Troy Maxsons's Relationship with Two Women

This essay will explore Troy Maxsons's relationship with two women who reveal significant dimensions of his character in August Wilson's 1986 drama Fences: Rose, from her initial dialogue with Troy, emerges immediately as a powerful woman, not always respected by her husband for whom she gave up, we later learn, her earlier ambitions and goals; and Alberta who never appears on stage but remains an important female figure, as a frustrated Troy speaks late in the play to Rose about his need for the extra-marital affair he has had in pursuit of freedom from the sense of duty he displays as a husband and father.

From the beginning of the play we see how rough and tough Troy’s character is, not only to strangers or friends, but also to his wife: “Well, go on back in the house and let me and Bono finish what we were talking about. This is men talk. I got some talk for you later. You know what kind of talk I mean. You go on and powder it up” (459). From this small curt remark, we can see how considerate and domineering he can be in his comments to Rose. In addition, he openly talks about his feelings for her to other people, but on a daily routine he keeps them in the shade of his soul forgetting to remind her how important she is in his life: “See this woman, Bono? I love this woman so much it hurts. I love her so much... I done run out of ways of loving her. So, I got to go back to basics. Don’t you come by my house Monday morning talking about time to go to work …… cause I’m still gonna be stroking!” (469). Throughout the play, Troy uses the same raw, unrefined language to his wife, in the similar manner he talks to guys on the street. Later in the play we will learn, that he is preoccupied by another woman in his life, while being married to Rose and this maybe the motive why he is acting careless to Rose.

Over the years, Rose apparently learned how to accept Troy’s masculine egoism and avoid the argument about his fictitious stories: “Every time Troy tell that story he finds different ways to tell it. Different things to make up about it” (463). She later adds: “Troy lying. We got that furniture from Mr. Glickman. He ain’t paying no ten dollars a month to nobody” (466.) However, we can see that she still stays very thoughtful and loving wife: “Morning. You ready for breakfast? I can fix it soon as I finish hanging up these clothes” (469.) In response, he is not concerned about her day, health or comfort. In addition, he is ready to remark her spending a nickel on the game, which makes her feel thrilled and euphoric: “That is two nickels you done thrown away” (470.) At the same time, he believes money can be spend on other girls at the bar: “Hell yeah, I bought her a drink! What that mean? I bought you one, too. What that mean because I buy her a drink? I’m just being polite” (458). He is more thoughtful to everybody around him, but not to his own wife. However, Rose still does not pay much attention to his rude comments and stays supportive to him: “ Ain’t no sense you blaming yourself for nothing. Gabe wasn’t in no condition to manage that money. You done what was right by him. Can’t nobody say you ain’t done what was right by him. Look how long you took care of him … till he wanted to have his own place and moved over there with Miss Pearl” (474).

Troy’s power, influences Rose and Troy’s sons, especially Cory. Rose in some way fears Troy and does not want to make him angry. On the other way, she tries to support her husband as much as she can: “Your daddy like to had a fit with you running out of here this morning without doing your chores. He ain’t said nothing too much. You get in there and get started on your chores before he gets back. Go on and scrub down the steps before he gets back here hollering and carrying on” (475).

Furthermore, besides doing everything for his family, Troy brags about it at every possible opportunity. He reminds Rose how hard he works, how consumed he is and how difficult his life is, but he forgets that they are together in this quotidian routine. He never asks her if she is happy as his wife and a mother, nor does he attempt to try to improve her life with happiness and love: “Woman…. I do the best I can do. I come in here every Friday. I carry a sack of potatoes and a bucket of lard. You all line up at the door with your hand out. I give you the lint from my pockets. I give you my sweat and my blood. I ain’t got no tears. I done spend them. We go upstairs in that room at night … and I fall down on you and try to blast a hole into forever. I get up Monday morning … Find my lunch on