How the Setting is a Moving Factor in the Movie Fences
Throughout our lives, we often tend wonder if all of the choices we made were the right
choices or if we should have done something else that could have changed our lives for the
better. In the movie Fences by August Wilson\/Denzel Washington, it shows us the life of Troy
Maxson, Troy was a man who had been shaped by the many struggles that he faced in his past
and throughout his life. The movie takes place in Pittsburgh during the 1950s, when segregation
was still a major issue for many African Americans who had to struggle with during this time.
The film follows the ever-growing problem with Troy and his son Cory. The main conflict of the
film is Troy’s inability to overcome his past of missed opportunities and bad mistakes. He takes
out his dissatisfaction on his son Cory\u2019s dreams. Understanding this conflict between the two
becomes much easier to understand when we find out his past is tainted by deeply rooted
conflicts with racism. This conflict directly influences Troy’s belief that his son will experience
the same racial limitations that he did. The main conflict of the film is between Troy and Cory. This conflict grows when Cory tells Troy that he wants to be a Football player. Troy, not wanting his son to go through the same discrimination and trouble that he went through, is fully against Cory following his dreams.
While at first Troy\u2019s argument sounds a little ridiculous, we are soon to learn that his argument
for his son’s wishes is deeply rooted in his experiences with being racially outcasted from baseball. With all this tension that is forming between the two, it all eventually leads to a major confrontation between Cory and Troy, with it ending with Cory leaving his home and cutting all ties with his father, Troy. This shows to us that the conflict that was formed between the two wasn\u2019t just created by his personal beliefs but it was actually made by the social and racial views on him that shaped the way Troy viewed the world.
The protagonist of the film is Troy Maxson. Troy is the kind of man who was shaped by
the mistakes, struggles, and disappointments of his troubled past. Throughout the film, Troy is
shown to rather take the responsibility of providing for his family over achieving his own
dreams. This dwells in his past experiences with racism and the missed opportunities that came
with it. With the time he grew up in led him to believe that true success was not a thing for
African Americans, and that for them to try to pursue their dreams would only lead to failure.
This mindset that he carries often affects how he treats others, especially with his son Cory
becoming a major source of the conflicts that arise later in the story. While at face value Cory may be seen as the antagonist of the film, the true antagonist is the societal limitations of racism and discrimination that were placed on Troy. The world that Troy lived in was tainted by the marks of racism and limited opportunities that were not only placed on Troy but on African Americans as a whole. Because of this, Troy begins to believe that things like success aren’t for people like him, that pursuing dreams will only lead to greater disappointment. This ultimately leads to him being put into conflict with his son Cory over chasing his dreams. This shows that the real antagonist of the story isn’t his son Cory, it’s the
societal chains, mindset, and the social barriers around him. There are several people in the film who undergo serious changes. Cory changes when he goes to confront his father while holding in years of built-up tension and resentment, which ultimately leads to him leaving his home after Troy\u2019s actions slowly push him away. He realizes that he can\u2019t live under his father\u2019s control and that he must build his own future without him to
become his own person. Similar to Cory, Rose also undergoes changes after finding out that Troy
has been hiding his affair with Alberta and learning about the life that he was living outside of
their Relationship. This led her to understand that she sacrificed her own goals and dreams for a
marriage that wasn\u2019t true. These two moments of realization show how the problems that Troy
creates affects the people around him.
The film takes place in Pittsburgh during the 1950s, and that setting plays a major role in
how the characters change over the course of the film. During this time period, many African
Americans were affected by economic struggles, segregation, and racism. Because of this, Troy
was forced into working a rough and labor-intensive job that gave him little to no opportunities
to grow within the company. This led Troy to think that success was not something that he could
ever grasp and that following your dreams would only lead to seeing greater disappointments.
The world around him directly affected his actions and view on society, especially with his son
Cory, going out of his way to try and discourage him from chasing his football dreams, which
further proves that the setting that Troy was molded by is a key piece of his conflicted mindset.
4 Weigl
One of the main ways that the setting helps boost the conflict is by using racism and
missed opportunities. Troy\u2019s firsthand experience with being racially discriminated against while
chasing his dreams prevented him from reaching what could have been. \u201cTroy\u2019s past experiences
continue to influence his perception of opportunity\u201d (Shannon). This supports the idea that his
belief in the failure that he went through in his past changed how he viewed success and how
other people could achieve it. Because of this change in his mindset, he refuses to support his son
Cory\u2019s dreams of chasing a life of becoming a professional football player.
One more important way that the setting influences the conflicts within the story is by
using economic struggles and being limited by job opportunities. Troy lives his life trying to
make a living as a garbage collector, which reflects in the labor-intensive work that was available
to him at the time. Over his time working this job, it has led him to develop the belief that taking
care of and providing value to his family is more important than his own dreams. As one scholar
explains, \u201cTroy measures his worth through his ability to provide for his family rather than
through personal fulfillment\u201d (Gale). This shows that the environment that he lived caused him
to prioritize his own survival at the cost of his ultimate happiness. Which in turn causes him to
try to force Cory into a life of work over dreams. This further fuels the fire of their disagreement.
In conclusion, the film Fences showed us that getting to know the setting in which the
conflict takes place can help us better understand the reason the conflict exists at all. Troy\u2019s
traumatic experience with racism and economic struggles helps shape his view on success and
responsibility, which in turn ultimately affects his relationship with his son Cory. By trying to
further understand the social and economic strains that were placed on African Americans in the
5 Weigl
1950s, it begins to become easier to grasp Troy\u2019s uneasiness with his son’s choice to chase his
dreams. All in all, the film perfectly demonstrates how the environment in which a person is
molded can directly affect the way they see the world and the people around them.
Worked Cited
Wilson, August. Fences. Plume, 1986.
Fences. Directed by Denzel Washington, performances by Denzel Washington and Viola Davis,
Paramount Pictures, 2016.
\u201cFences.\u201d Gale Literature Resource Center, Gale, https:\/\/go.gale.com\/.
Shannon, Sandra G. \u201cThe Good Christian\u2019s Come and Gone: The Shifting Role of Religion in
August Wilson\u2019s Plays.\u201d Howard University.
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How the Setting is a Moving Factor in the Movie FencesThroughout our lives, we often tend wonder if all of the choices we made were the rightchoices or if we should have done something else that could have changed our lives for thebetter. In the movie Fences by August Wilson\/Denzel Washington, it shows us the… <\/p>\n