A review by mxunsmiley
Fences by August Wilson

Absolutely a play I would like to see on stage. Everything about it is so strong. The theme of one's relationship and obligation to family is something to be explored, amidst systemic racism and the changing norms during this time period. It's hard to formulate intelligible feelings about the main character, Troy, because he is so complex and while he's very infuriating, he's just emblematic of the struggles of Black Americans at the time along with his familial upbringing which he projected onto his own family, an upbringing also informed by the aforementioned systemic anti-Black racism. I also loved Rose; she was probably my favorite character. It was so painful to read her conflicted feelings toward her husband, how she didn't have the liberty of venturing outside of her familial responsibility as Troy did. Then the symbolism behind the fence was very fitting. I would've killed to see James Earl Jones in this honestly.