FencesAct One, Scene One

Hyejin RohWini Henson

Rachel Zhang

Stage Directions• "He indicates with his hands“ (pg.1) - dramatic• “Rose enters from the house…are under way” (pg. 5) - Characterizes Rose as a compassionate woman as well

as having fair judgment in others’ character because she is able to look past Troy’s faults, even though he is characterized at first as loud and rude, and because she doesn’t drink. She is also compassionate because she is characterized as an integral part of Troy and Bono’s Friday night rituals.

• “Troy takes a long drink from the bottle” (pg. 10) -he is frustrated• “pause” (pg. 10) -hesitation, he is not sure about death

Topics of Conversations• Talks about racial segregation (pg. 2) -”how come you got all whites driving and the colored lift-

ing?”•  Bono’s suspicion that Troy is cheating on Rose (pg. 4) -”I see you be walking up around Alberta’s house• How Rose and Troy met (pg. 6) -”saw Rose and latched on to her…”• Cory is recruited by a college football team (pg. 8)

– “Cory done went and got recruited by a college football team”

• Argument on number of blacks players in baseball team (pg. 9)

-”they got lots of colored boys playing ball now…” • Death (pg. 10) - “death ain’t nothing. I done seen him”

Significant Lines of Dialogue

• "Troy, you aught to stop that lying!“ (pg. 1)• "I ain't worried about them firing me. They gonna fire me

cause i asked a question? That's all I did. I went to Mr. Rand and asked him, "why?" WHy you got the white mens driving and the coloured lifting?“ (pg. 2)

• “I told him if he wasn’t the marrying kind, then move out the way so the marrying kind could find me.” (pg. 6)

•  That’s what she told me. “Nigger, you in my way. You blocking the view! Move out the way so I can find me a husband.” I thought it over two or three days. Come back— (pg. 6)

• “I spends my money where I’m treated right” (pg. 7)• “ain’t nothing wrong with talking about death. That’s part

of life” (pg. 10)

Information revealed about Troy

• He is a trash collector.• He is black• When Bono asks him about the woman

namedAlberta,Troy’s responses foreshadow that he will later reveal his secret and therefore show that he is not that covert at sneaking around. While he is character-ized as slightly sexist and drunk, it is also revealed that he has a caring and soft side, when he talks about how his meeting and marriage to Rose changed him as a man.

• used to be a good baseball player, but didn’t get to play much in the team

• wants to be treated equally as whites are

References to Whites

• “I went to Mr. Rand and asked him…” (pg. 2)

• “I thought only white folks had inside toilets and things” (pg. 7)

•  “The white man ain’t gonna let him get nowhere with that football” (pg. 8)

References to Truth or Lying

• "Troy, you ought to stop lying ’ (pg. 1)• Troy’s entire conversation with Bono about

the woman named Alberta. The reader gets the feeling that he is lying, but because he insists that he is telling the truth, we can’t really be sure. (pg. 4)

• “Troy ain’t doing nothing but telling a lie” (pg. 7)

•  “now, am I lying? If I’m lying…that 450 feet worth of lying” (pg. 10)

Tone of Voice

• Playful tone• Troy sounds slightly drunk when he talks. This il-

lustrates the close friendship between Troy and Bono as they get together every Friday to talk and drink. Rose always sounds grounded and realistic and always reminds Troy of realities. This fore-shadows that later in the play, she will be a trust-worthy and understanding character.

• Troy and Rose are mostly in arguing tone. Troy sounds bold, self-righteous, and negative. Bono  attempts to settle down the quarrel, remain ne-tral.

Relationships

• Troy and Bono are good friends • Troy and Rose are loving couple (pg.

6)• Rose is protective of Troy (pg. 10)

Incorporation of Song Lyrics/ Sto-ries

• Troy and Rose tell the story of how they first met (pg. 6)

References to Baseball

• Rose and Bono tells Troy that more blacks are now in baseball teams, but Troy does not accept this

• Troy describes death as a “fastball on the outside corner” 

- death is sudden, hard to predict when it is going to come