August Wilsons Rose: Surviving the Love and Deception Essay -- Litera

Alan Nadel in May All Your Fences Have Gates: Essays on the Drama of August Wilson states â€Å"August Wilson’s female characters are represented as nurturers† (6-7).This is exactly how August Wilson presents Rose to his readers. A key element is that Wilson names her after a flower just as his own mother; whose name was Daisy. It is apparent that through Rose, August Wilson wants us to see his mother. He intentionally portrays her as the caring, ideal woman, and one who stands by her man no matter how difficult this may be. Nadel also mentions: â€Å"What differentiates them is how they interpret the concept of nurturing, and what sacrifices they have to make in the process, for Wolfson’s world is always necessarily one of scarcity and limitation† (6-7). Evidently, Rose is submissive, powerful, caring and very nurturing. This is how women were anticipated to be in this era. Although Rose is submissive at the beginning of the play, she becomes a powerful woman at the end. Rose proves this when she decides to raise Raynell and by becoming involved in the church. Rose first marries Troy because she knew he would provide for her and the children they would have someday. Rose is determined to make her marriage work, even if it means giving up a little bit of herself in the process. She was certain she would be able to make Troy happy. The fact that Troy is older and confident is an important factor. Troy provides the stability that she needs. Rose was willing to be submissive as long as Troy remained faithful. Her kind-heartedness was profound. Rose took care of Troy for many years. Her nurturing ways were what made her who she was, the always caring wife, mother, and friend. Everyone who knew Rose knew s... ...right for her family. Rose rarely thought of herself. Her dream of a happy marriage would no longer be. Could she somehow relate to this poem? What happens to dream deferred? By Langston Hughes Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬--- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over--- Like syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? Fortunately for Rose, she did not explode. At the end of the play she still has her pride. Works Cited Hughes, Langston. What happens to a dream deferred? Poem, 1951. Nadel, Alan. May All Your Fences Have Gates: Essays on the Drama of August Wilson. Iowa City: U. of Iowa Press, 1994. Print. Wilson, August. Fences. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2007. Print.