Fences

by August Wilson

Fences: Situational Irony 2 key examples

Act 1: Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Fatherly Duty:

In Act 1: Scene 1, Lyons rebuts Troy's insults with an impassioned speech about how music helps him feel as though he belongs in the world. Troy responds with verbal irony (itself an example of situational irony) that gives the reader a glimpse into the layers upon layers of trauma and misunderstanding that inform this father-son relationship:

Boy, your mama did a hell of a job raising you.

Act 2: Scene 3
Explanation and Analysis—Womanless Man:

Act 2: Scene 3 ends with a stunning instance of situational irony when Rose reverses her stance on Raynell:

ROSE: Okay, Troy . . . you’re right. I’ll take care of your baby for you . . . cause . . . like you say . . . she’s innocent . . . and you can’t visit the sins of the father upon the child. A motherless child has got a hard time. (She takes the baby from him.) From right now . . . this child got a mother. But you a womanless man.

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