Many plays have premises. Propose a possible thesis for Fences and

argue/prove how the play fits the premise. You can comment on August Wilson′s intent

in addition to what you see in the play. Be sure to quote several times from the play to

help you make your point.

The setting of the play is the yard at the front of the of the only entrance of the Maxson household, an ancient two-story brick house set back off a small alley in a big-city neighborhood. During the scene, the yard is a small dirt yard that is partially fenced with a wooden sawhorse, a pile of lumber, and the other fence-building equipment off to the side. Opposite it is a tree from which hangs a ball of rags.

The character of Bono in the play says that some people build fences to keep people out and others build fences to keep people in. The fence that Troy Maxson is building is the metaphor of the play. It is the barrier that Troy builds to keep the things that he fears the most out, and it also keeps him locked in the past. New pieces of the fence begin to appear as Troy and his family face the challenges their lives must endure.

August Wilson did not only name his play Fences because the dramatic action depends strongly on the building of a fence in Maxson's backyard, but also because the lives of the characters change around the fence-building project which serves as both a literary and figurative device that represents the relationships that bond and break in the arena of the backyard. Rose wants the fence built because she sees the fence as something positive and necessary, adding meaning to her character. To rose, a fence is a symbol of her love and her desire for a fence indicates that Rose represent love and nurturing.

However, Troy and Cory think that fence is a drag and reluctantly work to finish Rose's project. Bono indicates that Troy pushes rose away from him by cheating on her, creating a fence. Troy's lack of commitment to finishing the fence equates to his lack of commitment in marriage. The fence appears finished only in the last scene of the play, when Troy dies and the family reunites. The wholeness of the fence indicates the strength of Maxson family and ironically the strength of the man that tore them apart and brings them together one more time in death.