1. Troy Maxon’s last name makes subtle reference to the Mason-Dixon Line--the imaginary line that in the 1820s divided slave states from free states. How does this allusion to history help prepare you for the play’s themes?

In Fences, as well in his other plays, August Wilson seeks to point out the idea of difference between races and culture more than the monocultural ideal of sameness. The Civil Rights era of the 1960's and '70's can be broadly construed as African American's struggle for the same rights as whites. By the 1980's, Wilson saw this struggle for equality morphing into a culture that was attempting to erase the differences between races and peoples. African Americans, according to Wilson, were different than whites or any other races. They have their own distinct culture, history, and society. No people should have to become part of the majority culture just to enjoy the majority's rights and privileges.