Fences Analysis

“Fences” is a rather important play in the contemporary literary world provided the fact that its setting is done in a time that was prior to civilization. The play seeks to portray various aspects of the English language important in identifying the imperative skills required in the subject. One of the skills incorporated is that of metaphors. Metaphors have received recognition in the language from their ability to establish various deep meanings that the language does not have the ability to portray vividly. This skill does this by expressing the meaning in a hidden manner that has a rather deep meaning. It is important to recognize the use of metaphors in the play with the aim of understanding the play to a deeper perspective.

There are two main metaphors recognized in the play. One of the metaphors is in the term fences while the other one lies in the term baseball. These two terms have been used widely in the book and despite the fact that their usage in the book may not have any deep denotation; further exploration of their usage exhibits this usage. Baseball is a term used all through the book provided the fact that Troy was once a baseball player. One point where there is the usage of baseball as a metaphor is when troy explains the notion of racism. Racism is a rather major aspect according to troy for were it not for it, he would have retained his job as a professional player (Wilson 54).

The manner in which Troy describes death is in terms of baseball where he states that death is just but “a fastball on the outside corner”. At this point, he states that anytime in the pitch he could hit a homerun that in real sense means that he could die at any time of his life. Moreover, troy describes his relationship with another woman outside the wedding vows in terms of baseball. This is at the point where troy states that after the birth of Cory, his son, and assurance that the wife would not leave, he felt rather, “safe”. Safe is a baseball term that stands for the fact that he thought that he had secured his marriage and that the affair would not land him in any much trouble (Wilson 93).

The title fences in itself act as a metaphor in many different ways in the play. One of the ways through which this is clearly established is through Cory. Cory was a son born by Troy and his wife Rose and through his life; Troy had always tried to establish a life between him and Cory. This is from the fact that through his life, Troy did not expect to have a child and when Cory came through; he always found it difficult to adjust and thus creating some kind of fence between him and his son (Wilson 116).

Another point where the term fence itself appeared as a metaphor in a concise manner is after Troy learned of the death of Alberta. At this point, Troy cries out shouting to death that he would make a fence for himself around his entire house where death would not have the ability to get to him. There is also the recognition of the fence in Troy’s life where it comes in form of the barrier that he had to place keeping out all the different kinds of people that had a role to play in his life. One of these people was his father was always deemed as cruel and selfish according to Troy (Wilson 165). Another point is with regard to the fact that he did not have the ability to explore his baseball talents fully due to the racism fence that always surrounded him. Metaphors have a rather widespread implication in the life of Troy and thus having the play “Fences” as an important way to portray this.

Works Cited Wilson, August. Fences. New York: McGraw Hill Publishers, 2009. Print.