Essay about Double Consciousness in August Wilsons Fences

The double consciousness in Fences is representative of both double consciousnesses’ effect and the impact that it has had on the African-American community as a whole. In the play, Wilson presents to the reader a world not yet torn by the strife of racial change. However, its presence is still felt through the actions of Troy Maxson in the play as double consciousness acts both as a metaphorical fence that constrains Troy, as well as an idea that will ultimately destroy much of Troy’s personal life. In Fences, double consciousness is destructive not only because of it affects the black race as a whole, but also because it showcases how the actions of a single person can affect the people the love and cherish most. Throughout the play,†¦show more content†¦Troy attempts to disguise this feeling as concern for his son, but cannot accept the fact that â€Å"[he] was too old to play baseball† (Wilson 39). However, he continues to deny this privilege to Cory because of the selfishness he feels as a result of double consciousness. The same double consciousness that serves the black community so well in their attempts to fight the â€Å"whites’ resistance to blacks’ true inclusion in the American fabric† (McWhorter 13) can also have negative effects as well. For instance, when Troy begins to blame the white establishment for the majority of his problems, it further weakens his legitimate claims. The â€Å"two warring souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings† (Dubois 1) that are present in Troy appear to be his justification for the mistreatment of his family. Surprisingly, Wilson Pickett had a similar dilemma that he faced while living in the 1960â⠂¬â„¢s. Pickett was a rare breed of person who rejected double consciousness, instead preferring to â€Å"not [back] down† (Kot 1). However, Pickett’s main demons were caused by the fact that he was never able to reconcile his public persona of largeness with his constant feeling of weakness in a world dominated by white men. Double consciousness is also the cause of the entitlement that Troy feels as a result of his constant subjugation by the white race. When Troy senses that he and his follow African-Americans are being discriminated against on the job, he embraces the â€Å"discourse inShow MoreRelatedRichard Wright And Ralph Ellison Essay1715 Words   |  7 PagesAccording to August Wilson’s story, Fences, from the first scene of the play to the end, the center of attention is mainly on Troy, a character who continues to experience racial intolerance. The racist culture in which he dwells in has positioned him as nothing other than a servant to the Whites as a garbage collector in the center of the city Pittsburg. At the same chronological point in time, African American writers of the present time, such as Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison, symbolically expressedRead MoreBaseball InFences, By August Wilson1239 Words   |  5 Pageswhole in the 50s. As Mollie Wilson O’Reilly put it in her article â€Å"Fertile Ground: August Wilson’s ‘Fences’†: â€Å"Wilson wrote about black Americans ‘reassembling’ themselves and their communities and coping with discrimination and poverty in another decade of the twentieth century† (20). Troy is the embodiment of black American in the 50s. Myles Weber wrote, in â€Å"Rescuing the Tragic Bully in August Wilson’s ‘Fences’†, that the black theater â€Å"should be characterized not by tragically self-destructiveRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesto family structure, locality, occupation and the particular timing and history of a flow. Ultimately, through these networks and institutions, individual choices came together in aggregate global patterns shaped by processes far beyond the consciousness of most individual migrants. These geographically dispersed communities were the social space within which many migrant decisions and activities took place. They produced a social geography that was not congruent with physical geography. A migrant