To put it simply, Fences is another installment of August Wilson's American Century Cycle that takes place in the 1950s. Troy Maxson is a healthcare worker who once dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but was ultimately denied this dream due to racial discrimination. Family tension arises when Troy stops his son Cory from meeting with a college football recruiter. Cory is best described as a dynamic character who grows throughout the plot. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In Fences, August Wilson demonstrates the theme that it is up to one to escape the perpetuated cycle they are placed in while enduring the reality of the world they live in through the character of Cory Maxson. Cory ends up running away from his father Troy after constantly destroying his dreams. This occurs after the two characters get into an altercation which results in Cory's defeat: "Tell Mom I'll come back for my things." This was the last straw for both Cory and Troy after their numerous arguments with each other over Cory's desire to play football. Cory saw this as an opportunity to escape Troy once and for all and ended up doing so. Later, in the film which jumps 8 years later to 1965, Cory returns home in a military uniform: “Look at you, man. Look at you. It doesn't look good, Rose. I got the rank of corporal." Joining the army was probably another dream of Cory's, except that unlike his football career, he had no obstacles in his way and so he was able to make this dream come true. This shows how much Cory's quality of life has improved after escaping his father's grasp. However, even though Cory was able to physically escape his father, he still had to escape his shadow. During a conversation with his mother Rose, he declares that he will not attend Troy's funeral: “Mom, I have something to tell you. I don't know how to tell you. . . but I have to tell you. . . I won't go to dad's funeral." This tells us, the audience, that Cory is still not at peace with his father as he is still haunted by him and believes he should continue to rebel against him. Later, he changes his mind after he and his half-sister, Raynell, sing a song in Troy's memory: "Go in the house and change her shoes like Mommy told you, so we can go to Daddy's funeral." Now that he has let go of his anger towards Troy, Cory has finally managed to fully escape his father and make peace with him. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Summing Up All in all, Cory Maxson was the character that August Wilson used to demonstrate the universal theme that it is up to one to escape the endless cycle he finds himself in while enduring reality. During Fences, Cory ran away from his father after his broken dreams and eventually escaped his father's shadow. I recommend you go see or read Fences if you haven't already because it is one of August Wilson's greatest works and rightfully earns critical acclaim.
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