Fences
August Wilson (1985)
“A Black man who was great enough to have been legendary stands in his own backyard building a fence — and doesn't know whether he's keeping something out or something in.”
Short Summary
Troy Maxson, a 53-year-old Black garbage collector in 1950s Pittsburgh, was once a gifted baseball player barred from the major leagues by segregation. He builds a fence in his backyard, fights with his son Cory over football, betrays his wife Rose with an affair that produces a child, and slowly alienates everyone who loves him. When Troy dies, those left behind must reckon with what he gave them, what he took, and what the fence was always for.
Detailed Summary
Set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh between 1957 and 1965, Fences follows Troy Maxson across two acts of compressed domestic tragedy. Troy is 53, works on a garbage truck, drinks with his friend Bono, and holds court in his backyard with the authority of a man who has survived things that would h...