Let's play ball
Troy has a love/hate relationship with the game of baseball. On the one hand, Troy loves the game for the individuality that it once gave him; on the other hand, he hates the game for its exclusion and for depriving him of his chance at greatness.
Troy repeatedly thinks about life and death in relations to baseball. He defines Death as "a fastball on the outside corner". Here he uses the impression of baseball to almost insult Death, daring it to come for him. Troy also attempts to enlighten his affair with another woman in baseball terms. He describes to his wife that when he found her and had Cory he
felt like he was "safe". After eighteen years of that he saw Alberta and wanted "to steal second" .Rose isn't too fascinated with Troy's metaphors and tells him, "We not talking about baseball! We're talking about you going off to lay in bed with another woman".
In the play a baseball bat and rag ball are tied
to a tree. The rag ball, notice how it is made up of rags, could stand for
Troy's poverty and his shattered dreams. It also shows that after all these year Troy is still trying to clutch onto his glory days.
Troy repeatedly thinks about life and death in relations to baseball. He defines Death as "a fastball on the outside corner". Here he uses the impression of baseball to almost insult Death, daring it to come for him. Troy also attempts to enlighten his affair with another woman in baseball terms. He describes to his wife that when he found her and had Cory he
felt like he was "safe". After eighteen years of that he saw Alberta and wanted "to steal second" .Rose isn't too fascinated with Troy's metaphors and tells him, "We not talking about baseball! We're talking about you going off to lay in bed with another woman".
In the play a baseball bat and rag ball are tied
to a tree. The rag ball, notice how it is made up of rags, could stand for
Troy's poverty and his shattered dreams. It also shows that after all these year Troy is still trying to clutch onto his glory days.
![Picture](/uploads/1/5/8/9/15892308/1357279015.jpg)
The baseball bat is especially is significant in the
climactic scene between Cory and Troy, becoming a weapon the two intimidate each
other with. It is very symbolic that Cory and Troy fight each other with a bat,
since Troy's incapability to play baseball due to racism is what inspired him to
sabotage his son's sports career. Now the two do battle with a figurative
representation of this dream delayed.
The picture displayed here is Troy fighting Cory with a baseball bat. This is the climax scene of the play.
My resources include http://www.gradesaver.com/fences/study-guide/major-themes/ and http://www.shmoop.com/fences-august-wilson/baseball-symbol.html
climactic scene between Cory and Troy, becoming a weapon the two intimidate each
other with. It is very symbolic that Cory and Troy fight each other with a bat,
since Troy's incapability to play baseball due to racism is what inspired him to
sabotage his son's sports career. Now the two do battle with a figurative
representation of this dream delayed.
The picture displayed here is Troy fighting Cory with a baseball bat. This is the climax scene of the play.
My resources include http://www.gradesaver.com/fences/study-guide/major-themes/ and http://www.shmoop.com/fences-august-wilson/baseball-symbol.html