I saw this play as a movie starring Denzel Washington years ago. Denzel portrays Troy Maxson, who is not a very nice man. But, after reading this in play format, I developed a deeper understanding of who Troy is and why he does what he does. His own father was a troubled and abusive man. Troy's mother left him when he was 8 years old. One thing Troy's father taught him was the value of hard work. Troy does the best he can, only knowing his own childhood trauma, and finding a way to survive it.
Troy has two sons, Lyons (34) and his teenage son, Cory, who he shares with his current wife, Rose. Lyons perceives himself as a musician, but he doesn't seem to work overly hard at it. He is always asking his father for money. When Troy tells him to get a job, Lyons explains that he just wants to live a life that he enjoys. This infuriates Troy, who wants Lyons to make something of himself. Troy also pushes Cory to get a job, even though Cory wants to play football and even has a recruiter interested in him. Troy refuses to even meet with the recruiter, since he believes that the world of athletics caters to white athletes and that even if Cory got recruited to play football in college, he would just sit on the bench because he's black. Troy himself was a talented ball player, but couldn't get anywhere playing baseball because he was black.
Troy loves Rose, but that doesn't stop him from seeing another woman (Alberta) on the side. Even when Troy's best friend, Bono, tells Troy that Rose loves him and doesn't deserve what he is doing to her, Troy explains that he loves both women. Troy and Rose have been married for 18 years when Troy tells Rose that he is going to be a father again. Rose is deeply hurt, as she should be. Rose had allowed Troy to consume her during their marriage, giving him her whole self, to the point that she doesn't even know who she is anymore. When Alberta dies in childbirth, Troy brings the baby girl (Raynell) to Rose and asks Rose to raise her. Since Raynell is an innocent child, Rose agrees to become Raynell's mother, but declares she is no longer Troy's wife.
The other significant person in Troy's life is his brother, Gabriel. Gabriel suffered a traumatic brain injury in the war and received $3,000 for his pain and suffering. Troy takes that money and buys the home he lives in with Rose and Cory. Gabriel lived there too, until he decided he wanted to live more "independently". Troy feels guilt over using Gabriel's money, but also feels he is responsible for Gabriel. Which basically, he is.
Troy is a complex man. An angry man. A hard working man. He would be very difficult to love. With that being said, he manages his life and his family the only way he knows. And at the foundation, he loves his family and feels an undeniable need to take care of them all, in his own way.
Wendy's Rating: ****
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