Act I:1 Synopsis:



Act I:1 Synopsis:

The play opens with a Friday evening exchange between Troy Maxson and his friend Jim Bono. Though given to good-natured ribbing, Troy clearly takes the leadership role in the relationship and is established as the central character. Two possible conflicts are almost immediately introduced: Troy has appealed to his union representative regarding the absence of black drivers on the trash routes and Troy admits that, despite his longstanding marriage to Rose, he is involved with another woman, Alberta. The subplots also begin to emerge in the form of Cory’s football scholarship opportunity and Lyons’ pursuit of music over legitimate work.

Vocabulary and References

Part of the charm and power of Fences is its unpretentious language. The language is simplistic because the characters are largely uneducated and/or illiterate. This simplicity, however, does not hamper the depth of expression achieved by the characters.

A & P: a grocery store chain

Uncle Remus: American folktale icon, famous for such tales as “Tar Baby” and “Brier Rabbit.”

“Eating beans”: a slang expression that means one has run out of money and can not afford more expensive food items, like meats.

1. In the opening stage directions, what aspects about Troy Maxson are revealed?

2. What do you think is significant about the first line?

3. What policy does Troy challenge at the sanitation department?

4. What questionable behaviors does Bono point out to Troy involving Alberta?

5. Rose says, “There’s a lot of people don’t know they can do no better than they doing now.” What does she mean?

6. Why does Troy wish to dissuade Cory from playing football?

7. What is Troy’s connection to sports?

8. Why is Troy bitter about baseball and sports in general?

9. What is the meaning of the following statement, “Death ain’t nothing but a fastball on the outside corner”?

10. Troy spins a yarn about wrestling with Death. What does this segment reveal about Troy?

11. What is the purpose of Lyons’ visit?

12. Who is the man whom Troy calls the devil?

13. How does Lyons offend his father?

14. What advice does Troy offer Lyons?

15. Why does Lyons cling to his music even though it makes him very little money?

16. What “fences” exist between Lyons and Troy? Do you think Troy loves Lyons?

Act I:2 Synopsis:

Conflicts begin to build as Troy grumbles about the lottery, lottery winners, Cory’s continued involvement in football, and his seeming inability to find the time to build a fence around the yard. Complications in Troy’s character are embodied in the arrival of Gabriel, Troy’s delusional brother who was injured in World War II.

Vocabulary and References

Numbers: slang for lottery numbers

St. Peter: biblical keeper of Heaven’s gate and the Book of Life

Archangel Gabriel: angel responsible for sounding the trumpet that will open the gate of Heaven

1. As the scene opens, Rose sings a hymn. What do fences symbolize for Rose?

2. How does Rose sing to herself? How does this reveal her character?

3. Rose states, “…those that need the least always get lucky. Poor folks can’t get nothing.” Why, then, does Rose play the lottery?

4. What event does Gabe’s tale about St. Peter’s book foreshadow?

5. How has Gabe’s wartime injury benefited Troy?

6. Why does Troy feel guilty about Gabe renting a room at another house?

7. Why does Troy procrastinate about building a fence around the yard?

Act I:3 Synopsis:

The scene opens four hours later, as Cory comes home from football practice. Troy and Cory begin building the fence around the yard, and also begin building a metaphorical fence between each other. This scene features multiple allusions to baseball and great baseball players of the era. Troy’s internal conflicts continue to build steam as he deals with Cory in a much different manner than he did previously with Lyons.

1. Why is Troy unable to tell Rose the score of the baseball game?

2. How does Troy exercise his authority over Cory? Why does he feel the need to reassert his authority?

3. In what ways does Cory attempt to seek his father’s approval?

4. Why does Troy tell Cory that he will not give permission for Cory to play college football?

5. Troy advises Cory to “learn how to put your hands to some good use. Besides hauling people’s garbage.” How is this advice different from the advice he gives Lyons earlier in the play?

6. How do Troy and Cory’s perspectives differ on the issue of playing football?

7. What point is Troy making to Cory when he responds to Cory’s question, “How come you ain’t never liked me?”

8. Why does Rose think Troy failed to become a major league baseball player?

9. What is Troy’s motivation for refusing to coddle Cory?

10. What does Troy mean when he tells Rose, “I can’t give nothing else”?

Act I:4 Synopsis:

The conflict between Troy and Cory reaches a climax in Scene Four. Troy’s relationship with his own father is revealed, and Troy’s motivations as a father are made clear. Lyons’ attempts to repay Troy and repair their relationship are rebuffed, as Troy grows more irascible. Troy also discusses his fifteen years in a penitentiary. The scene ends in full circle with Troy confronting

Cory.

Vocabulary and References

Walking blues: leaving one’s family behind and starting afresh in another locale

1. How is Troy’s conflict at the sanitation department resolved?

2. Why does Troy refuse to accept Lyons’ repayment of the loan?

3. How does Troy discover that Cory has been playing football rather than working?

4. Describe Troy’s relationship with his father.

5. Describe Troy’s coming of age.

6. Why did Troy spend fifteen years in a penitentiary?

7. List three things that Troy counts as positives from his experience in prison.

8. What does Troy refer to as “strike one”?

Act II:1 Synopsis:

The play reaches its climax as Troy admits his involvement with Alberta to Rose. In an echo of Troy’s past, he and his son Cory come to blows. The family dynamic is seriously threatened by the conflicts between husband and wife, father and son. Fences become impenetrable walls as Troy’s disillusionment leads to isolation.

1. Why has Gabriel been arrested?

2. What, metaphorically, does Bono mean when he tells Troy he is building his fence out of the wrong kind of wood?

3. Bono states, “My man Troy knows what he’s doing…he might take me somewhere.” What has Bono learned from his friendship with Troy?

4. When Troy states that Alberta is “stuck on for good” what does he mean? (page 63)

5. After Troy and Bono discuss the affair, how does the fence Troy is building shift as a symbol?

6. How does Gabriel’s presence heighten the drama of the scene?

7. What does Troy say is his motivation for having an affair?

8. How does Rose’s assessment of eighteen years of marriage differ from Troy’s?

9. What accusation does Rose make that infuriates Troy?

10. Why does Troy call “strike two” on Cory at this point in the play?

Act II:2 Synopsis:

It is six months later, and Troy’s relationship with Rose remains estranged. Troy has signed a form to have Gabriel institutionalized. Alberta dies in childbirth further intensifying Troy’s failure.

1. What unintentional benefit does Troy receive from having his brother hospitalized?

2. What is revealed in Troy’s soliloquy at the end of the scene?

Act II:3 Synopsis:

Rose accepts Alberta’s orphaned baby to raise as her own.

1. A humbled Troy asks Rose to take care of his illegitimate child. What is Rose’s response?

Act II:4 Synopsis:

Two months later, Rose has immersed herself in church service. Cory has graduated from high school without a football scholarship. The play shifts into falling action, as the final conflict between Troy and Cory is resolved.

1. What is ironic about Troy’s job as a garbage truck driver?

2. How does the final confrontation between Troy and Cory begin? How does it escalate?

Act II:5 Synopsis:

Eight years later, the family gathers together for Troy’s funeral. The characters’ fates are revealed in the denouement of the play as well as Troy’s influence on them.

Vocabulary

Atavistic: ancestral; representative of previous generations

1. When Rose tells Raynell that if she is patient, her garden will grow, what does this reveal about her character?

2. What has Cory become over the past eight years? What does this reveal about his character?

3. What has become of Lyons over the past eight years? What does this reveal about his character?

4. How does Troy die? What does his manner of death reveal about his character?

5. How does Rose convince Cory to attend the funeral?

6. How has Rose grown as a woman over the past eight years?

7. When Gabriel tries to blow his horn at the end of the play, he discovers it does not work. How does he solve his problem?

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download