"Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in."

Like most of the other readings we have done thus far, I truly enjoyed Fences by August Wilson. It was a fairly easy read and I tend to like books that are written in the sort of dialect that is the spoken word. I’m assuming this sort of language is typical of plays since most lines are spoken words, but I do not know much about literature in that sense. Lines such as “Naw, you telling the truth there. I seen you do it” may not be correct English, but these sorts of lines make it an easy read in my mind. I also very much enjoyed the story line and liked the speed of the play. There was not too much fluff and was very straight to the point.

Going along with that point, I liked how Bono alluded to Troy’s affair but it wasn’t until their very serious conversation where you find out that it is true. At first, I thought the whole idea of Troy having an affair with Alberta was just nonsense and I liked the surprise the play gave me when it was really talked about. As odd as it is, I do not like surprises in my own life, but this sort of underplayed aspect was a “good surprise.” One quote I really liked from this particular scene where Bono calls Troy out for his affair is “You responsible for what you do” because sometimes people try to justify things until they are blue in the face and it gets under my skin. I felt like Troy was trying to blame some sort of intuition for his love for Alberta when it is his own fault. Troy made a mistake and should have fixed it, but instead he continued and impregnated the woman.

This play was fabulously written and I am glad I have found all the previous works to be semi-enjoyable; it really makes this class interesting. One pet peeve I had with this book was a mistake (I think) I found. In the prelude to scene five it stated, “There is noise and activity in the house as Rose, Gabriel, and Bono have gathered,” but it isn’t until later in the scene that Gabriel actually arrives from the mental hospital. For some reason this really threw me off.

Atavistic: recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach, or activity

“A dance of atavistic signature and ritual.” (page 101)

Pallbearer: a person who helps to carry the coffin at a funeral

“I’m gonna go down and get the pallbearers lined up.” (page 92)

Treed: planted or grown with trees

“Blue treed a possum in a hollow log.” (page 99)