WAEC Literature in English 2025 Theory — Question 19

Model answer

The play Fences by August Wilson documents the treatment of Blacks in the United States in the 20th century; themes include racial discrimination, marital conflict, love and marriage. Troy Maxson, the protagonist, is a hardworking, middle-aged African-American man with a commanding presence and big personality, husband to Rose and father to Cory, Lyons and Raynell; Alberta, on the other hand, is Troy's buxom lover from Tallahassee, and Raynell's mother. She dies while giving birth to Raynell; it is noteworthy that Bono has warned Troy about the warnings but Troy didn't heed them. Alberta's death marks a pivotal turning point in Troy Maxson's life, serving as a catalyst for a profound emotional shift and ultimately contributing to his physical and spiritual decline. While Troy initially attempts to deflect the immediate emotional impact of her passing, her death confronts him with undeniable responsibilities, exposes the fragile nature of his self-constructed world, and forces him to grapple with the consequences of his choices. Firstly, Alberta's death immediately thrusts Troy into the undeniable reality of his betrayal of Rose and the public acknowledgment of his infidelity; with Alberta gone, the secret of their affair becomes an unavoidable truth that Troy can no longer conveniently compartmentalise or deny. Her demise forces him to bring their illegitimate daughter, Raynell, into the Maxson household, a decision that irrevocably shatters the illusion of his faithfulness and stands as a permanent, living testament to his transgression. Secondly, Alberta's death strips Troy of his primary escape and source of emotional validation outside his difficult home life; Alberta represented a 'soft place' for Troy, where he felt unburdened by responsibilities and disappointments that plagued him elsewhere. Furthermore, Alberta's confrontation with mortality and his own failures forces him back into the stark realities of his life with Rose, intensifying the friction and unresolved issues within his marriage; his monologues increasingly turn to abstract battles with personified Death, and his previously formidable spirit begins to wane. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, Alberta's death removes the tangible manifestation of Troy's externalised blame; he frequently used his affair with Alberta as a way to project his own dissatisfactions and perceived failures onto an external object — with her gone, he is left with the stark reality of his choices and their devastating impact on his family, forcing him to face the moral and emotional wreckage he has created.