The play Fences incorporates multiple images of baseball throughout its three acts. For instance, Troy’s speech often integrates baseball lingo into his discourse about life. Notably, baseball jargon structures the metaphorical explanation offered by the main character justifying his affair. Furthermore, Troy also uses baseball terminology to explain his take on life as being one all important match against death. In another instance of this textual echo, the baseball bat fuctions as an important prop in the play, especially as it is the weapon the father and son use in the angry brawl described in the second act.
My Interpretation:
Given Troy’s history as a gifted athlete who was unjustly excluded from baseball because of racism, the repetitive images of the sport are clearly significant. I argue that the baseball laden imagery of Fences can be interpreted as critical race allegory, eluding to the discriminatory nature of American society, which keeps blacks confined to mediocrity and denies them access to the American Dream. Despite his talent, the racist structure of United States kept Troy from participating in the national pastime because of the color of his skin, and restricted him to Negro leagues. Along this interpretation, even the environment of baseball diamonds can be seen as a metaphorical reference to American political culture, as the field is surrounded by a fence, a symbol of unrelenting significance of race in determining an individuals life chances.
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