Fences by August Wilson

Fences by August Wilson

In order to understand Fences by August Wilson, it can be important to understand the history of baseball. The beauty of Wilson's work, though, is that you do not actually have to understand baseball to see the broader information that is contained in the play. You might not understand all of the jargon that Wilson uses, but the joy and pain of the book come through very clearly, whether baseball makes sense to you or not. Most people who read the play want to know more about baseball because they find the play to be very interesting and it makes them feel as though the game might become interesting as well. For those who do not feel this way about baseball, however, the work can still be enjoyed because of the very real characters and the way that the individuals interact with one another. It is reminiscent of the lives of many people today and in the past, and that means that a lot of people can relate to it on various different levels, whether they like baseball or not (Wilson, 1986).

Being able to relate to characters in a play or a book is something that keeps readers and watchers interested and coming back. If the characters are so far removed from real life, there would be no interest on the part of the audience and no realism that could be identified with. This is the curse of many plays, but not Fences. It gives a very unique perspective on the history of African-Americans and shows the richness that is part of everyday life. This is significant no matter what a person's race or ethnic background, and is also important regardless of whether these people are educated or not and what kinds of jobs and lives they actually lead. Everyone has a story to tell, and using that real-life type of story and the much-loved pastime of baseball help to make the work even more valuable and entertaining for most people who would come along and watch the play or read it.

If you have an understanding of baseball and its history, however, there is more to the story than would otherwise be seen. Baseball came about through stick and ball games that were played throughout history in all sorts of different countries (Block, 2006). Even though it is now the American national pastime, baseball did not truly originate in America. It likely came from Romania or another similar country. By the 1860s, baseball was being playing on a semi-professional level within the United States (Ward, 1994). Mexican-Americans have contributed a lot to the game as have other nationalities. In addition, there have been many reasons for people to get together and either watch baseball or play it, depending on their ages and skill levels and how much they enjoy outdoor activities (Block, 2006). The most important thing about baseball that most people notice is that it seems to bring individuals together quite well. Most people enjoy it or can relate to it in some way, and this is part of the reason that Wilson incorporates it into his work - because it helps people in society to relate to what he is addressing and makes them feel as though their story is part of the human story (Sullivan, 1997).

When a person understands the history of baseball, much of what Wilson has to say makes more sense, because the jargon of the book can be problematic for others who have no concept of the game. This does not mean that the book cannot be enjoyable to people who have no real concept of baseball, but most people in America today at least know the basics about the game of baseball and how much significance it has had throughout history. Having a basic knowledge of baseball is good before reading Wilson's work. Having a strong knowledge of baseball is even better, because it makes it much more likely that a reader will get all of the references that are made and have a much better idea of the deeper meanings that Wilson is imparting in his work.

From the very beginning of Wilson's work, the audience is dropped right into his world. Because he does not stop to explain the jargon and the dialect and the references but rather simply uses them in the story, people are left to draw their own conclusions about what these terms and turns of phrase mean. Most of them can be figured out - but they are easier to discover if a person has knowledge of baseball, and that is where the idea of understanding it comes in. The history of baseball and how it evolved from something that mattered little to something that has become very significant in society is much like the way that society itself has evolved. Much of what mattered to people in the far-distant past is not something that still matters today. Conversely, much of what was not seen as important 'back then' may be seen as having great and important value now.