August Wilson’s ‘Pittsburgh Cycle’ portrays African American life in Pittsburgh during each decade of the twentieth century. Fences resonated with audiences partly because it so accurately captured the unique situation of African Americans during the 1950’s and 1960’s. This was a time of great change for African American culture. The Civil Rights movement was in its nascent stages. African Americans were slowly moving into a respectable middle class and out of the destitute poverty of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The post-World War II generation was first embracing the ideal of personal freedom.

There are several instances of this changing culture in Fences. One is Troy’s own advancement in his job. Troy is a trash collector, a seemingly undesirable job, yet his promotion to truck driver bestows on him a level of authority and purpose that he feels he has otherwise not achieved in his life. His discomfort with his own advancement is seen in his desire to retire shortly after getting his raise. This changing culture also creates bitterness in Troy. This is seen in his love/hate relationship with the game of baseball. On the one hand, Troy loves the game for the identity that it once gave him; on the other hand, he despises the game for its segregation and for robbing him of his chance at greatness. Troy is caught in the changing culture and represents a generation lost in their understanding of the world around them.