Character Analysis of Rose

Character Analysis of Rose August Wilson's Fences is a story of an African American family, primarily centered around Troy Maxson and his difficulties as a black man in a predominantly white society. The story focuses on many themes and puts an emphasis on the relationships between Troy and his family. As the story revolves around Troy, we see that many of the decisions he made start to affect those around him and the relationships of his friends, family, and loved ones slowly disintegrate. One of the most prominent relationships that were destroyed was the marriage between Troy Maxson and his wife Rose Maxson. Loving, caring and understanding, Rose in August Wilson's Fences is a character that remains a strong woman for her family despite the issues in her household. With Rose in Fences, she is a mother that exhibits strength and sacrifice, as she puts her own needs aside for the well-being of her family. As the play moves forward we see that Troy's decisions concerning marriage, infidelity, and family slowly shatters the relationship with Rose and directly affects her role as a housewife, mother, and woman. In the beginning of Fences, Rose is identified as Troy's wife as “her devotion to him stems from her recognition of the possibilities of her without him,” (Kirszner and Mandell 1114). Here she introduced during the conversation between Troy and Bono and states that without Troy, Rose wouldn't have what she does now and she would be leading a worse life; which she also recognizes. 1
Based on her introduction alone, her identity stems from the fact that she is married to Troy. During this time Rose, as a character, is not seen for her character traits or personality, yet she is already given the label of 'housewife'. This label is further reinforced by the introduction of Act 1, Scene 2 where the scene begins with Rose