Fences, August Wilson, 1986

Fences Review

About

August Wilson’s Fences (1985) stands as one of the most powerful American plays of the 20th century, blending family drama with social commentary. Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, it tells the story of Troy Maxson, a former baseball player turned garbage collector, as he struggles with responsibility, race, and regret. Wilson’s dialogue sings—part blues, part poetry, wholly alive.

Overview

The play is part of Wilson’s ten-part “Pittsburgh Cycle,” chronicling African American life across decades. In Fences, Troy’s bitterness over lost opportunities and systemic racism poisons his relationships with his wife Rose and son Cory. The fence he builds around his yard becomes a living metaphor: protection, division, and isolation all at once. Wilson explores masculinity, pride, and love with empathy that cuts deep.

Summary

(light spoilers) Troy’s glory days are long gone, and his world has narrowed to work and routine. His resentment toward the world—especially the racial barriers that ended his sports career—hardens into control over his family. His affair shatters the trust of those closest to him, leaving emotional wreckage in its wake. Cory, his son, inherits both his father’s strength and his defiance. The final act, after Troy’s death, offers reconciliation through music and memory: the fence completed, the pain still echoing, but love enduring. Wilson’s ending is redemptive without sentimentality—a song for endurance.

Key Themes / Main Ideas

• Family and forgiveness — love tested by pride and pain.
• Race and opportunity — dreams constrained by injustice.
• Masculinity — strength turned inward as self-destruction.
• Legacy — what we pass down, intentionally or not.
• Boundaries — both literal and emotional fences defining identity.

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Strengths — Raw, musical dialogue; emotionally precise storytelling.
• Strengths — Deep empathy without moralizing.
• Weaknesses — Slow rhythm for those expecting plot twists.
• Weaknesses — Troy’s dominance can overshadow other characters.

Reviewed with focus on themes, audience, and takeaways — August Wilson