Chasity Roberts
English 1302
November 9, 2012

Fences We’ve all the heard the saying, “Like father, like son.” Although it’s not necessary for a son to inevitably follow in his father’s footsteps it is very possible. Research shows that without a doubt, fathers are an integral part of their sons' healthy emotional, physical, and cognitive growth from their first moments of life. In the play Fences, Troy Maxon has struggled his whole life to be a responsible person and fulfill his duties. Troy had very little respect for his father and vowed to be nothing like him, many of his father’s harsh personality traits show up in his own personality. Troy's father expressed love only as duty and Troy repeats this philosophy with his son Cory. One can say that both Troy and Cory are different by generation but share a common passion.
Troy and Cory are alike because of their love of sports. Cory had a chance to attend college and play college football. He takes football serious and is very good at it just like his father was good at baseball. Cory grades and talent led to a recruiter from North Carolina wanting to come and talk with Cory’s parents about his grades and his chance of getting a scholarship to attend college. Troy wasn’t allowed to pursue a pro baseball career because of racial discrimination. Troy and Cory are both headstrong and strive to be very independent.
Both father and son are alike because Cory sees his father as a shadow weighing on him keeping him from succeeding in his dream to play pro football. Cory seems to think that his father is jealous of him and didn’t like him. Troy has a shadow which he claims is death himself. He was robbed of a professional baseball career because of his race. The shadow of this injustice has weighed on him for years and made him a bitter man.
Troy and Cory are different because of the time they live in. They both have different outlooks on life. Troy doesn’t approve of Corey trying to make a career in sports because he doesn’t believe Corey will make it. Troy has allowed him to play football at school but doesn’t want him to try to make a career in football. Troy believes that the white man won’t let Cory play professional football. Instead he wants him to get good grades, work his way up at the A & P, get a trade or learn how to fix on cars.
Troy lived during a time when the blacks were mostly treated as second grade citizens. Blacks didn’t get a chance to play pro sports just in the Negro Leagues. The way he was treated blinded him to any possibilities of whites giving opportunities to the blacks. This was one of the greatest disappointments in Troy’s life, so he refuses to let his son play football. Troy can’t acknowledge that times have changed although Cory points out several current black baseball players. Troy dismisses all of the players. Troy spent almost fifteen years in prison while Cory lives a complete