Fences

Fences is a play by August Wilson that premiered in 1983. Officially, it's never gotten a TV movie, but it's been performed in various theatres throughout the country.

Main character Troy Maxson used to play baseball, but now he's a garbageman along with his good friend Jim Bono. Troy has two sons, one from one mother and the other from another mother, his current wife Rose. However, what Rose doesn't know is that Troy's off having an affair with another woman named Alberta.

Over the course of the play, tensions rise within the Maxson family as the physical fence around the house is slowly built up and metaphorical fences are quickly established between each of the family members and Troy himself.

This particular troper may need a little assistance building this article up.


 * Always Someone Better: Cory assumes his father is scared of his son being better at baseball than he is. Troy's dickish move is preventing his son from ever playing baseball in the leagues.
 * Batter Up:
 * Betty and Veronica: Rose, Troy's wife of 18 years is the Betty, and his never-seen mistress Alberta is the Veronica.
 * Calling the Old Man Out:
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Gabriel. The guy thinks he's the similarly named archangel. If YOU had part of your head blown off by a bomb in World War II, you'd be a little loopy too.
 * Troy to some extent. Why, Death is a wrestler and they wrestled to death for three days.
 * The Ghost: Alberta.
 * Minor Major Character:
 * Missing Mom: Troy's mother, and also Troy's first wife, Lyons's mother.
 * Parents as People: Parents as main characters, actually, in terms of Troy and Rose.
 * These Hands Have Killed:
 * What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic:
 * The fence around the Maxson home.
 * The baseball references everywhere. If there were a trope for sports reference overdosage, I would put that here.
 * Where Are They Now: Note that "now" in the context of this play is used pretty loosely.