The Failure of the American Dream in August Wilson's Fences

The Failure of the American Dream in August Wilson's Fences [PP: 69-75] Peyman Amanolahi Baharvand Department of English Language and Literature Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch Tehran, Iran ABSTRACT This paper traces the impossibility of the fulfillment of the American dream for African- Americans in August Wilson‟s Fences. It examines why Troy Maxon, as the protagonist of the play, is not able to fulfill his dreams of freedom, and economic achievements in an environment of oppression where he finds himself surrounded by hostile whites who hinder his development. It indicates that the racial discrimination, manifested in various forms including racial segregation prevalent in the white-dominated American society, impedes Troy‟s progress. A large number of African-Americans migrated from southern states to the north in 1920s and 1930s in order to find jobs in industrial northern states. They had been told that the United States was the promised land of equal chances wherein everyone regardless of race and gender was able to progress from rags to riches. They left the South, in which racism was still pervasive despite the abolition of slavery, and moved to the North for the fulfillment of the dreams they had been promised. The advocates of the American Dream claimed that hard diligence and intelligence could lead a man to material prosperity. Nevertheless, this paper demonstrates that since African-Americans are considered to be „„others‟‟ in the white dominated society, financial progress and other aspects of the American Dream remain impossible dreams for them. Keywords: The American Dream, Baseball, Negro, Racism, Slave, Fences ARTICLE The paper received on Reviewed on Accepted after revisions on INFO 21/09/2017 14/10/2017 17/12/2017 Suggested citation: Baharvand, P. (2017). The Failure of the American Dream in August Wilson's Fences. International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 5(4). 69-75. 1. Introduction United States, by European traders in the August Wilson (1945-2005) was a 1620s. Since African slaves were well- prominent African-American playwright built and strong individuals for whose who wrote 15 plays for which he won labor no wage was required, the idea of many awards. To name only a few of the slavery was of great financial benefits for prizes Wilson won, one can refer to a slaveholders. Though it is impossible to Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for his think of the exact number, roughly six to play Fences, and a second Pulitzer Prize seven million slaves were imported to the for The Piano Lesson. Wilson is generally New World during the seventeenth and referred to as a dramatist who concentrated eighteenth centuries. African slaves on the sufferings of African-Americans in worked mainly on cotton, tobacco and rice his plays. He intended to depict the lands. Every slaveholder possessed on wretched life of a neglected race in the average fifty slaves who worked in United States in order to draw the attention extremely wretched conditions. They were of social reformers throughout the world to hindered from education and other these miserable people. Fences is the best preliminary social rights. Moreover, most play in which he portrays this suffering. As of black women were subject to sexual Wilson's masterpiece, Fences is a play in harassment by their white masters who which the author foregrounds the troubles took sexual liberty with them. No slave of an African-American family who fails family could feel secure, because to fulfill their dream of success and slaveholders did not hesitate to disintegrate happiness despite the diligence and these families in order to sell them to other constant efforts of Troy Maxon, the head masters. of the household. American slaveholders did not face The first group of African slaves were serious challenges until the brought to the New World, later to be the accomplishment of American Revolution International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies (www.eltsjournal.org) ISSN:2308-5460 Volume: 05 Issue: 04 October-December, 2017 in 1183. Many of the northern leaders one of the bloodiest wars in the history of associated with this revolution opposed the United States. The casualties exceeded slavery on the basis that it was 600,000 warriors. The war was extremely incongruous to the constitution of the destructive but black people were satisfied United States that acknowledged freedom with the result, because the North won the and equality. They asserted that slavery battle. That is to say, those who defended was immoral and unethical. After all, slavery were severely defeated. northern states were mostly industrial ones Consequently, slavery was formally and unlike southern states did not depend abolished as the 13th Amendment to the on agriculture and farm crops. As a matter U.S. constitution was enacted in 1865. of fact, slavery was never widespread in Freed slaves had been supposedly the North. Consequently, no significant released from wretchedness of life by the objection against newly formed abolitionist end of slavery, but there was yet a long movement rose up in the North. Abolition distance to be taken before gaining full of slavery would evoke an economic crisis citizenship in a country in which many in the southern states that depended white people were still hostile towards entirely on the labor of African slaves. blacks. African-Americans like Troy Therefore, they intensely resisted the Maxson‟s father expected a world full of freedom of black slaves. options; nevertheless, their hopes were The Congress of the United States frustrated. They received the right to attend banned slavery in 1808, but no southern schools and the right to vote but white state obeyed this law. This law gave rise to oppression was too strong to wane in a few more and more abolitionist movements. decades even. Racist groups such as the Ku Many authors served as social reformers Klux Klan never stopped the murder of and attempted to enlighten their audiences blacks. The former black slaves who found through the portrayal of sympathetic black themselves among millions of antagonistic characters. The most prominent author whites in southern stares began to migrate who reacted against slavery was Harriet to the North where they were supposed to Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) whose find jobs and better conditions of life in monumental novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin industrial states. Nearly eight million (1852) was a fatal blow to white African-American moved to the North slaveholders. A lot of fugitive slaves were during the Great Migration. They had fled assisted to escape northern states by the from the aggression and brutality imposed strategy of “underground railway”. It was on them by white masters. However, these conducted neither under the ground nor miserable people realized that they had not through the railway system. However, escaped inequality and racial since railway terms were used in this discrimination. system it got the so-called name. For 2. Review of Literature instance, those who helped the slaves flee Wilson‟s Fences has been subject to a to the North; and the secret houses used in variety of critical articles that sought to this system as shelters were called examine the play based on distinct “conductor” and “station” respectively. theories. Kiffer (2017) argues that Troy More than 1000 slaves escaped by the aid Maxon‟s predicament results from the fact of both white individuals and freed slaves. that he is a black individual. He holds that The election of Abraham Lincoln blackness is a burden that worsened the (1809-1865) in 1861 reinforced the gap misery of the poor in the United States in between the North and the south, because 1930s and 1940s. Kiffer adds that African- he was absolutely against slave trade and American characters in Fences are in uncompromisingly argued against it. search of their identity despite the fact that Furthermore, the economic, social and the country in which they reside has political discrepancies between the North robbed them of their cultural heritage. and the south contributed to the Abdelsamie and Abdallah (2015) state intensification of this gap. One of the that Wilson is concerned, in Fences, with major debates between the two hostile exhibiting black experience in order to sides was the political autonomy arouse the community's awareness with demanded by southern states. The North regard to the plight of African-Americans. advocated a federal government but the They also maintain that black characters in south urged for more freedom for states. A Fences are in quest of rediscovering their war was inevitable in such circumstances. lost identity. Likewise, self-realization and The American Civil War (1861-1865) was "self-authentication" are significant Cite this article as: Baharvand, P. (2017). The Failure of the American Dream in August Wilson's Fences. International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 5(4). 69-75. Page | 70 The Failure of the American Dream in August Wilson's Fences Peyman Amanolahi Baharvand purposes pursued by black characters in later when Troy is fourteen years old. Troy the play. According to Abdelsamie and forsakes the family out of misery. He Abdallah, African-Americans in Fences intends to migrate to northern states in endeavor to overcome their limitations in order to find more options in the industrial the racist American society by recovering North. their Africanness, and also through Troy expects to be granted full recognizing their cultural roots. citizenship in the North, where black Sayni (2017). holds that Wilson people were supposed to have satisfactory indicates the silenced voices of African- jobs. He is not a criminal upon his arrival Americans in Fences. He refers to Wilson to the North. Troy goes to northern states as a competent and gifted playwright who with good intentions.

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