Troy Maxson is a noble character from August Wilson's Fences. But, he came with a tragic flaw. This tragic flaw literally made him follow the path that completely ruined him. Talking Troy's fatal flaw is his self-centeredness. He was stubborn in nature which ruined him in ways unimaginable
He has his own little world with few people, and they are constantly revolving around his story. When you go through the respective story, you get to understand how he destroys any kind of Cory's chance of availing scholarship in football. The reason he did this was that he thought the whites wouldn't allow his son to play. But, the world did change, but he just did not believe the respective fact because of his stubbornness.
But, it is important to understand that he was not a bad man. His actions and words might look like he is acting mean or being rude, or cruel. But his heart was clear, and he lived with his own mind rather than believing anything else. There were many other qualities that he carried with him that made him quite an admirable man as well.
The first aspect that made Troy Maxson quite a likeable man was how he was responsible towards his family. He always looked after his family and ensured that they remained safe and secure. Another aspect that made him admirable was his passion. He always lived for his passion and ensured that he lived all the way accordingly through. Not only this, but he is also very funny and quite an amazing person to listen to. In fact, you might feel hypnotized while listening to him tell stories.
He does come up with a tough exterior, but that is not what is beneath that body. He is very soft-hearted, and when it comes to his family, he is more warm and protective. He truly loves his family and ensures that there is nothing hurting them in any which way. But, the biggest tragedy for him is that his family comes to know about all this only after he dies. He didn't know how to express his care, and this is when everyone always thought him to be rude or mean.
Yes, in the story, there are several actions he took that weren't right. In fact, because of the negative actions he took, his family tore apart. His family always tried to make him understand that now the times are different. It's not the same as it was earlier, but everything failed. They said that Cory was going to get more chances to play just the way he thought in his dream. But he just didn't listen to them at all. His stubbornness just didn't let him understand that now things are not the same.
Even Cory lets his father know about how things have been different in the last years. In fact, he also states about the black basketball players who are making names for themselves. But, every bit of it was just not making any kind of difference. For him, it was always like white men are never going to let you play the game.
Cory doesn't end here. He even says that he is doing all this because he is insecure about himself. He blames him for all his actions stating that he is afraid that he is better than him in the game. But, Troy is certainly not thinking the same. He is afraid that Croy might get hurt along the way because of the white men, and this is why he puts an end to his football career. To protect his own boy and disappointment from in his own career, he stops Cory from having a career in the respective domain.
All these aspects make Troy's character dark and complex. But, there is a lot more to it as well added to his personality. When you check out his character in the story, you might feel angry and disgusted towards him, but that's not what defines him. There are certainly many good and inspiring qualities as well that define his character. His relationship with his son also comes from the way he and his father used to live together. As you go through the story, you'll understand how Troy is behaving just the way his father behaved.
Troy's father was always mean and rude, but he was always there for the family. He always protected his family with all his heart and ensured that they lived a life without any hassle. The same has inspired Troy and his behaviour. He is behaving the same way and treating his son accordingly. Just like his father, he also went to the office every single day to protect his family and ensure that he took good care of all of the members.
All these aspects defined how he was and was always ready to live for the family. But, his stubbornness and mentality pushed him back in front of the people. Whatever he feels, he expresses the same and ensures that things are going the same way. The only aspect that was wrong was that I never believed that things could change. People can change. This is why his relationship with the family is just not good, and things just tear apart because of his actions as well.
All in all, he was quite a man within himself. He never opened up about anything with anyone and did whatever he felt was right. He wore his heart on his sleeves and ensured that every single family member was safe and happy.
This horrible case of hamartia literally ends any possibility of having a happy and satisfying life with his family. And this is why he is always acknowledged along the lines of tragic heroes.
Author: Noah
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