Effects of Troy’s Parenting in Fences Analysis Essay

In Fences, the concept of parenting really contributes to the meaning of the play.  One way is that, when Troy goes on to start a family, he becomes the responsible man of the house, providing his son and his wife with food and other necessities. Secondly, Troy wasn’t being a good parent when he was with another woman because all he cared about was himself in that moment and wasn’t focusing on all the responsibilities he was expected to do. Lastly, he wasn’t being a supportive parent to Cory, his son, when he told him that he wanted to play football, and he automatically just shut him down. The way our parents parent us, can really affect how we view ourselves and out parents in the long run. 

The first way that parenting contributes to the meaning of the story is that Troy became the responsible one is family, just like his father. He needed to put his family’s wants and needs before his just like his father did. Troy was the breadwinner of the family. He was the one who went to work every day and made sure his family was taken care of. He could become very responsible when it came to his wife and son. Troy was brought up by a responsible father, but his father never treated him with any sort of affection and Troy definitely reflected that back on his son. He only ever made sure that he provided for his family. Troy says, “He stayed right there with his family. But he was just as evil as he could be”(1.4.[50]). Troy is telling Bono how his father was ALWAYS there providing but he was not a good man. Again, that behavior reflected onto Troy. In one part of the play, Troy and Cory are talking and Cory asks his father why he never liked him. Troy responds with, “Liked you? Who the hell say I got to like you? What law is there say I got to like you?” (1.3.38). He goes on to tell Cory how he provides for him and how he always makes sure that there is food in the house. He also tells him how there’s always a place for him to come home to and it isn’t his job to like him. So, just like Troy’s father, Troy wasn’t the type to give affection. He was more the type to yell and be a strict parent and just show Cory who’s boss. 

There are many ways to parent a child. In Troy’s case, his parenting style was more authoritarian. This means he was very strict when it came to Cory and he didn’t take any back talk. He expected Cory to listen to him and respect him. According to an article called, The Role of Parenting Styles in Children’s Problem Behavior, “By contrast, authoritarian parenting, characterized as high behavioral control, but low affection and permissive parenting  typified by low behavioral control, are related to various kinds of maladjustment, such as withdrawn behavior, low peer affiliation, and conduct disorders.” According to this quote, it shows us that authoritarian parenting leads to withdrawn behavior. This is clearly noticeable towards the end of the play when Cory is trying to get past his father to go into the house. He says, “I ain’t got to say excuse me to you. You don’t count around here no more” (2.4[79]). This shows that Cory has clearly lost all respect for Troy. 

The second way that parenting contributes to the meaning of the story is due to Troy was being a lousy parent when he was with another woman because he basically wanted to escape his responsibilities. Even though he was still providing shelter and food and discipline for Cory, I think he was being a lousy parent because that shows Cory that his father is being lazy and he’s not paying attention to his family. 

Troy told his best friend Bono about this other woman, and Bono almost gets noticeably confused. Bono says, “I know what Rose means to you, Troy. I’m just trying to say I don’t want to see you mess that up”(2.1.[60]). Bono is trying to get Troy to make the right choice here.  Eventually, Troy tells Rose about the other woman, and he tells her, “It’s just … she gives me a different idea … a different understanding about myself. I can step out of this house and get away from the pressure and the problems” (2.1.[66]). He also tells her how he feels free when he is with her. He says he can laugh with her and forget about the bills that need to be paid and forget about the roof that needs to be fixed. He also goes on to tell Rose that this woman is pregnant with his child. It’s clear that Troy was not being a responsible father because he was not being a good role model for his child. He was not being a responsible husband because he went off and got another girl pregnant while trying to avoid his real-life problems. 

The last reason that parenting contributes to the meaning of the story is because Troy was not being a supportive father towards Cory when he told him how he wanted to play football. Cory was so excited and told his father how a recruiter was going to come and give Troy a paper to sign. He automatically shuts Cory down and tells him he won’t sign the paper. Troy yells at Cory to get his job back, because he quit, and to forget about playing football. He tells Cory how it’s a man’s responsibility to earn money and make a living to support a family. When Troy was younger, he wanted to play baseball, but he never got the chance because of the color of his skin and he was trying to protect Cory from getting rejected.

Troy’s way of parenting definitely affected Cory in a bad way. As Cory grew up, he began getting angry at his father and would back talk him and wouldn’t really respect him as a father. At the end of the play, when Troy died, he didn’t even want to go to the funeral. Cory says to Rose, “I can’t drag Papa with me everywhere I go. I’ve got to say no to him. One time in my life I’ve got to say no”(2.5[89]). Right before the end of the play, Cory tells Raynell to go grab her shoes so they aren’t late to the funeral. I think that even thought Cory didn’t want to go, he still ended up going because in the end, he’s still his father and the one who made him who we was. I can’t really see how Troy’s parenting affected Cory in a good way, except that he got good at standing up to his father. 

All things considered, we can see that parenting affects the way this play is interpreted. Troy became like his father in terms of being a responsible parent in some aspects, he was lacking being a good parent when he was sneaking off with other women because he wanted to avoid his responsibilities for a while, and, he wasn’t being a good supportive parent when Cory told him he wanted to play football, although there were a few reasons that can help us to understand why Troy felt that way.