seemed so stilted and rigid and completely un- realistic. I’m anxious to see a live performance and see how it plays out on stage.
Some good stuff here to try out on your own. Among other things, successfully incorporating monologues within your dialogue and/or when there are others on stage is worth a shot. You're right that the most powerful parts of this play are delivered via loooong speeches. You'll have to see whether the good pacing works better on stage or whether it drags live.
ReplyDeleteExtended metaphor, as here, would also be fun to try. This one does so much. It's a beautiful symbol, but it also buys so much in terms of plot, characterization, history and backstory, foreshadowing and theme. Try it. There's much to play with there.
I love your description of the extended metaphor of the fence. It's used throughout the play and really helps tie all these complex relationships together. That's good stuff.
ReplyDeleteOn Troy: I thought he was an interesting character. He does seem sort of stereotypical at first, but then we see this notion of him is slowly chipped away and added to through his actions and details within the dialogue.
I thought the monologue and dialogue juxtaposition got a little tiring. It's a useful way to deliver big news, but I almost find it more interesting for that to be delivered via dialogue... the way it is when he talks to his wife about his affair (at least partially). I find this dynamic to be far more captivating than having somebody talk for a very long amount of time.
All of the fences being put up and broken down that you mention are indeed interesting. It made me wonder how much Wilson wanted us, the audience, to read into this metaphor and also if Wilson wanted his character Troy to seem self-aware of the fences he he kept up or destroyed. This was brought to mind when you mentioned that 'without love, there just isn't any real motivation for Troy to keep taking good care of his family' because I actually disagree with this and had a very different perception of Troy's motivation. As far as I'm concerned, Troy wasn't taking 'good' care of his family and whatever support he was giving, it really didn't seem to be out of love. He is bitter and complains constantly about the burden of supporting a family. I do think he has love for his family, but his resentment of them stood out to me far more than his love.
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