![]() ![]() And in his sexual relationships he has embodied the freedom of a man to follow his own desires in a pursuit of happiness. Troy has bought his own house (though he feels guilty about the methods of payment). Troy has become more successful than his father, who remained a poor sharecropper and never owned his own land or property but, instead, paid all his wages and his life to an unjust land owner. Troy Maxson is the embodiment of an African-American generation, growing up in the post-World War II era, that finds itself finally able to realize the American ideal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For Troy, a fence is a way to section off part of the world as his own - his desire for a fence is a desire to find his place in the time and culture of twentieth century America. He is promoted for a job he feels he does not deserve and he is unable to accept the idea that his children might have the freedom to create their own lives. ![]() On the other hand, he is also a part of the growing African American middle class. He carries with him the scars, oppression, and disorder of his Southern childhood, the abuse of his father, and an unwelcome Pittsburgh. Troy is caught in a world in which he feels he does not belong. Troy Maxson is chiefly responsible for this desire for order, though for a different reason his wife Rose also craves it. ![]() The overarching theme of the play, alluded to in the title, is the idea of the creation of order - a fence is not a barrier in this reading, but a way to compartmentalize the world into understandable, manageable chunks. ![]()
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