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A reviewer of the play Fenceswrites, In “Fences,” at the 46th Street Theater, Mr. Wilson, whose previous Broadway play was “Ma Rainey’s Black…

Here is the answer and explanation to the question A reviewer of the play Fenceswrites,

In “Fences,” at the 46th Street Theater, Mr. Wilson, whose previous Broadway play was “Ma Rainey’s Black…

A reviewer of the play Fences writes,

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In “Fences,” at the 46th Street Theater, Mr. Wilson, whose previous Broadway play was “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” has turned an interesting trick—he has found the universal in the particular without compromising the latter.

What does it mean to find the universal in the particular, and why does reporting the universal often endanger reporting the particular? Also, in this play, how would you characterize the particular and the universal?



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In his play Fences, August Wilson does an excellent job of blending the universal and the particular by drawing out deep meanings that apply to every human being while still creating memorable characters with highly developed personalities of their own.

The universal is something that all human beings experience. Yet we often see the universal only in the particular. In the play, for instance, we see the struggles of a poor family and the conflicts between the generations. We see love and loyalty as well as unfaithfulness. We see selfishness and self-sacrifice. These are universal, yet Wilson finds and reveals them in one particular family, the Maxsons.

Wilson does this in such a way that his characters do not get lost and become merely allegories or flat representatives of ideas. Rather, Troy, Rose, Cory, Lyons, Gabriel, and the rest are particular people in a particular time who experience the universal and show it in their lives.

As an example, let’s look at the universals of selfishness and self-sacrifice. We see these in this play in a very particular way. When Troy has an affair, he allows his selfishness to take control over him. He describes it in terms of baseball, which is fitting to Troy’s character, and he tries to justify himself. Rose, on the other hand, exhibits self-sacrifice in her decision to raise Troy’s baby daughter as her own. These characters are particular people in particular situations, yet they reveal the universal for all to see.

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