Troy Maxson, the protagonist of Fences, has had his dreams taken from him. He wanted more than anything to be a pro baseball player, but his career was stopped because of racial discrimination. The central conflict of Fences centers around Troy's refusal to let his son Cory play football, which destroys Cory's chances of going to college. In this way, Fences explores how the damaged dreams of one generation can damage the dreams of the next. By the end of the play, Cory must find a way to form new dreams out the ashes of the ones he's lost.
Questions About Dreams, Hopes, Plans
- Does Troy put a stop to Cory's dreams out of love or bitterness? Why do you think so?
- In what ways has Rose compromised her dreams for Troy?
- What are Gabriel's dreams? Lyons's? Bono's?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Troy always wanted more than he could actually achieve, which left him a bitter man.
Bono never had dreams of his own, causing him to live vicariously through Troy.