Essay Sample on Troy Maxson: Tragic Hero or Not?

Introduction

According to Aristotle, a tragic hero refers to a person who makes an erroneous judgment that later contributes to his/her destruction. Further, Aristotle outlines that, these characters are full of pride, make judgments based n revenge, their story ignite empathy, they suffer more than they deserve, and they are affected by previous experiences ("Tragic Hero as Defined by Aristotle"). Arthur Miller collaborates Aristotle by stating that a tragic hero is a literary character that makes a decision that later leads to his/her downfall (Miller, "Tragedy And The Common Man"). The play Fences presents Troy Maxson who is the protagonists in the story. Throughout the scenes in the play, it is evident that Troy Maxson is a tragic and therefore, this paper will focus on providing an in-depth analysis that gives supporting evidence on the argument that Troy Maxson is a tragic hero.

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The scenes from August Wilson's Fences show that Troy Maxson is an honorable man whose tragic flaw leads him to the path where he ends up ruining his life. Aristotle's' definitions and requirements of a tragic hero and well Millers' explanation of a tragic hero are illuminated throughout Troy's story in the play. Troy Maxson's hamartia is depicted through his character traits of being stubborn and self-centered. He lives in his little world with his wife Rose and his son Cory. Troy believes that all the people around him have to follow his decisions in any whatsoever. Through his passion for playing football, Cory gets a chance to get a football scholarship, but Troy ruins this chance because he (Troy) though that the whites would not let his son participate. "I told that boy about that football stuff. The white man ain't gonna let him get nowhere with that football" ("Full Text of "August Wilson "Fences," page 11). Troy was aware that the world had changed, but he was stubborn to admit this which contributed to ruining the golden chance that his son had secured.

It is worth noting the despite these qualities that could paint Troy as a bad person; it was not the case. He was indeed a good man who possessed likable and admirable qualities. Troy was a responsible man who was striving to achieve his duties as a provider to his family. He is a funny, social, and passionate character who is fascinating while listening to his speech and stories. Also, deep beneath the stubborn and self-centered exterior qualities lies a man who shows true and firm care to his family. The problem was that Troy did not learn the right way to manifest this care to the family. It is through his negative actions that tore Troy's family apart. It is evident where Troy cheats on his wife Rose with Alberta, a woman he had met at the bar. One of the biggest tragedies is that Troy's family learns about his caring character after his death.

It is evident that Troy ignores signals from friends, family, and people around him who try to show him that times are changing. The warning signs were meant to show Troy that things are different now and therefore he had to allow Cory to achieve his dreams. In the scene, his wife Rose tries to show Troy that time was changing by saying that, "Times have changed since you were playing baseball, Troy......They got lots of colored boys playing ball now. Baseball and football" (("Full Text of "August Wilson "Fences""", page 12). Further, Bono, Troy's friends support Rose by saying that, "You right about that, Rose. Times have changed, Troy. You just come along too early" (("Full Text of "August Wilson "Fences," page 12). Nonetheless, Troy is not convinced but instead ignores these warnings and denies Cory from participating in football. This shows that Troy ruins his son's dream to participate in football due to his desire and thirst to protect him as well due to the disappointment that he experienced while playing baseball.

Throughout the play, the reader tends to feel empathy and pity towards Troy ("Tragic Hero as Defined by Aristotle"). Although Troy makes poor decisions for his family, it is evident that he is very caring to his family through is a broken manner. The poor relationship between Troy and his son Cory can be traced back to the bad relationship between Troy and his father. It, therefore, shows that the previous experience plays a vital role in molding Troy's character. In the play, it was evident that Troy's father was mean and did not show love to his family ("Full Text of "August Wilson "Fences"). This is the similar perspective that is embedded in Troy's life since even though he strives to provide for the family, he does not show them the love that they deserve from their father.

Conclusion

Aristotle's characteristics of a tragic hero and well as Miller's definition of a tragic hero are manifested in Troy's actions throughout the play. It is evident that Troy continuously struggled to exhibit good deeds to his family, but unfortunately, he made erroneous judgments that led to the destruction of his family. Troy also allowed his flaws to influence his actions and judgments which later led to his tragic death. These accounts presented within the play; therefore, provide sufficient evidence that supports the argument that, based on Milers and Aristotle's insights, Troy Maxson was a tragic hero.

Work Cited

"Full Text of "August Wilson "Fences""". Archive.Org, 2019, https://archive.org/stream/WilsonFences/Wilson%20Fences_djvu.txt.

"Tragic Hero As Defined By Aristotle". Bisd303.Org, 2019, https://www.bisd303.org/cms/lib3/WA01001636/Centricity/Domain/593/10th%20english%20Fall/C%20-%20The%20Tragic%20Play/Antigone.Medea/Definition%20of%20Tragic%20Hero.pdf.

Miller, Arthur. "Tragedy and the common man". Theliterarylink.Com, 2019, http://theliterarylink.com/miller1.html.