Troy Maxson: Hero and Tragic Figure

August Wilson's play, known as Fences, showcased Troy Maxson, who was the main character as a hero and a tragic figure (Gale, 2019). It is because he had both good and bad traits that had an impact on his life, friends, and family members. Troy's values and virtues determined his success and failures, which eventually led to his death. The paper focused on identifying ways that Troy showed acts of heroism and became a tragic character.

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Troy as a Hero

Troy portrayed the character of a hero since he received admiration and acted as a role model to other characters within the play. Troy had two sons named Cory and Lyons, who viewed him as a responsible father. He provided his family with basic needs such as food and shelter, which he did not receive during his childhood years. Troy gave his son Lyons an allowance of ten dollars every week to act as extra financial support to help him navigate life as a musician. With the help of his father, Lyons learned to become an independent man. Troy loved his wife known as Rose since she was a caring and hardworking woman who carried out chores such as cooking for the household. The play indicated that Troy was an overprotective father since he denied Troy from playing football at the major league. From his experience, Troy learned that there was racial discrimination within the field of sports, which hindered him from achieving his dreams. It was an act of heroism since he was protecting his son from dealing with the rejection that harmed his life. Troy had a close friend known as Bono, who admired his work ethic, courageousness, and leadership qualities. Troy advocated for equality in his workplace, which indicated that he was fighting against racism, which segregated African Americans and white people's duties within the garbage company. He became the first black truck garage driver who made an impact in the African American community.

Troy as a Tragic Figure

The story illustrated that Troy was a tragic figure since he had a sad ending. He was living a lonely life when he met his death after a heart attack (Herren, 2019). It is important to note that his weaknesses, such as overcontrolling, ruthlessness, and unloving, promoted his downfall. Troy's faults destroyed his relationship with his wife since he did not provide her with love and care. Rose showed that she wanted more comfort and attention from her husband by requesting him to construct a fence around their house. Troy cheated on his wife with a woman known as Alberta and gave birth to a girl. It led to Rose deciding to leave the marriage and finally becoming independent. It was an act of betrayal and disrespect that affected the family and the way Cory, Lyons, and Rose viewed Troy from that moment.

Troy had a bad temper; hence he got annoyed when cory did not listen to his guidance thus did not sign the agreement papers that would help him to pursue a career as a professional footballer. Troy wanted his son to abandon his dream and seek formal job employment. It affected the relationship between cory and his father since the son viewed it as an act of jealousy. It is because becoming a professional in the field of sports was Troy's dream, which did not come true after he got rejected. Cory believed that his father was afraid that he would become more successful and productive than him, which sparked jealousy. It led to a physical confrontation that forced troy to kick out Cory from his home. Troy died before he could amend his relationship with his son since, at first, Cory refused to attend his funeral.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Troy's upsides and downfalls were because of his impact on other characters within the play. He had a sense of responsibility, which allowed him to provide material needs for his family, but he was ignorant hence did not shower his wife and children with love and care. Troy's fight against work inequality benefited the black people since they could get prestigious jobs such as truck drivers. Troy's faults made him get frustrated and overwhelmed; hence he destroyed his relationship with his loved ones; therefore, his character had a lonely and tragic ending.

References

Gale, C. (2019). A Study Guide for" Fences"(lit-to-film). Gale, Cengage Learning. Retrieved from: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=f9WTDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT3&dq=fences+by+august+wilson&ots=ZcaGIcZ0DJ&sig=ghisSGWusLScWBpbD4bsp4kXGfUHerren, G. (2019). Stage Review of Fences. August Wilson Journal, 1. Retrieved from: http://augustwilson.pitt.edu/ojs/augustwilson/article/viewFile/23/27