Fences Act 1, Scene 1 Summary -
In typical August Wilson fashion, the play begins with a whole bunch of stage directions.
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We're told that we're in the Maxson family's yard.
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Their ancient brick house is set off of an alley in a city neighborhood.
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There's a wooden porch that needs to be painted really badly.
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Some old beat-up chairs sit on the porch.
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There's a half-built fence around the dirt yard.
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Tools and lumber sit in a pile.
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A ball made of rags hangs from the tree.
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A baseball bat leans against the tree.
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It's 1957.
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Troy Maxson and Bono enter the yard in the middle of a conversation.
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Both men are black.
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We're told that Troy is a big guy.
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Bono has been Maxson's best friend for 33 years.
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It's Friday night – payday.
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It's the one night of the week where the two friends drink and hang out.
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Troy and Bono are dressed for their jobs as garbage collectors.
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At long last, the dialogue begins.
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Troy and Bono are discussing a recent complaint that Troy has made at work.
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Maxson evidently asked his boss, Mr. Rand, why all the black men put the garbage in the trucks, while the white men get to drive.
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Bono worries that the white management will drum up some reason to fire Troy.
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It doesn't seem like Troy is too afraid of this.
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He's just looking for equality and feels like he deserves it.
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Bono mentions that Troy has been talking to a certain lady, Alberta, at the bar a lot lately.
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He seems concerned that Troy might be having an affair.
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Bono also points out that he's seen Troy walking around Alberta's house.
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Troy denies that he's messing around with Alberta.
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He says he's stopped chasing after women ever since he's been married to his wife, Rose.
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Bono asks where Alberta is from.
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Tallahassee, says Troy.
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His friend comments that Alberta is "big and healthy." She's got "big old legs and hips as wide as the Mississippi River" (1.1.36).
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Troy says that legs don't matter. It's "them hips [that] cushion the ride!... Like you riding on Goodyears!" (1.1.37-1.1.39).
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Rose enters.
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Stage directions tell us that she's ten years younger than Troy.
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She's devoted to him, in part, because her life without him would be no good.
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Rose also recognizes that Troy has a good spirit despite his faults.
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Troy's wife asks what Troy and Bono are talking about.
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Troy tells her it's "men talk" (1.1.42).
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Rose asks Bono if he wants supper.
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He tells her he'll eat supper at home. He's looking forward to his wife's pot of pig feet.
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Troy says he wants to go eat pig feet with Bono.
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He teases Rose, asking if what she's cooking can top it.
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She's got chicken and collard greens cooking.
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Troy tells his wife to go back inside so the man-talk can continue.
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He makes sexually suggestive remarks to Rose, teasing her, saying she needs to go inside and "powder it up" so she'll be ready for him later on that night (1.1.47).
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Rose tells him not to talk like that.
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Troy affectionately puts his arm around his wife.
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He says that when he first met Rose, he told her he didn't want to marry her; he just wanted to be her man.
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He prods Rose to tell Bono what she responded.
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Rose says she told Troy, "if he wasn't the marrying kind, then move out the way so the marrying kind could find me" (1.1.50).
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Troy says he thought this over for two or three days.
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Rose corrects him, saying he came back the same night.
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Jokingly, Troy tells Bono that he promised to put a rooster in the backyard. This way he'd know if any other men were sneaking out the backdoor when he came home from work.
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Rose tells him not to talk like that.
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Troy says the only problem was when they first got married, they didn't have a backyard.
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Bono talks about the first house he and his wife lived in.
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There were only two rooms with an outhouse in the back.
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It was freezing cold when the winter wind blew.
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He wonders why they stayed there six years.
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Bono says he thought only white people could get better things.
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Rose says a lot of people don't realize they can do better.
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For example, people still shop at Bella's, when the A&P is way cheaper.
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Troy says he's treated right at Bella's and that's why he shops there.
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The only good thing about the A&P is that the grocery store gave his son, Cory, a job.
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Money has been tight around the house since Troy's brother, Gabe, moved out.
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Rose mentions that Cory has been recruited by a college football team.
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Troy is totally against this.
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He says that the white man won't let Cory go anywhere in the sports world.
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He thinks his son ought to be learning a trade instead of focusing on sports.
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Rose tells her husband that it's a real honor for their son to be recruited.
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Bono comments that if Cory is as good at football as Troy was at baseball then the boy will do alright.
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Troy says that despite his skills at baseball he's still poor.
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His wife tells him that times have changed since he played baseball – now black people are allowed to play in the major leagues.
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Bono says that Troy just "[came] along too early" (1.1.77).
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"There ought not never have been no time called too early!" says Troy.
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He talks about how his batting average was way higher than Selkirk's, a guy who played right field for the Yankees back then.
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Rose comments that people just had to wait for Jackie Robinson to come along.
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Her husband says, "Jackie Robinson wasn't nobody" and that he "know[s] teams Jackie Robinson couldn't even make!" (1.1.82).
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Troy complains that it should never have mattered what color you were.
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If you were good at baseball, they should've let you play.
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He takes a long swig from a bottle of gin.
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Rose warns him that he's going to drink himself to death.
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Her husband says he isn't afraid of Death. He compares it to "a fastball on the outside corner" (1.1.84).
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Back in the day, he could knock one of those right out of the park.
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Troy continues, saying he's not afraid of Death because he's wrestled with him.
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He saw Death's cold army marching straight at him.
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Rose says all this was a hallucination of Troy's when he had a really bad case of pneumonia.
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Troy tells them that he grabbed Death's sickle and threw it over a hill.
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He wrestled Death for three days and nights until Death finally gave up.
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Death told Troy that he would be back.
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Troy realizes that Death will get him someday, but he's not going out without a fight.
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Bono remarks that Troy has "got more stories than the Devil's got sinners" (1.1.101).
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Troy says he's seen the devil too.
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Troy's son, Lyons, enters.
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Stage directions tell us that Lyons is Troy's son from a previous marriage.
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Troy suggests that Lyons only came by to get some money.
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Lyons replies that he just came by to say hello, since he was in the neighborhood.
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Troy thinks his son was in the neighborhood because he knows Troy got paid today.
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Lyons says, "Well, hell, since you mentioned it... let me have ten dollars" (1.1.116).
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His father tells him he'd rather "go to hell and play blackjack with the devil" (1.1.117).
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Bono asks Troy to tell the story about when he met the devil.
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Troy says that happened a while ago, when he needed some furniture.
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He went to the furniture store and tried get some on credit, but they wouldn't help him out.
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The next think you know a white man showed up at the door out of nowhere.
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The man told Troy he'd give him three rooms worth of furniture as long as he paid ten dollars a month.
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If Troy didn't pay, then the man would come back and take the furniture.
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Troy says that this man must've been the devil.
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Bono asks how long Troy has been paying the ten dollars.
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Troy tells him it's been fifteen years.
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Rose butts in and calls Troy out for making the whole story up.
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She says Troy doesn't pay ten dollars a month to anybody and that they got their furniture from a dude named Mr. Glickman.
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Troy laughs it off, saying Bono knows he wouldn't ever be as a big a fool as to pay somebody that much for some furniture.
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His wife tells him he should stop talking about dealing with the devil. He ought to be worried about what God's going to say on judgment day.
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Lyons asks again for the ten dollars.
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Troy gives him a hard time about it, saying Lyons ought to get a job.
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Lyons says he's too busy playing music.
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Troy implies that Lyons' mother did a bad job raising him.
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Lyons tells his father that he should've been around when he was growing up -- then maybe he would've been raised better.
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Rose encourages Troy to give Lyons the ten dollars.
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Her husband tells her to give it to Lyons.
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She says she will, as soon as Troy gives her his earnings for the week.
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He hands his money to her and she gives Lyons the ten dollars.
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Lyons tells them both thank you and heads off.
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Troy complains that Lyons is 34 and doesn't have a real job.
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Bono says he has to go home – his wife is waiting.
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Troy puts his arm around Rose and says how much he loves her.
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He tells Bono that soon he and Rose will be getting it on, and drunkenly brags that they'll probably still be getting in on come Monday morning.
Fences Act 1, Scene 2 Summary
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Lights rise on Rose hanging laundry and singing to herself, "Jesus, be a fence all around me every day" (1.2.2).
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Troy enters from the house.
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Rose asks if he's ready for breakfast.
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He tells her he's already put the coffee on, and that's all he wants.
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Rose tells him that Miss Pearl won a little money in the lottery the other day. She complains that the people who really need it never win.
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Troy tells her she shouldn't mess around with the numbers – it's a waste of time.
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Rose points out that a guy named Pope bought a restaurant out of the money he won.
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Her husband talks about how Pope always gives the best food to white people.
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Rose implies that he's just bringing that up because he's worried about what happened at work on Friday (when Troy complained about the racial inequality).
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Troy ignores her and asks where their son Cory is.
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Rose says the boy went out.
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Troy complains that Cory is just trying to avoid helping him with the fence they're supposed to be building.
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Gabriel comes down the alleyway. He hears Troy's voice and stops.
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Rose tells Troy that Cory went in for some extra football practice.
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Troy gets mad because Cory hasn't done his chores.
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Rose tells her husband to stop complaining about everything.
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Troy sees Gabriel in the alleyway. Stage directions tell us that Gabriel is Troy's brother.
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He's got a metal plate in his head from injury he got in WWII. He now thinks he is the archangel Gabriel.
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Gabriel has an old trumpet strung around his neck and is carrying a basket full of fruits and vegetables.
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He starts to sing that he's got plums for sale.
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Rose asks him what's in the basket.
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It turns out Gabriel doesn't actually have any plums; he just likes to sing about them.
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He says that tomorrow he'll have enough plums "for St. Peter and everybody" (1.2.38).
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He thinks Troy is mad at him because he moved out of the house to live in Ms. Pearl's basement.
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Troy says he's not mad at all.
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Gabriel brags that he's got two rooms and his own door. He proudly shows off his key.
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Rose asks if he wants some breakfast.
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He tells her he just wants some biscuits.
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He says that when he was in heaven, he and St. Peter ate biscuits every day.
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Sometimes St. Peter would go off and sleep, telling Gabriel to wake him up if Judgment Day came.
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Rose leaves, saying she'll make Gabriel some biscuits.
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Gabriel tells his brother that he saw his name in St. Peter's book.
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Troy tells him to go inside and eat.
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Gabriel says he already ate with Aunt Jemima.
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He tells Troy that he sold some tomatoes and now he has two quarters.
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Soon he'll buy a new horn so that St. Peter can find him on Judgment Day.
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Gabriel stops suddenly, thinking he hears some hell hounds.
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He runs off after them, singing about Judgment Day.
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Rose reenters. She says that Gabriel ought to be in a hospital, where they can take care of him properly.
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Troy says Gabriel shouldn't be locked up.
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He complains that his brother got half his head shot off in the war and only got three thousand dollars afterward.
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Troy used that money to buy his house and seems to feel guilty about it.
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Rose says he shouldn't feel bad; he took care of Gabe in the house as long Gabe wanted to be taken care of.
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Troy starts to head out of the yard.
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His wife asks him why he's been going off every Saturday, especially since he's supposed to be working on the fence.
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Troy says he's going to a place called Taylors' and that he'll finish the fence later.
Fences Act 1, Scene 3 Summary
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It's a few hours later.
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Rose is taking clothes down from the line.
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Cory enters carrying his football equipment.
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Rose fusses at him about leaving that morning without doing his chores; he was supposed to help Troy with the fence.
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Cory replies that Troy isn't ever around to work on the fence; he's been down at Taylors' for the past four or five Saturdays.
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He asks her if she told his father about the recruiter.
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Roses replies that she did, but that Troy didn't say much about it.
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She tells him he'd better do some chores before Troy gets home.
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Cory seems more interested in lunch.
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He exits into the house.
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Rose continues to take down laundry.
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Troy enters and sneaks up behind her.
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He comes on to her.
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She tells him to go on and asks him what the score was on the game.
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He says he doesn't care about the game and keeps coming on to her.
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Rose shrugs him off.
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Troy asks if Cory is home yet.
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Rose says that he's in the house doing his chores.
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Troy calls to Cory as Rose reenters the house with laundry.
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Troy fusses at his son for leaving without doing his chores that morning. He tells him to get to work sawing some boards for the fence.
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Cory starts sawing.
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After a moment, he suggests that Troy buy a TV. They're only two hundred dollars, he says.
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Troy goes off on his son, lecturing that if he had two hundred dollars he'd spend it on fixing the roof, not buying a TV.
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Cory remarks that the Pirates won today.
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His father doesn't want to hear about the Pirates. He says they've got an all-white team and that they never play Clemente, who is half Puerto Rican.
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Cory says Clemente plays all the time.
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Troy tells his son that they don't play him enough.
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He says that's why he doesn't want Cory getting involved in sports – white people won't ever let him get ahead.
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Cory points out that the Braves have Hank Aaron, and he's hitting a lot of homeruns.
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Troy says he isn't impressed with Hank Aaron.
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Cory talks about a lot of other black players.
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Troy tells him to stop talking about it and to saw some boards.
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He asks Cory about the college recruiter.
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Excited, Cory tells him that the recruiter will be coming by to soon to get Troy to sign the permission paper.
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Troy says Cory is supposed to be working at the A&P.
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Cory replies that Mr. Stawicki is going to hold his job until after football season. Starting next week, Cory will work at the A&P on the weekends.
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Troy tells him he's not signing anything. He wants Troy to get his regular job back. He thinks Cory should focus on learning a trade, not sports.
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Troy lectures his son, saying that the white man won't let him get ahead in sports anyway.
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He demands that Cory quit the football team and take his job back.
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Cory asks Troy why he doesn't like him.
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Troy goes off again, saying that it's a father's job to provide for his son, not to like him.
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He orders Cory to go down to the A&P.
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Cory exits.
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Rose enters and tells her husband that he ought to let Cory play football.
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She points out that Cory is just trying to be like Troy by playing sports.
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Troy says he doesn't want Cory to be anything like him.
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Rose tells Troy that he ought to admit that he was too old to play in the major leagues.
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Her husband won't hear it; he says it was just because he was the wrong color.
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Rose points out that what Cory wants more than anything is Troy's approval.
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Troy says he doesn't have time to hold Cory's hand.
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Rose tells him that the world has changed, and he can't see it.
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Troy replies that he works hard every week to provide for his family and that's the best he's got to give.
Fences Act 1, Scene 4 Summary
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Stage directions tell us that it's two weeks later on a Friday.
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Cory starts out of the house, carrying his football equipment.
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The phone rings and Cory answers.
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It's a guy named Jesse who wants to borrow Cory's spikes (football shoes).
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Cory tells his friend that his old spikes aren't any good.
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Rose yells to Cory, telling him to clean up his room.
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Cory yells back that he has to go to the game.
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He says he'll clean his room when he gets back, then runs off.
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Rose worries about what Troy will say if he sees Cory's messy room.
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Troy and Bono enter.
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Stage directions tell us that Troy is wearing something other than his work uniform.
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Apparently he was called down to the Commissioner's office because of his complaint.
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Bono observes that Troy ran down to Taylors' to tell Alberta about it.
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Troy says he just went down there to cash his check.
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His friend seems unconvinced.
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Troy yells for his wife. She tells him not to holler at her like that.
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Troy says a woman is supposed to come when she's called.
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Rose replies that she doesn't have to come like a dog.
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Her husband says he used to have a dog named Blue, who never came when called.
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He starts to sing a little ditty about Blue.
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Rose tells him that nobody wants to hear him sing.
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She recalls that Cory used to sing the song when he was little.
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Troy says his daddy used to sing the song.
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Rose tells him she still doesn't want to hear it.
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She says things must have gone well at the Commissioner's office, or else Troy wouldn't be in such a good mood.
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Troy proudly announces that they've made him a driver.
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Rose seems happy for him.
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Lyons enters.
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Troy acts like he isn't happy to see his son.
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He says that he thought Lyons would be in jail, since a place where Lyons plays music got raided by the police.
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Lyons says he was just playing music, not gambling.
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Rose tells Lyons he should have brought his lady friend Bonnie over.
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He says he was just in the neighborhood.
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Troy predicts that Lyons is about to ask him for money.
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Rose tells Lyons about Troy's promotion. Troy is going to be the first black driver.
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Bono points out that Troy doesn't have a driver's license.
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Troy doesn't seem to be bothered by this; by the time his boss, Mr. Rand, finds that out, he'll have one.
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Lyons tries to pay Troy back the ten dollars he borrowed.
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Troy stubbornly refuses to take the money, saying that Lyons should keep it for the next time he wants to borrow money.
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Lyons gives the money to Rose.
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Gabriel enters, singing about Judgment Day.
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He gives a rose to Rose.
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Proudly, he tells them that he's spent the day chasing hell hounds.
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He's trying to make sure that everything is ready for the Battle of Armageddon.
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Rose offers everybody some food.
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Gabe says he wants a sandwich.
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Lyons says he doesn't want to eat before he goes to play music tonight.
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He invites Troy to come listen.
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Troy says he doesn't like the kind of music Lyons plays.
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Gabriel tells Lyons that Troy is mad at him.
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Lyons asks what that's all about.
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Rose replies that Gabe thinks Troy is mad because Gabe moved to Ms. Pearl's.
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Troy says he's not mad at all, but implies that it sucks that Gabe is no longer around to help with rent.
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Rose says she doesn't want to hear about it anymore.
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Gabe asks if he can have the sandwich now.
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As Rose exits, she tells her husband he should sign the paper to let Cory play football.
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Troy is determined not to sign.
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He says Cory has been lying to him; he hasn't kept his job at the A&P at all – not even on the weekends.
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Troy says that once a boy is old enough to disobey his father, it's time to move on.
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Bono says he never got a chance to disobey his father because he never knew the man.
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Troy wishes he had never known his father, because he was selfish and mean.
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He says all his father lived for was the cotton crop.
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Even though his father was hard on him, Troy recognizes that the man felt a duty to his family. He thinks his father probably felt trapped by this sense of duty.
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Even so, says Troy, his daddy was straight-up evil. The man was so bad that Troy's mother left when he was a little boy and never came back.
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Troy talks about the day he left home. He was 14 and had started to take an interest in Joe Canewell's daughter.
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His daddy had told him to go plow a field with a mule named Greyboy.
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Instead, Troy tied up the mule and went to make out with Joe Canewell's daughter by a stream.
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Greyboy got loose and wandered back to the house, so Troy's father came looking for him.
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He found Troy and the girl by the stream.
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Troy's father started whipping him with the leather straps from the mule.
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At first Troy thought his daddy was just mad at him for not doing his work.
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He was about to run off when he realized that his father just wanted the girl for himself.
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Troy lost all fear of his daddy when he figured that out.
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He picked up the same strap his father had just beat him with and started whipping on him.
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The girl ran away.
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Troy's daddy beat him senseless after that.
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When Troy woke up, his eyes were swollen shut.
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The dog named Blue was licking his face.
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Troy says this was the moment he realized he had to leave his father's house.
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Gabriel enters, eating a ham sandwich.
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Troy says he walked all the way from the creek bed to Mobile, two hundred miles away.
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Rose calls from the house saying that Bonnie called for Lyons, wanting him to pick her up.
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Troy talks about how he walked from Mobile to the city they now live in, looking for work. (Note: The play is set in Pittsburgh, though none of the characters ever says so specifically.)
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When Troy got to Pittsburgh, he couldn't find a job.
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He lived on the riverbank in a shack made of tar paper and sticks.
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There were a lot of other black people living there as well.
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Troy started stealing to survive. At first he just stole food, but then he started stealing money as well.
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During that time he met Lyons's mother.
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Before too long, Lyons came into the world.
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Troy recognizes that it was a bad idea to have a kid when he could barely feed himself.
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One day he tried to rob a man. The man shot Troy in the chest and Troy killed him with a knife.
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Troy ended up spending fifteen years in prison.
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This is where he met Bono and learned to play baseball.
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Troy says prison totally cured him wanting to rob people.
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He met Rose after he got out.
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Troy says he told Rose that the only two things he cared about were her and baseball.
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He says he told her that baseball was the important thing, but that if she stuck around eventually it would be her.
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Rose calls him out, saying that he told her she was the most important thing.
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Lyons says he has to go.
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He asks Troy to come watch him play that evening.
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Troy makes a bunch of excuses.
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Lyons exits.
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Troy asks Rose what's for dinner.
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He makes some sexually suggestive remarks.
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Rose tells him not to talk like that.
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Bono exits, saying he's got to get home to his wife.
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Cory enters. He seems really pissed off.
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The boy throws his football helmet in Troy's direction.
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It seems that Troy told Cory's coach that Cory couldn't play football anymore.
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Troy also told the coach to tell the college recruiter not to come.
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Rose tells Troy that he ought to let Cory play football.
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Troy accuses Cory of lying to him – he hasn't kept up with his chores, and he hasn't kept his job at the A&P.
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Cory tells Troy that he never listens; he says that his boss, Mr. Stawicki, is holding his job for him until after the season.
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Cory accuses his father of purposely holding him back out of jealousy.
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Troy tells his son that now he's got one strike.
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He warns the boy not to strike out.
Fences Act 2, Scene 1 Summary
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Lights rise on Cory hitting the rag ball hanging from the tree with a baseball bat.
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Rose comes out and tells Cory to help her clean the cupboard.
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Cory says he's not quitting the team, no matter what his father says.
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Rose says she'll talk to him about it when he gets back.
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Evidently Gabriel got arrested for disturbing the peace, and Troy is trying to get him out of jail.
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For now, she tells her son, come help clean the cupboard.
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Cory goes inside.
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Rose sees Troy and Bono coming down the alleyway. She asks Troy what happened with Gabe.
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Troy tells her he paid them fifty dollars to let him out of jail.
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He asks where Cory is.
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Rose replies that he's inside helping her clean the cupboard.
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Troy tells her to get Cory to come outside.
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Rose goes back into the house.
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Bono and Troy walk over to the woodpile.
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Bono complains that Troy bought hardwood for the fence instead of something soft like pine.
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Pine is for inside, says Troy.
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His buddy tells him that a fence made of pine would've stayed around for as long as Troy was alive.
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Troy says he may never die.
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Bono brings up the fact that Troy has been talking and laughing with Alberta a lot lately.
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Troy says he does that with all the ladies.
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His friend implies that he's doing more than just talking with Alberta.
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Cory enters from the house.
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Start sawing some boards, his father tells him.
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Both Bono and Troy are impressed with Cory's sawing skills.
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Cory wonders why Rose might want a fence.
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Troy doesn't get it either; they don't have anything valuable enough to steal.
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Bono suggests that maybe Rose is trying to keep them in; she wants the fence because she's afraid of losing Cory and Troy.
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Go inside and look for another saw, Troy tells Cory.
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Troy asks Bono what he meant by that statement.
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Bono tells Troy that he's respected him for a long time. He says that when Troy chose Rose over all the other girls, he knew Troy had some sense.
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Bono tells his friend that he's learned a lot from him over the years. He reminds Troy that Rose is a good woman.
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Troy says he knows that already.
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Bono emphasizes how much Rose loves Troy.
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Troy asks if his friend is saying all this because of Alberta.
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Bono says he just doesn't want to see Troy mess up his marriage.
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Troy is grateful for his friend's advice and tells him so.
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He says he knows he won't find a better woman than Rose, but that Alberta has gotten "stuck" to him (2.1.47).
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Bono advises his friend that he has to take responsibility for his own actions.
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Troy says he'll do what feels right in his heart.
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If you try to have both of them, Bono tells him, you're bound to end up losing one.
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Troy tells his friend he's trying to find a way to work it out.
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Bono says he doesn't mean to be all up in Troy and Rose's business.
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Troy says he's going to get in Bono and Lucille's business. He reminds Bono that Lucille has been wanting a refrigerator for awhile.
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I'll get Lucille a refrigerator when you finish this fence for Rose, Bono tells his friend.
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Troy begins sawing a board.
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Bono starts to exit. Troy asks where he's going.
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I'm not helping you now, says Bono. The longer it takes for Troy to finish the fence, the longer it will be until Bono has to buy that fridge.
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Rose enters from the house. She asks Troy what happened with Gabe.
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Troy tells her again about how he paid a bribe to get his brother out.
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He adds that there will be a hearing soon that will decide whether Gabe needs to be committed to a home.
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Troy says he told the judge that he'd take care of Gabriel. Right now, Gabe is wandering around on his own.
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Rose suggests that maybe Gabe ought to be in a hospital, where he'd be taken care of.
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Troy says it's not right for his brother to be committed – Gabe isn't a threat to anybody. On top of that, Gabe only has mental problems because he got hurt fighting for his country. Troy thinks society owes Gabe some slack.
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Rose recognizes Troy's point of view. She tells him to stop worrying about his brother and come inside to eat.
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Troy says he has to tell her something first.
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He breaks the news that he's gotten Alberta pregnant.
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Rose can't believe what she's hearing.
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Gabriel enters, carrying a rose for Rose.
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She tells him to go in the house and eat some watermelon. He does.
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Rose goes off on Troy.
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She can't believe this is happening after eighteen years of marriage.
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Troy says he can't undo what's been done.
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His wife says he should have stayed in her bed.
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Troy explains that he can relax at Alberta's house in a way that he can't at home.
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He says he can't give her up.
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Rose tells him he ought to go stay with her then, if she's so much better.
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She's not better than you, Troy says. It's just that all the pressure of being the breadwinner for the household won't allow him to truly relax and be himself at home.
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Troy talks about how grateful he was to have Rose and Cory in his life; they helped him be a better man.
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Rose says he should've stayed in her bed then.
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She tells him that she thought of being with other people at times, too. But instead of being unfaithful she stayed beside him.
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Rose says Troy is always talking about how much he gives to the family but he doesn't realize how much he's taken.
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She starts to exit.
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Troy roughly grabs her arm, offended that she said he doesn't give enough.
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Rose begs him to let her go.
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Cory enters.
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He grabs Troy from behind, hauling him off of Rose, then punches Troy in the chest.
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Troy goes after Cory but stops when Rose begs him to.
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"That's strike two," Troy menacingly says to his son (2.1.139).
Fences Act 2, Scene 2 Summary
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Stage directions tell us that it's six months later.
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Troy enters from the house and starts to walk off.
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Rose comes out on the porch, saying she wants to talk to him.
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He says she hasn't wanted to talk to him for months, so why now.
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She tells him she wants him to come home after work tonight.
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Troy replies that he comes home every night.
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Yeah, but not straight after work, says Rose, implying that he goes by Alberta's first.
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Her husband tells her that he's going by the hospital after work.
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Apparently Alberta might be having the baby early, so he's going to check on her.
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Rose informs him that they put Gabe in the mental hospital today.
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She accuses him of signing the papers to have Gabe put away.
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He denies it.
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Rose says Ms. Pearl showed her the paper with his signature on it.
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Now Troy will get part of the check that the government sends for his brother.
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Troy says he didn't know what he was signing because he can't read.
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Rose accuses Troy of selling his brother out for the money.
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He flatly denies it.
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The phone rings and Rose goes to answer it.
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She comes back out and tells Troy that it was the hospital calling.
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Alberta has had the child but died in the process.
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The baby is healthy.
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Rose wonders who is going to bury Alberta.
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Troy says Alberta had family.
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Rose begs Troy not to push her away.
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He says he's not trying to do that; he just needs some breathing room.
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Rose goes back into the house.
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Troy starts talking out loud to Death. He says he's going to build a fence around the yard to keep Death out.
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Troy tells Death that when he comes for him he'd better be ready for a fight.
Fences Act 2, Scene 3 Summary
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Stage directions tells us that it's three days later.
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Rose is sitting on the porch, listening to a ballgame.
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Troy enters carrying his new baby, Raynell, wrapped in blankets.
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There's a long, awkward silence.
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Troy tells his wife that he's holding his daughter.
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He says the girl is innocent and doesn't have a mother.
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Rose brushes Troy off and goes back inside.
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Troy sits down on the porch with Raynell.
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He bemoans that fact that neither of them have a home now.
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Troy sings Raynell a lullaby.
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Rose comes back out on the porch.
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Troy asks her if she'll help take care of Raynell.
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Rose agrees, because Raynell is innocent and doesn't deserve to suffer.
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However, from now on, Rose won't be Troy's woman.
Fences Act 2, Scene 4 Summary
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Lyons enters from the street, knocks on the door, and calls for Rose.
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Rose calls from inside the house, telling Lyons to stop yelling – she's just gotten Raynell to sleep.
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Lyons says he's come by to pay Troy back the twenty dollars he owes him.
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Rose tells him to come inside and put the money on the table.
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He does so. As he's exiting, Cory enters.
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Lyons apologizes to Cory for missing his graduation – he had a gig and couldn't make it.
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Cory says it's alright.
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Lyons asks Cory what he's up to now.
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Looking for a job, Cory replies.
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Lyons tells him he ought to see if Troy can help him find one.
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Cory doesn't seem too excited by the idea.
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Lyons exits.
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Cory picks up the bat and practices his swing.
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Troy enters the yard.
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Cory stares at him for a second, then exits.
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Rose enters from the house, carrying a cake. She's taking it down to the church for a bake sale.
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Rose tells Troy that his dinner is on the stove and that Lyons left him twenty dollars.
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Troy tries to give Rose some money. She tells him to put it on the table.
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He asks her when she's coming back.
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Rose says it's none of his business and heads off to church.
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Troy sits on the porch and sings the song about Blue the hound dog while sipping on some gin.
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Bono enters.
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Troy says he hasn't seen him in a while.
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His friend tells him it's been hard to keep up with him since he got the promotion.
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Troy doesn't like driving as much as he thought he would, because there's no one to talk to.
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He asks Bono if he wants a drink.
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Bono says he can't; he's about to go play dominoes at Skinner's.
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He tells Troy he should stop by and play sometime.
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Troy says he heard that Bono bought Lucille the refrigerator she'd been wanting.
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Bono says he did, because he heard Troy finished his fence.
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Troy tells his friend that he'll be sure to stop by.
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Bono exits.
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Troy sips some more gin and sings about Blue.
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Cory enters.
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Troy is sitting in the middle of the steps.
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Cory tells his father he needs to get by.
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Troy says he ought to say excuse me.
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The argument escalates.
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Cory says Troy "doesn't count around here no more" (2.4.70).
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Troy goes off about how he pays for everything and provides for Cory.
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Cory tells Troy to get out of his way.
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His father yells at him to get out of the yard. He says he's through providing for Cory.
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Cory replies that all Troy ever did was hold him back and try to make him scared of him.
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He says he doesn't know how his mother puts up with Troy after what he did.
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Troy tells him to shut up about Rose.
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Cory taunts his father, saying he's too old to do anything about it.
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Troy shoves Cory and orders him to leave the yard.
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His son retorts that it isn't Troy's yard anyway – he bought it with Gabe's disability money, then kicked him out.
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Troy angrily steps up to Cory.
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Cory picks up Troy's bat and dares his father to get closer.
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Troy lunges at Cory.
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His son swings the bat and misses (strike one).
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He does it again and misses once more (strike two).
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Troy sticks out his head, daring his son to hit him with the bat.
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Cory can't bring himself to do it (strike three).
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Troy grabs the bat and they wrestle over it.
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In the end, Troy yanks the bat from Cory's hands.
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He starts to swing it at his son but thinks better of it.
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Troy orders Cory to leave.
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Ashamed, Cory starts to skulk off.
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"Tell Mama I'll be back for my things," he says to Troy (2.3.110).
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Troy replies, "They'll be on the other side of that fence" (2.4.111).
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Cory exits.
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Troy grabs the bat and taunts Death.
Fences Act 2, Scene 5 Summary
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Stage directions tells us that it's now 1965. It's the morning of Troy's funeral.
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There's a funeral plaque next to the door.
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Raynell, now seven years old, enters from the house, wearing a flannel nightgown. She stares at a small garden plot.
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Rose comes to the door and asks Raynell what she's doing.
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The girl says she's looking to see if her garden has grown.
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Rose tells her it won't grow overnight and that Raynell needs to come inside to get dressed.
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Rose goes back into the house.
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Cory enters, wearing a Marine corporal's uniform.
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Raynell calls to Rose, saying there's a man in the yard.
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Rose comes out and has a tearful reunion with Cory. She's so happy that he made it.
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Bono and Lyons enter wearing funeral clothes.
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Lyons is impressed that Cory is now a corporal.
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Bono says Cory reminds him of Troy when he first met him.
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Bono takes his leave, saying he's got to go get the pallbearers ready at the church.
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Rose offers everybody breakfast.
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Lyons says he'll have some, but Cory tells her he isn't hungry.
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She goes inside to whip something up.
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Lyons congratulates Cory on his upcoming marriage.
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He tells his brother he always knew he'd make something of himself.
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Things haven't gone as well for Lyons. Bonnie left him a few years ago and he got in trouble for cashing other people's checks.
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At first they sentenced him to three years in the workhouse, but now it's only nine months.
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He says it's not so bad.
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"You got to take the crookeds with the straights," Lyons tells Cory (2.5.57).
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Lyons says Troy used to say that whenever he struck out.
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He reminisces about a time when Troy struck out three times in a row, but on the fourth time at bat he knocked the ball out of the park.
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Cory asks his brother if he is still playing music.
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Lyons says he is, and that that's the only way he knows how to make sense of the world.
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Rose calls from inside the house, saying Lyons's eggs are ready.
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Before going to eat, Lyons asks Cory how he's doing with Troy's death.
-
Stage directions tell us that the two brothers share a silent moment of grief.
-
Lyons enters the house.
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Cory wanders around the yard.
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After a moment, Raynell approaches him.
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She asks Cory if he used to sleep in her room.
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He says, yeah.
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Raynell tells him that Troy used to always call it "Cory's room" and that Cory's football is still in the closet (2.5.67).
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Rose yells for Raynell to come inside and change her shoes.
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After some protesting, the girl goes inside.
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Rose comes out into the yard. She tells Cory that his father died while swinging the bat at the rag ball hanging from the tree.
-
Rose says he died with a smile on his face.
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Hesitantly, Cory informs his mother that he won't be going to Troy's funeral.
-
"I've got to say no to him. One time in my life I got to say no," Cory tells her (2.5.79).
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Rose goes off on him. She says being disrespectful to the memory of his father isn't going to make him a man.
-
Cory says Troy was like a shadow haunting him all his life.
-
Rose tells him that he's just like his father.
-
That's the last thing Cory wants to hear.
-
Rose says Troy tried to make sure Cory didn't turn out like him, but in the process he did just the opposite.
-
She admits her husband was a big man who was sometimes too rough and sometimes took too much.
-
Rose says that by the time Raynell came along, she and Troy had lost touch with each other.
-
She says she's determined to raise Raynell like Troy raised Cory.
-
The phone rings.
-
Raynell comes out and says it's the Reverend.
-
Rose goes to answer it.
-
Raynell asks Cory if he knew Blue, the dog Troy always used to sing about.
-
Cory and Raynell begin to sing the song together.
-
Toward the end they sing "Blue laid down and died like a man/Now he's treeing possums in the Promised Land." It seems pretty clear that, in a way, they're singing about Troy (2.5.101).
-
Gabriel comes down the alleyway shouting for Rose.
-
Lyons and Rose come out on the porch; they're glad the people at the hospital let Gabe out for the funeral.
-
Gabe announces that it's finally time for the gates of heaven to open.
-
He puts his trumpet to his lips and tries as best he can to blow.
-
No sound comes out.
-
He tries again and again but nothing happens.
-
Gabe begins to do a ritualistic dance and sings a strange song.
-
Stage directions tell us that by the time he completes the dance, "the gates of heaven stand open as wide as God's closet" (2.5.113).
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