Fences Mid-term study guide

What is meant by "Death ain't nothing but a fastball on the outside corner"?

He is saying that death is not something that he is afraid of, and that if faced it, he will fight back.

Why does Cory attack Troy? Instead of hitting Cory what does Troy say to him?

Cory attacks Troy because Troy ruins his chances at playing football and tore apart his family. Troy says that he does not need him in his house.

What sport does Cory play? What does Troy think about him playing this sport and why?

He plays Football. Troy thinks it distracts him from his "true" goal of getting a job and having a "real" career.

What do we learn about Cory at the start of Scene IV?

Cory does not respect Troy anymore

What has Cory become?

Cory is a marine

What is Troy and Bono's weekly ritual?

Drinking after work

Why was Gabe arrested?

Gabe was arrested because he was disturbing the peace.

Who is Gabriel? What could his name symbolize?

Gabriel is Troy's disabled brother, and his name symbolizes the Archangel Gabriel, who was the guardian of truth, symbolizing how he constantly helped Troy out.

How is Troy conflicted about Gabriel's situation?

Gabriel is a source of financial security for Troy, but he also wants Gabriel to be happy. That would be at his own expense.

Of what does Bono accuse Troy of? And with whom

He accuses him of cheating with Alberta.

Characterize Troy. Include his family in the description and their relationships.

He is a crude, straightforward, and tough man who had traumatic childhood and reflects that in his attitude toward his family

Why was Lyons sent to prison?

He was cashing other people's checks

What was Troy doing when he died?

He was swinging the baseball bat

How is the fence, which is on stage the entire time, a symbol?

It is a symbol of attempting to keep the family in and the rest of the world out of the personal life of the Maxsons.

Why does Rose play the lottery?

It is an escape from the tragic daily life that Rose faces while Troy is being absent in his family's lives.

Explain the story of Pope and how it is significant.

It is significant because it shows the segregation of the era and how racism was persistent in American culture long after slavery was abolished.

What is suggested at the end of the play when Gabriel tries to blow the trumpet but fails then does a dance and the gates stand open?

It suggests that Troy is in heaven and that the gates opened up for him.

What is the setting of the play—time and place?

PHILADELPHIA, 1950s

What does Rose mean when she says she "got eighteen years of my life invested in you"?

Rose has committed the last two decades of her life to her husband, and because of Troy's ignorant actions, he is compromising it.

Why does Rose want the fence built? What's Troy's answer?

Rose wants the fence built to keep the world out, but Troy thinks that that is unnecessary.

Explain, in your own words, why Troy says the monologue below and what he means. "It's my job. It's my responsibility! You understand that? A man got to take care of his family. You live in my house . . . sleep you behind on my bedclothes . . . fill you belly up with my food . . . cause you my son. You my flesh and blood. Not 'cause I like you! Cause it's my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to you! Let's get this straight right here . . . before it go along any further . . . I ain't got to like you. Mr. Rand don't give me my money come payday cause he likes me. He gives me cause he owe me. I done give you everything I had to give you. I gave you your life! Me and your mama worked that out between us. And liking your black ass wasn't part of the bargain. Don't you try and go through life worrying about if somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you. You understand what I'm saying, boy?"

This example display's Troy's obsession with the responsibilities of parenthood versus the loving aspects of parenthood.

"Some people build fences to keep people out . . . and other people build fences to keep people in." What's the symbolic explanation?

The symbolic explanation is that there are two sides to the situation. One that wishes to keep the outside world out of their personal lives, and another that wants to keep their personal lives personal.

What is thematic idea of the Sins of the Father? When is it shown?

This is shown when Rose takes in Raynell. the Sins of the Father means that a child should not be punished for his or her father's sins.

Bono provides an irony to the above question —what is it?

Troy does not even have a driver's license.

Why wouldn't Troy give Lyon's the money personally?

Troy felt like Lyons was being too dependent on his parents for his financial situation.

What news does Troy receive when called to the commissioner's office?

Troy got a promotion to drive a truck.

What does Troy confess to Rose?

Troy he confesses that he got a girl pregnant.

"I can't taste nothing no more." What does Troy mean?

Troy means that his life is pretty much over. He has lost his son and his wife. There is not anything else that could hurt him.

What does Troy profess when he returns from the hospital?

Troy professes that the baby has no mother and that Rose needs to take care of it.

Why does Troy refuse to sign with the recruiter? What conflict in the story does this bring up again?

Troy refuses to sign with the recruiter because he wants to ensure that his son will have a job that is "more secure" in his eyes. He was unable to make it in professional baseball, so he doesn't want Cory succeeding in something he wasn't able to.

What does Troy tell Death?

Troy tells Death to stop messing with his family and to mess with him if he messed with anybody. He said he was going to build a fence to keep him out.

What's the one thing Troy wants above anything else?

Troy wants a sense of self-worth and meaningfulness.

The world forlorn could describe Troy. Explain how.

Troy was abandoned. Rose called him a women less man and his son left. Troy is alone in his own house.

What did Troy mean when he wrestled with Death for three days? How is this an example of Troy as a raconteur?

Troy was sick whenever he hallucinated or dreamed his fight with Death. This characterizes him as a raconteur because it is largely unbelievable but told in an entertaining and amusing way.

What is Troy's reason for having the affair? How does it relate to the theme of family in the play?

Troy's reason for the affair was that it makes him happy and fulfills him. It relates to the theme in that is is the rift that beg

What do we see again when Cory and Raynell sing a song that Troy as well as his father used to sing?

We see that they were both affected by their father.

What happened to Alberta?

she died, and had a baby, which ended up being taken care of by Rose