One way of responding to this excellent question is to
consider the way in which fences operate in this provocative play. Clearly, racism is
one fence that encloses black characters such as Troy and prevent them from achieving
their dreams and hopes. The opening of the play gives us an excellent example of this,
as Troy is telling Bono about how he has complained about how it is only white men that
can drive the truck for garbage collection, and it is the blacks, like him, who actually
have to handle the garbage:
I went to Mr. Rand and asked him, "Why? Why you
got the white mens driving and the coloured lifting?" Told him, "what's the matter,
don't I count? You think only white fellows got sense enough to drive a truck. That
ain't no proper job! Hell, anybody can drive a truck. How come you got all whites
driving and the coloured
lifting?"
As the play
progresses, we see that this is just one way in which racism represents a fence that
fences in characters such as Troy and prevents them from achieving their dreams and
goals. What is interesting though, is the way that Troy responds to the way that he has
been fenced in by wanting to similarly fence in his son and prevent him from trying to
acheive his goals and follow his dreams and become a footballer.
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