This play was tragic, but good at the same time. I really liked all of the contradictions within Troy's character. He is so self centered, but also gives everything he has (material-wise) to his family. I love the line from Rose, when she calls him out for talking about how he talks about giving and what he doesn't have to give, but that he takes too, and doesn't realize it. I thought that this was a very powerful moment in the play. I also love the contradiction within his character surrounding his son, Cory. He is so stuck in the fact that he thinks he is a good baseball player, but won't let his son pursue his dream of being a football player. I think that these are such interesting contradictions just due to the fact that it makes his character incredibly hypocritical.
There is something to be said about the fence through out the play. The fence represents the entrapment of the characters through out the play and the affect that Troy has on his family. After he tells Rose that he is going to have a child with another woman she tells him that "I been standing with you! i been right here with you, Troy. I got a life too. I gave eighteen years of my life to stand in the same spot with you. Dont you think i ever wanted other things?" (70). The fence not only represents the stagnant trapped lifestyle that these characters have, but it keeps them from being allowed to experience the world around them.
I think Gabe is one of the most interesting characters in this whole show. Troy talks about how he doesn't need anyone to keep him locked up, that he is not hurting anyone with his crazy antics. However, this is another extremely hypocritical aspect of Troy. He disagrees with his sons and his wife pursuing their ambitions, but because Gabe cannot accomplish anything of great matter, he is not affected by the fence. Also that all of Troy's money has come from Gabe is also interesting. This shows that Troy is a complete vacuum to everyone around him. His character is completely dependent on the actions of others to survive, but also completely independent from them in his values and morals. I think that it is also the innocence and good nature of the other characters that makes him stick out like a sore thumb.
I also really liked the dialogue and the dialect of the play. It definitely fit the setting of the play, and i was able to see the characters and hear them in my head right away. I think that this is an extremely important aspect for developing characters, because if the character doesn't has a place in the world of the play that makes sense and keeps the audience in a sense of realism within the world of the play, no matter how quirky or interesting the character is, it may not work.
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I liked your analysis of Troy. It is interesting how you don't seem to really find any redeeming qualities in him though. You said "Troy is a complete vacuum to everyone around him. His character is completely dependent on the actions of others to survive," but to some extent I think I disagree. Maybe Troy is so interesting as a character because he can be seen in different lights depending on how someone views different aspects of him. Though he does work an honest job, he puts down his sons and wife. We find out that he gives money to people, but that he has been getting money from Gabriel all along. You are right to say he is a man of contradictions.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy the way the characters intermingled. They all seemed to have some sort of interaction with each other. I wonder how much August Wilson thought about these characters before he started writing.
I also loved the moment where we see the past years from Rose's view. "You don't even know anyone's giving" (that might not be verbatim...) strikes such a note, as does "Don't you ever think I wanted other things?" Her finaly telling him this, and the lack of sympathy I remember in his reaction, work to characterize both these people so well.
ReplyDeleteGabe is certainly a contrast to Troy. In my post, I guess "comic relief" might not be quite right... but his innocence and trust are a waft of something lighter... maybe fresher... than the serious realism of the other characters (not saying that he is not a realistic character, but he certainly isn't commonplace or ordinary).
And yes, the voice and dialict place the play, and characters, very well without being distracting or overbearing about it.
You lose me at the end here a bit, but I think your point is that the distinct dialect makes these folks belong even when they seem not to, and that's a great point. If you can nail the voices, it gives you much freedom of character and action and plot because your characters can DO things that seem totally out of the realm, but they still SOUND like they belong and so they must. Other plays in which that works? Other ways to make them sound like they belong aside from dialect or for characters for whom dialect is inappropriate or impossible?
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