Gender Roles in Fences Literature Essay Example

Gender issues and commentary has been a popular theme in texts over time. In Fences, the author, August Wilson utilizes this struggle in order to morph the character’s attributes to help us understand their personality and values. This aforementioned struggle provides the reader with the context of both women’s and men’s stereotypical social expectations of remaining a presentable appearance, hard-working, domestic, powerless/powerful, submissive/breadwinner, and taking the role of responsibility for many presented situations. 

The setting of this play sets the framework of these characters’ values and ethics. Hence, being set in the late 1950s allows us to understand the expectations from the time period. For context, the book was set after World War II where soldiers were coming home as heroes from fighting in the treacherous war. All whilst women began taking over the workplace. The role of the housewife was then reinstated within people’s expectations in society. The role of a housewife was to support the family by staying home to cook, clean, tend for their children and husband. This expectation rings throughout the years- no matter their age or race. August Wilson uses this setting in order for us to further understand the expectations of the character’s actions. Accordingly, we can identify and understand a particular character’s actions while keeping in mind the setting of this play. 

Rose Maxon is a very important character in the play for many reasons. She represents the only female protagonist for the entirety of the play whilst the cast largely consists of men. August Wilson uses this device in order for us to understand this injustice for African American women in the late 1950s. She has dreams, hopes, and goals for the future that continue to be overlooked as she continues to intake the unfortunate treatment from her husband, Troy Maxon. “You supposed to come when I call you, woman.” (Troy Maxon, page 43). She barely stands up for herself, in return, states,  “Man, hush your mouth. I ain’t no dog . . . talk about "come when you call me." (Rose Maxon, page 43). She remains to be a loyal wife after all of the misfortune and adversity that she faces from Troy. Finally, after 70 pages of rubbish from Troy- she stands up to him through a moving monologue.  “I been standing with you! I been right here with you, Troy. I got a life too… Don't you think I ever wanted other things? Don't you think I had dreams and hopes? What about my life? What about me.” (Rose, page 70). Throughout the main part of the play, she continues to prevail with a levelheaded demeanor and an understanding personality. Henceforth, she became a symbol of feminism through the unspoken power she keeps over Troy. After two short words “Troy lying” (Rose, page 15) she dismantles Troy’s monologue about his furniture experiences. This is all due to Rose being a trustworthy person within each of the characters’ lives whether family or not. 

This play doesn’t exclusively touch on the struggles of women during this time period, this also expands to men, too. Troy Maxon, a character who faced, and tried to face up to the responsibilities that he created for himself. He tried, for years, to provide for his family, constantly choosing responsibilities over the family that is placed down right in front of him. “Liked you? Who the hell say I got to like you? What law is there say I got to like you? Wanna stand up in my face and ask a damn fool-ass question like that. Talking about liking somebody.” (Troy, page 36) The term of ‘family’ was blinded by the role of responsibility that he took up in exchange for the instinctive responsibility that he has faced. August Wilson uses this characterization in order for us to understand the pressures that he puts onto himself, and how terribly it reflects onto the people around him- in particular, with how he treats them. August Wilson illustrates on Troys idea of what a man should be, and this is shown through how he acts towards Rose and his sons. Through his demeanor, he believes that woman should be assertive, as seen on page 43, “You supposed to come when I call you, woman…”, aggressive “I told you I ain’t signed nothing, woman!” (Troy, page 75). Furthermore, Rose agrees and defends these actions in her kindhearted way, “...he meant to do more good than he meant to do harm. He wasn’t always right. Sometimes when he touched he bruised. And sometimes when he took me in his arms he cut.” (Rose, page 97). 

With all of these elements considered, gender roles- and the struggle that comes along with that, is a large portion of how the characters are expressed in this literary work. Though I only highlighted the characteristics of Rose and Troy, these gender roles and struggles pass onto the other characters in Fences. August Wilson wrote these struggles into the play in order to show the conflict that each character faces within their own identity.