Emmanuel Bautista-Dizon

Mr. Valencich
AP Lit and Comp - Period 6
May 16, 2014
The Time Done Changed
The play "Fences" by August Wilson depicts a time where not only racism is changing;
baseball is changing as well. The protagonist, Troy, has a hard time keeping up with the present
that it angers him to feel like he was to early to the ball game. Through the play, Troy continues
to make analogies to baseball to explain his actions and make excuses. His actions and
commentary set the mood for the entire play, as well as gives the reader anticipation to what
themes later follow.
In the play, there is one underlying truth: Troy was early to the colored ball game. Rose
makes the assertion that the "times have changed a lot since then", which leads Troy to defend
himself (9). According to Troy, it does not matter whether he was too early to the game, or that
he had a different skin color; what mattered was whether you could play baseball or not. After
Rose states her belief, we are introduced to a Troy Maxson that will do anything to protect his
pride. He compares himself to Selkirk, a professional right fielder for the Yankees, who Troy
claims that he himself is the better batter, since he "was hitting .432 with thirty-seven home runs"
(9). Troy will do anything to "one up" somebody. The reader is introduced with an irate mood
coming from Troy. From that scene, the reader knows that Troy is very proud and tries to escape
any type of defeat by making excuses. This is a persistent theme throughout the play.