Fences Characters Analysis
Troy - Troy is a large, middle-aged, African American man who lives with his family in the hill district of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He works a difficult and tiring job as a Garbage man and attempts to keep up with all the responsibilities of raising a family with meager resources. He works honestly and raises his voice against discrimination with courage whenever he can. Troy harbors deep resentment against the white establishment that prevented him from achieving success as a baseball player despite his evident skill. This resentment surfaces in his interactions with his son, Cory, who is a gifted athlete just like him.
Rose - Troy’s much younger wife loves him deeply and cares responsibly for his household with devotion. Troy betrays her trust by getting in the way of their son’s success, and by fathering a child with another woman. She feels deeply betrayed by him and stops acting as his wife, yet she finds the compassion to care for his illegitimate daughter when Troy’s mistress passes away in child labor. Furthermore, she defends him against her son, who wishes to sever all ties with him by not attending Troy’s funeral. 10 years younger, appreciates Troy’s civil behavior bro
Bono - Troy’s long-time best friend, and colleague feels a deep loyalty toward him. He meets Troy in prison, and Bono decides to follow Troy when he chooses to marry Rose. Bono supports his friend in his fight against discrimination at the workplace and advises him to come clean about his infidelity to Rose when he uncovers the truth on his own.
Lyon - Troy’s eldest son is a thirty-four-year-old struggling musician, but Troy had been an absent father to him most of his life. Through the course of the play, Lyon uncovers the difficult upbringing that Troy had faced, and the conditions that led to him being imprisoned for murder. By the end of the play, Lyon helps Cory understand that their father had been a great man in his own right, even if he had his flaws.
Gabriel - Troy’s brother is wounded in war while fighting the Japanese. He sustains major injuries to his brain, and so is incapable of taking care of himself. Troy uses the compensation that he is given by the military to buy a home for the Maxson family. He cares for his brother in his way and uses Gabe’s pension to make ends meet. Troy eventually has Gabe admitted into the hospital, even though he had initially been reluctant to take away his liberty. talks about heaven moving into Pearl’s home
Cory - Troy’s youngest son is a gifted athlete who gets an opportunity to be recruited by a college football team. Troy doesn’t allow Cory to pursue this opportunity and this causes a deep rift to develop in their relationship. Tory eventually kicks Cory out of the house, but Cory finds success in the Marines, where he is promoted to the rank of Corporal by the time of Troy’s demise.
