The Role of Women in Fences by August Wilson Essay Example

The play Fences, by August Wilson, is a dramatic story that tells the life of a black family in the 1950s United States. The father and main character, Troy Maxson, takes us through the familial and racial conflicts that he faces, and although he is not the most pleasurable man to be around, he keeps a close circle around him, consisting of his wife Rose, his children Cory and Lyons, and his best friend Bono. These are the people that he wants to keep inside his fences so that they are protected. But conflicts start to arise, leading Troy to weaker relationships and poor management of those he keeps close. Although these conflicts were harmful to everyone, the women in this play showed strong roles and were able to bring people closer together. In August Wilson’s play, Fences, he portrays characters Rose, Raynell, and Lucille, as forgiving and caring, revealing that women always nurture and take care of the men and the mistakes they have made. 

To begin, Rose Maxson shows that women always take care of men and the mistakes they made because she is forgiving and nurturing. Throughout the entirety of the play, Rose plays a dominant role, not only in the story but throughout the conflicts as well. Even though Troy’s mistakes were harmful to her, she was always there to nurture him and his mistakes. Troy’s worst mistake was that he had a baby with another women, and although Rose was angry and disappointed, she said, “Okay Troy... you're right. I'll take care of your baby for you... cause... like you say... she's innocent” (Wilson 79). This promotes how Rose fits the stereotype because she feels bad for the child and agrees to care for them. Even though her husband cheated on her and this is not her child, she still has her nurturing nature and puts all the flaws aside to care for the baby. Overall, Rose Maxson represents that women always take care of men and their mistakes because she put all of her and Troy’s conflicts aside so that she could take care of his child.   

Another character that fits the stereotype that women always take care of men is Raynell. Raynell is Troy’s daughter that Rose agreed to take care of. Although young, Raynell has also shown traits that fit the forgiving and nurturing stereotype in women. She showed comfort and nurture in her stepbrother, Cory, when he arrived home from the war. Although it was a sorrowful evening, Raynell was able to comfort her brother and bring some nostalgia by having him sing a song with her that Troy used to sing, “Old blue died and I dug his grave. I dug his grave with the silver spade. Let him down with the golden chain. And every night I call his name. Go on blue, you good dog you go on blue, you good dog you” (Wilson 99). This proves that Raynell also fits the nurture stereotype of women because she was in this scene mainly just to comfort her brother. Cory had just come back from the marines, and although they barely knew each other, Raynell still brought great memories of Troy and was able to comfort her brother on a sorrowful evening. To sum up, Raynell represents that women always take care of men because she is able to comfort and nurture her brother who she had no past relations with. 

Another character that fits the stereotype that women always take care of men is Lucille. Although we do not see Lucille throughout the play, we know that she is Bono’s wife and that she takes care of him. She takes care of the house and makes him complex meals, Bono even says, “No I think you rose. But Lucille say she cooking up a pot of pig feet” (Wilson 5). This demonstrates how Lucille fits the nurture stereotype because she cooks and cleans for Bono. She is a stereotypical housewife, staying at home and cooking and taking care of the kids. She does not even make an appearance in the play because, similar to Rose, she stays at home and takes care of the house. To summarize, Lucille illustrates that women always take care of men because she stays at home only to cook and clean for the house and Bono.  

To conclude, the play Fences by Augustus Wilson demonstrates the stereotype that women always take care of men and even their mistakes by having the women in the play fill it in. All the women seen and or heard in the play are at home and in some way nurture the men. They all have roles that require nurture and comfort to those around them. In closing, August Wilson’s play, Fences, he portrays characters Rose, Raynell, and Lucille, as comforting and caring, revealing that women always nurture and take care of the men and their mistakes.