Troy+Maxson

= All About Troy: = === Add a favorite or striking line of dialogue or a particular description and explain why you find it striking (arranged in chronological order). Please cite act, scene, and page number for easy reference. Be sure to include your name: ===

“There ought not never have been no time too early.” (1.1.9) Throughout the play, Troy faces problems that are not only self-centred but also some problems that he simply **cannot control** including his baseball career, racial issues and family life. Through this quote you can see how offended Troy was that he never got into the majors even though he should have because he was such an excellent player however he never got the opportunity to show off his abilities. The time period in which Troy lived in was a time in which there were many racists in baseball; the Negro Leagues and the majors were kept apart for many years, but there was not anything Troy could do to provide proof to them that he was better than several of the white MLB players. - Janita

"Ain't nothing wrong with talking about death. That's part of life. Everybody gonna die. you gonna die, I'm gonna die. Bono's gonna die. Hell, we all gonna die." (1.1.P10) This quote conveys an insight to Troy's erudition in a seemingly joking matter and of course foreshadows Troy's death in the future. Troy has a point, everybody is indeed going to die no matter how strong or health the the person is. Troy brings up a topic that is disliked by others in a rather jokingly matter, displaying how small death seems to be to him. His attitude towards death is also really brave, it seems as if death is just like dinner, it will come and Troy will be ready. This quote has became one of my favorites by Troy because of his rebuttal against the fear of death, just as he says. "Ain't nothing wrong with talking about death." We should not be afraid of thinking of when we die, but thinking of how to enjoy life until the critical moment of life come, there is only one life and we should live it well" - Robert Lee

"I say. . . What you want, Mr. Death? You be wanting me? You done brought your army to be getting me? I looked him dead in the eye. I wasn't fearing nothing. I was ready to tangle. Just like I'm ready to tangle now." (1.1.11) ﻿This is my favorite quote from Troy, this quote reveals many characteristics of Troy. Mainly, his nonchalant and proud approach towards death is revealed in this quote, he has no care for death and "wasn't fearing nothing" as he "looked him dead in the eye" illustrating how he fears nothing, not even death itself. Troy even dares to put a title to death as "Mr. Death" showing how he thinks of death as just another person who he wants to fight. The main reason this was my favorite quote was because of how Troy is characterized as a nonchalant, fearless person who enjoys being the center of attention. - OLIVER

Troy: Liked you? Who the hell say I got to like you? What law is there say I got to like you? Wanna stand up in my face and ask a damn fool-ass question like that. (1.3.37) This quote really struck me as Troy states his relationship with his son Cory similar to a object and owner relationship. There is no love involved between Troy and his son, and Troy bases their relationship not on love but on the basic responsibility and obligation of being a father, and nothing more. Also, not only does he tell Cory that he is foolish for thinking Troy loves him, he completely rejects him, making this a clear but difficult response to Cory. - HENRY FONG

"It's my job. It's my responsibility! You understand that? A man got to take care of his family. You live in my house...sleep you behind on my bedclothes...fill you belly up with my food...cause you my son. You my flesh and blood. Not 'cause I like you! Cause it's my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to you! (1.3. 38) Even though this wasn't a favorite quote, I found it striking because of the complete lack of evident paternal love that Troy has for his sons. Instead of caring for his sons because he loves them, Troy considers fatherhood as being an obligation where he is forced to take care of his children instead of doing it willingly. This cold and almost hateful attitude he has towards Cory really shocked me, as he disregards his son's hurt feelings, suggesting that taking care of him is a burden that he wants to get rid of as fast as he possibly can. This is possibly because of the way Troy himself was raised - under the iron rule of a harsh, almost unloving father. - Riowena

“Don’t try and go through life worrying about if somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you. You understand what I’m saying, boy?” (1.3.38) This quote is the epitome of Troy’s moral philosophy, it represents everything that he believes in. Not only is this his source of strength, but also the source of his weakness and guilt. Although he may or may not harbor deep emotional feelings on the inside for the people around him, it is shown time and time again that on the outside, nothing matters to him except for the responsibilities he has taken and the constant exchange of his hard work for money. This law of responsibility and equal exchange is so deeply ingrained into Troy’s mindset that he is unwilling or unable to display emotions that are commonly present between individual human relationships, in this case between father and son. He instead passes on his strongly established values to Cory, hoping that he will draw the same strength from this rule of life. Ironically, breaking this same rule is what causes him such moral distress and frustration in the face of receiving Gabriel’s unconditional money to support himself and his family. -John Wong

"Mr. Rand don't give me my money come payday cause he likes me. He gives me cause he owe me. I done give everything I had to give you. I gave you your life!" (1.3 38)

This part of Troy's speech really struck out to me. Despite Troy's harsh remarks to his son, he makes a strong point educating Cory that life doesn't just hand you opportunities cause someone "likes" you. Opportunities come through hard work and determination. Although Troy's tone seemed rather cold-blooded and ruthless, he stresses upon an important point that he tries to across to his son. He educates Cory that life is full of hardships and getting someone to "like you" isn't enough compared to hard work in order to succeed. Although Troy seems rather tough and tyrannical on the outside, underneath he really loves and cares for his son wanting him to be successful in life giving him a life lesson. - Chris Hwa

Troy: “I got good sense, woman. I got sense enough not to let my boy get hurt over playing no sports.” (1.3.39.)

Throughout the play, Troy can be seen as a man who shows little love towards his family, especially towards his son Cory. This quote stood out to me because Troy takes on the role of a caring father. Troy’s opinion towards Cory playing football is heavily influenced by his failed career as a professional baseball play. He is very biased when it comes to this topic, since he blames everything on his skin color. Although coming from a rather selfish angle, Troy still cares very much about his son, not wanting Cory to get hurt over play some sport. Even though Troy is usually portrayed as having obligations towards his son, this quote may actually be evidence of some love towards Cory.

"I don't want him to be like me! I want him to move as far away from my life as he can get. You the only decent thing that ever happened to me. I wish him that. But I don't wish him a thing else from my life. I decided seventeen years ago that boy wasn't getting involved in no sports. Not after what they did to me in the sports. (1.3.39)" Troy keeps opposing Cory's decision to play football, providing the need to work and earn money as reasons for not allowing Cory to play football. However, having been discriminated thus disadvantaged in the past for being a black baseball player, Troy does not wish his son to "be like him", be hurt with the racial discrimination that Cory would possibly receive when he is playing football. Moreover, Troy appears to love his son, unlike his previous statements that he is taking care of Cory not because he likes him but it is his responsiblity to take care of him. If he really doesn't like Cory but thinks him as someone who he should be responsible for, Troy would not necessarily worry about Cory getting hurt from the discriminations he would receive playing sports. Thus Troy worrying about Cory receiving discrimination as a black football player, clearly shows the main reason for opposing Cory's decision, and Troy's love towards his son. - He Ra

“That boy walking around here smelling his piss… thinking he’s grown. Thinking he’s gonna do what he want, irrespective of what I say.” 1.4. 49) I chose this quote mainly because it gives some good insight into Troy's character and his beliefs. It is evident that Troy has no care for what his son Cory believes in or wants to do and instead dimisses his as a foolish kid who thinks he has grown. Also he considers Cory's act of independence opposite of what he himself thinks, and therefore considers it to be disrespective towards himself and calls it smelling his piss, which reveals Troy's anger on the issue. - Michael

"Sometimes I wish I hadn't known my daddy. He ain't cared nothing about no kids. A kid to him wasn't nothing. All he wanted was for you to learn how to walk so he could start you to working. When it come time for eating... he ate first. If there was anything left over, that's what you got. Man would sit down and eat two chickens and give you the wing" (1.4.50)

This quote really struck out to me because it shows the readers how Troy came to be the character he is in the play. I also chose this quote because I found it quite ironic. He obviously did not like the way his father treated him as he strongly emphasized that he wished he had not known him, stating that he 'ain't cared about no kids' and that all he wanted for him was to learn how to walk so he could start working for himself. Although Troy has inherited his father's strong sense of responsibility, he also quite unfortunately received his father's negative traits. He treats Cory the same way his father had treated him, but this is because he had learned little about live as his mother had left him at a young age. I think that Troy does have a caring side to him, but because he does not know how to properly express it, he doesn't show it. -Valerie

"he [Troy's father] was trapped and I knew It. But I'll say this for him...he felt a responsibility toward us. Maybe he ain't treated us the way I felt he should have...but without that responsibility he could have walked off and left us...made his own way." (1.4.51) Troy's inheritance of his father's values illustrates how Troy has become trapped within the cyclical nature of the perception of the father/husband's role in his family. Just like his father, who was always worried about getting the bales of cotton in to Mr. Lubin to make sure he was owed money, Troy is equally vigilant in his work ethic, always striving to satisfactorily complete his job as a garbage collector. However, both Troy and his father are trapped with the burden of doing monotonous, flavorless work in order to support a large family which they feel a large degree of responsibility towards. Similar to his father, although Troy does not "like" his sons Cory and Lyons, he still feels a sense of responsibility for them and gives them the material support that they need in order to survive. Troy has remarkably similar values and morals compared with his father. - Jerry

"I'm gonna tell you what your mistake was. See... you swung at the ball and didn't hit it.That's strike one. See, you in the batter's box now. You swung and you missed. That's strike one. Don't you strike out!" (1.4.58) This quote by Troy I thought was important as in some situations when he doesn't know how to put it into words, he turns to Baseball terminology to explain his thoughts. Because baseball is so important to him and is something that he is comfortable with, and comfortable talking about when it would usually be hard for him to say. When he uses this baseball metaphor to tell Cory he has just done something bad, it sounds much harsher as he tells him he better not strike out and do nothing else bad. -Shavonne、

"Alright… Mr. Death. See now.. I’m gonna tell you what I’m gonna do.I’m gonna take and build me a fence around this yard. See? I’m gonna build me a fence around what belongs to me. And then I want you to stay on the other side. See? You stay over there until you’re ready for me. Then you come on. Bring your army. Bring your sickle. Bring your wrestling clothes. I ain’t gonna fall down on my vigilance this time. You ain’t gonna sneak up on me no more. When you ready for me… when the top of your list say Troy Maxson… that’s when you come around here. You come up and knock on the front door. Ain’t nobody else got nothing to do with this. This is between you and me. Man to man. You stay on the other side of that fence until you ready for me. Then you come up and knock on the front door. Anytime you want. I’ll be ready for you." (2.2. 77) This is one of my favourite quotes from ‘Fences’, right after Troy’s daughter has been born. The quote fully conveys Troy’s confident, cold and slightly harsh attitude shown throughout the play. towards “Mr. Death”, however I think it is actually fate that is “sneaking up on him [me]”. When Troy says this, he says it as if he has something to prove, as if “Mr. Death” has been provoking him all this time, and he has to prove that he can build a fence to protect his family. It is actually quite ironic because at this point, his family has fallen apart, and when the fence is finally built, death takes Troy’s life. I especially like how this quote contributes to several of the bittersweet moments of the play, where Troy actually conveys some sort of affection towards his family, that is rarely seen previously. - Maryanne Cheah

"This is my house. Bought and paid for. In full. Took me fifteen years. And if you wanna go in my house and I'm sitting on the steps... you say excuse me. Like your mama taught you." (2.4.84) Troy is a dominating character in the family, and his actions clearly show that he enjoys being like such. He explains to Cory that he has full owner rights to the house, and that Cory should be kind and courteous.This order to Cory is another example of one of Troy's lies. Even though he says that he worked diligently for this house, the house is there due to the compensatory funds given to Gabriel. This also further characterizes Troy as a person who lies; his lies are often truths that are twisted to his favor to make himself seem better. -Michael Xie

"Oh I see... I don't count around here no more. You ain't got to say excuse me to your daddy. All of a sudden you done got so grown that your daddy don't count around here no more... Around here in his own house and yard that he done paid for with the sweat of his brow. You done got so grown to where you gonna take over You gonna take over my house. Is that right?" (2.4.85) ﻿This is not necessarily my favorite line from Troy, but it shows a great deal about Troy and his characteristics. Troy scolds Cory for being disrespectful, and they begin to argue. Troy talks in third person here and refers to himself as "he" and "your daddy" in order to emphasize on the fact that he is Cory's dad and Cory is supposed to be respectful and obedient to him. This shows his need to be in control, as he will not allow anyone to treat him disre spectfully. Troy also talks in a very sarcastic tone; instead of saying straightforwardly that he should be in charge, he says it the opposite way, "you ain't got to say excuse me to your daddy", and "your daddy don't count around here no more". He speaks out Cory's thoughts to emphasize the outrageous and unacceptable behavior of Cory's. Troy mentions that that the house was "paid for with the sweat of his brow", showing that he thinks people should always thank him and be appreciative of all that he has done for the family. -Wendy Yu

**More about Troy:** ==//Attach a visual aid (photograph, painting, shape, color, etc) that represents a character trait of Troy. Be sure to label your contribution and explain the connection. Also include your name. //==

// The symbol I chose to represent Troy with was a fist. Troy can be violent at times, especially in that one scene where he threatened Cory and shoves him, yelling at him, and I chose this picture to represent Troy's fighting nature, both physically and in spirit. Troy is stubborn, but he is hardworking and seeks to make his hands useful in his life, which is overshadowed by his aggressive nature. - Riowena //



I chose this image to represent Troy Maxson, not because he is the garbage man but because he is very hardworking. For almost 20 years Troy has lifted trash, to provide for the many people in his family. But he wanted more than that, and protested to allow African Americans to become truck drivers. This shows his hardworking aesthetic as he has the courage to do what no one else had, in order to provide more for his family and prove to himself that African American’s were beginning to have more rights. -Shavonne

I think Troy could be represented with a rough road. Troy has led a pretty rough life, and his personality is pretty rough as well. As a black, Troy was often discriminated in the society, thus he couldn't get a job that would earn him a reasonable amount of money to sustain his family, and couldn't to what he liked to do (baseball). However, he is extremely hard working, thus he did everything he could do to make a living, and has had a lot of harsh experiences. Moreover, like a rough road, he often speaks in harsh ways and his language is unrefined, so I chose an image of a rough road to represent Troy. - He Ra



I chose this picture because of the whip, not because of the wielder of the whip. I believe that a whip represents Troy’s authority amongst his family members. He is the one who makes most of the cash to support the family, and is also the one with the most power and say. This is seen from his dehumanization of Rose, his wife, and the way h e invades Cory’s life, telling him all the dos and don'ts, not letting Cory decide for himself for once. - Michael Ren



I chose this picture of Mohammed Ali, a famous boxer because I thought Troy's aggressiveness, nonchalant and hard-working nature could very well be represented through a boxer. Boxers are usually very aggressive, fearless and have to be athletic and hard-working in order to win which is why I thought Troy matched very well with this symbol. - OLIVER

This is an abstract and odd picture of a person with a snake-shaped mouth talking with birds in it. This reminds me of Troy because Troy likes to exaggerate on his stories and make everything sound better than it is. The story he tells might have been bad or negative, like the snake, but he can use his dramatic and exaggerating tone to make the story more exciting and make himself sound better, which represents the bird coming out of the person's mouth. I think this picture illustrates Troy's characteristics and how exaggerating he is. - Wendy Yu

This is a picture of a witch with a crystal ball that can tell the future and insights about human. Just like Troy, he likes to speak big and exaggerate things that are ugly ( like death and his meeting with rose), but inside his words, there is a slight bit of truth. Witches tend to tell profits through their crystal balls in a seemingly joking matter, conjuring a disbelief in its customers. No matter in movies or on the streets, these fortune tellers will make you feel irritated by what they are saying. Just like Troy, he talks about the least favorite subject in the house, yet what he says presents kernels of truth to everyone, not mentioning the foreshadowing of his own death. No matter how much people dislike it, they have to face the fact that what Troy said about people facing death, should really be considered in heart. -Robert Lee

This visual is a representation of Troy through colour and object. Gold as a commodity is special, though the price fluctuates, it can always be seen as something that is unique. Like gold, people’s attitude towards Troy fluctuates. However, everyone sees him as a respectable man with a unique personality. Though his character may be strong, it can slowly be broken down to produce a piece of jewelry (Cory, or his rarely affectionate moments). By some, gold is not considered a colour, however like Troy, he has no sense in belonging, always assuming society is against him, when actually society is starting to accept him. - Maryanne Cheah



I found Troy to be open to many representations, since he can be a really manly person at times and in other, Troy is nothing but a confused person. I found this image of a person with a question mark in his head which shows his conflicts with Cory as an example. Although there is the “Who the hell say I got to like you” (1.3.37) line, he did not actually throw any of Cory’s things away when Cory left the house. This implies that he doesn’t really mean what he says and is confused. -Henry Fong



The mirror represents how Troy reflects and repeats upon himself and others what he has learnt from his father. His father's persistence at picking bales of cotton is reflected in Troy's strong work ethic. Troy never slacks off on his job as a garbage collector and always picks himself up every Monday morning to return to work. Similarly, like his father taught him, Troy is very concerned with money it as is the only means through which he can provide for his sons and wife; he seeks to reflect these values upon Lyons and Cory, insisting that they find themselves a job/trade which will provide them with money to survive and live independently. Jerry

= = The mule is a symbol of Troy's stubborn characteristics. Throughout the play, Troy refuses to listen to the ideas from his wife and his son. He is dogged with his beliefs and ideals, unable to change. Rose even mentions that "times have changed from when you was young...you can't even see it"(1.3 40). Troy is ignorant, firmly believing that it was because of his ethnicity that he was removed from the baseball team not because of his age. Troy constantly sees the bad in things in life, believing that the Blacks are at a disadvantage for the rest of their lives. Because of his stubborn qualities, he is unable to allow his own son to achieve his dreams of playing football believing that Cory is at a disadvantage due to his race. Troy's stubbornness cause many conflicts with his family, unwilling to change. - Chris Hwa
 * THE MULE:**

I chose a time machine to represent Troy because throughout the entire play Troy thinks and acts according to his past experiences such that he does not accept the present change in society. Troy learned that dreams and ambitions did not always work out – especially for an African American of his time, and because of this – despite the changes all around him – he found it complicated to believe that the times would allow him or his people to succeed. Everyone around Troy attempts to make him see that times have changed. His wife Rose tells him, "They got lots of colored boys playing ball now. Baseball and football" (1.1.9). Troy's friend, Bono, says, "Times have changed, Troy, you just come along too early" (1.1.9). Cory also points out to his father several current black baseball players, however, Troy sets aside all of this and tells his son, "The white man ain't gonna let you get nowhere with that football noway" (1.3.35) Troy can't acknowledge that times have changed. - Janita Zhang

The scale represents Troy's steadfast belief that labor must equally exchanged for money, and that everything comes at a price. This is highly apparent when he replies to Lyon's request for money by telling him, "Where do you think that ten dollars you talking about come from? I'm just supposed to haul people's rubbish and give my money to you cause you too lazy to work." (1.1.17) Troy stands by the fact that money is earned through the hard work of the individual. He "Can't stand niggers [who] ain't had two dimes to rub together...walking around with his shoes all run over bumming money for cigarettes...got lucky there and hit the numbers..."(1.2.22) To him, hobos on the street who don't work but wins the lottery is a form of injustice in the world and extremely unfair. His time and labour in return for money must not be rendered moot by the infinitesimal chance that he will suddenly gain money for nothing. -John Wong

As an expansion to Riowena's graphical explanation. I believe an average fist is insufficient to be a graphical representation of Troy, because Troy is not merely an aggressive and physical power. It is more than evident that he rules his family with an iron fist, and hence the image of an iron fist. Although he is hardworking and believes strongly in physical methods to express himself, he is also very strong in the mind, trying to ensure that his family members look up to him with respect and fear. Troy has a strong self-esteem, and will do whatever he can to protect it, even if it means that he needs to be harsh to others at times.

Michael Xie

A while ago, there was a campaign called “Elephants Never Forget”. I envision Troy very much like an elephant. Ever since he became to old to play in the Negro Leagues, Troy has been blaming his departure from the team on his skin color. In fact, he has been blaming everything in his life on his skin color; he thinks he works as a lifter as opposed to a driver because he is a black man, and he thinks that Cory will fail his football career because he is a black man. Troy is constantly reminding himself of his painful past, never forgetting what happened, just like elephants. He is also a very independent man, not at all close-knit with his family. Elephants are again similar to Troy, in the sense that male elephants travel and live alone.

I chose a hammer as a visual representation of Troy Maxson because he is both physically and mentally strong/powerful. He is noted as the most hardworking person in the play; Not only does he wake up early in the morning everyday without fail to attend to his job, he also makes the most money out of all the other family members. Troy is capable of providing for his family as his sense of responsibility is extremely strong. He is also very obstinate, once he has made a decision, nothing else can convince him to change. Note: Hammer is also used to build the fence (symbolic). -Valerie