SYMBOLISM IN FENCES
After finishing the play, we have learned a lot about the characters, their family, their dreams, and their lives. Now it’s
time to find some symbols and their meanings throughout the play to discuss.
Your job: Find 4 symbols in the play that are important. Remember, symbols are real, touchable objects that represent
concepts or non-touchable ideas. For example, the American flag (a real object) represents freedom and liberty with equal opportunity
for every citizen (a non-touchable idea). In order to find symbols, you may work backward from an idea or concept and find
an object that stands out or focus on objects that have been constant in the play and figure out their meaning. Once
you find an object, draw it to the best of your ability as you image it in the play and pair it with a quoted/cited line
from the text. THEN, give me a 3-4 sentence explanation of this symbol’s role in the play, where we see it, and what it
means. Use one sheet of blank paper, 2 symbols on each side of the paper with equal space.
Below is an example which you cannot use yourself:
BROKEN FENCE
“Some people build fences to keep people out…and
other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants
to hold on to you all. She loves you” (2.1.61).
The fence is mentioned several times in the play, through the
setting as the house is described, when Rose is singing while
doing the laundry, within Troy and Cory’s relationship, by
Bono as he gives Troy some advice, etc. The broken fence
symbolizes Troy’s neglect of his home and family, his lack of
care and protectiveness for those who belong to him. The
fence never gets fixed and always gets pushed to the
backburner for something more “important”. By the time
Troy realizes that he needs to finish this fence, it’s too late
and he’s lost his family. Because he did not care enough to
watch out for his family, and build the fences, they have all
moved on with their lives without him. He’s remains alone.
SYMBOLISM IN FENCES
After finishing the play, we have learned a lot about the characters, their family, their dreams, and their lives. Now it’s
time to find some symbols and their meanings throughout the play to discuss.
Your job: Find 4 symbols in the play that are important. Remember, symbols are real, touchable objects that represent
concepts or non-touchable ideas. For example, the American flag (a real object) represents freedom and liberty with equal opportunity
for every citizen (a non-touchable idea). In order to find symbols, you may work backward from an idea or concept and find
an object that stands out or focus on objects that have been constant in the play and figure out their meaning. Once
you find an object, draw it to the best of your ability as you image it in the play and pair it with a quoted/cited line
from the text. THEN, give me a 3-4 sentence explanation of this symbol’s role in the play, where we see it, and what it
means. Use one sheet of blank paper, 2 symbols on each side of the paper with equal space.
Below is an example which you cannot use yourself:
BROKEN FENCE
“Some people build fences to keep people out…and
other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants
to hold on to you all. She loves you” (2.1.61).
The fence is mentioned several times in the play, through the
setting as the house is described, when Rose is singing while
doing the laundry, within Troy and Cory’s relationship, by
Bono as he gives Troy some advice, etc. The broken fence
symbolizes Troy’s neglect of his home and family, his lack of
care and protectiveness for those who belong to him. The
fence never gets fixed and always gets pushed to the
backburner for something more “important”. By the time
Troy realizes that he needs to finish this fence, it’s too late
and he’s lost his family. Because he did not care enough to
watch out for his family, and build the fences, they have all
moved on with their lives without him. He’s remains alone.