Troy Maxson is a classically drawn tragic-hero. He begins the play loved, admired and getting away with his secret affair. But eventually, Troy's death leaves many negative attributes as an inheritance for his family to sort out and accept.
Ultimately, Troy's primary tragic flaw is shown by his failure to be faithful to his wife. While Troy and Bono seemingly endlessly discuss the matter, Troy is unable to access the actual reason for being unfaithful to his wife. Essentially, he simply fails.
In August Wilson's “Fences” Troy is viewed as a tragic hero, to be a tragic hero one must have dignity, something to fight for, and a downfall, Troy is the perfect example of a tragic hero because he possess all three of these qualities.
In Fences, by August Wilson, Troy's selfishness makes him a tragic hero because it causes him to make decisions that hurt not only himself but ultimately the people who he loves most.
Troy is a tragic-hero who has excessive pride for his breadwinning role. Troy's years of hard-work for only meager progress depress him. Troy often fails to provide the love and support that would mean the most to his loved ones.
For example, in Fences, Troy is the morally ambiguous character because the audience is conflicted on whether he is a good person or an immoral individual. Even though Troy refuses to give Lyon ten dollars for personal use, he still lets Rose have the money and allows her to offer the ten dollars to Lyon.
Troy Maxson is a garbage collector who prides himself on his ability to provide for his family and keep it together. He is the patriarch and central character in Fences, (1950-1965), he continually places barriers between himself and the very people he loves the most.
Troy Maxson is a classically drawn tragic-hero. He begins the play loved, admired and getting away with his secret affair. But eventually, Troy's death leaves many negative attributes as an inheritance for his family to sort out and accept.
Troy's death allows his family, especially Cory, to heal. Troy triumphs over Death because he never lets fear of it control his life.
Before Rose responds, Troy muses that he cheated on his wife because he has felt restrained and worn out due to “standing in the same place for eighteen years” (Wilson 2.1).
Achilles, the tragic hero of Trojan War, known as “the greatest of all Greeks” for his power in war and his invulnerability. He was the son of Thetis, a nereid (water goddess), and Peleus, the king of Phthia.
Troy faced many hard things in his life, such as racism when he was an athlete, being imprisoned when he committed robbery in his younger life, and some economic problems in his old life.
The most common tragic flaw (or hamartia) for a tragic hero to have is hubris, or excessive pride and self-confidence.
Troy's attitude toward death is proud and nonchalant. Troy says, "Ain't nothing wrong with talking about death. That's part of life. Everybody gonna die.
How does Troy's character change over the course of the play? Troy Maxson transforms into a lonely, unloved, fearful man from his original position as the center of attention in his family and social world.
Troy often thinks about life and death in terms of baseball. He describes Death as "a fastball on the outside corner" (1.1. 82) and claims he could always hit a homerun off this kind of pitch back in his heyday.
Troy is ashamed of his use of Gabe's money to buy their house, but without it, they would still live in poverty. Troy's manhood is bruised because he knows it cost the Maxson family part of Gabriel's brain to have what little assets they own. This sacrifice contributes to Troy's often-warped sense of duty.
Yes, Troy cheats on Rose in the play Fences. He fathers a baby with his mistress, Alberta, and has to tell Rose about the affair when he finds out this news.
Troy Maxson: Tragic Hero All-Star
He's often cited as a perfect example of a modern-day tragic hero, right up there with Arthur Miller's Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman. Some critics even place Maxson on the same level as classical tragic heroes like Oedipus and Macbeth (read more).
In Fences, August Wilson shows that troy is a villain because he is unfair to his wife, wants to control everyone, and mean with his son. In the fences, August describe how Troy is a villain because of the unfair to his wife. Troy lives with his wife, Rose and Son Cory.
He is both a hero and a villain. Because of this, Troy can be considered an antihero. We are first introduced to Troy as he comes home from work with his best friend, Bono. The two became friends after Troy went to prison for killing a man.
Troy declares that he'll resist death up until his last breath. In a lot of ways, Troy's struggle with Death humanizes him. When Troy completes the construction of the fence after this declaration, you could see it as his trying to protect himself and the rest of his family.
The fence appears finished only in the final scene of the play, when Troy dies and the family reunites. The wholeness of the fence comes to mean the strength of the Maxson family and ironically the strength of the man who tore them apart, who also brings them together one more time, in death.
In the play by August Wilson, Fences, Troy values stability and loyalty. It is with Rose that he has found stability in his life, especially after the trauma that he suffered when he was young.