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Irony
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.
Alberta, Raynell's mother, has died in childbirth. Troy knows that he cannot raise Raynell on his own, and he has come to Rose begging her to help. This request on its own is ironic. Raynell's very existence is evidence that Troy felt that Rose was not enough. The baby ought to make him realize that Rose owes him nothing. If anything, he owes her. Instead, the harsh reality of a new baby convinces Troy that Rose is everything he needs.
At this point, Rose is understandably past her breaking point. She has been interminably patient with Troy, waiting years for him to build a fence and stop spending all his time searching for something more fulfilling than the family he has with her. Now that he has irrevocably betrayed her, she does not want to be his wife anymore. Troy's pleading demonstrates that he is afraid Rose will say no to his request that she raise Raynell. The audience is primed for her to say no and may in fact be hoping that she will stand up for herself by refusing. After all, they have watched Troy dismiss her and take her for granted for an act and a half. Just two scenes ago, she had a satisfying monologue in which she finally held Troy accountable for his mistakes. His audacity is an opportunity for another cathartic monologue.
What Rose does instead is startling and highly effective. She tells Troy that she will raise the baby but that he is now "a womanless man." This is not only an extraordinary act of kindness toward Raynell, but it is also a major moment of character growth for Rose. She has always wanted multiple children with one man. For her, the fence around the yard symbolizes the attainment and protection of the nuclear family she never had growing up. There are several reasons why this nuclear family has turned into a pipe dream, including but not limited to Troy's infidelity. For one thing, Rose and Troy never had more than one child together. For another, Troy already had one son when they met. When Rose takes in Raynell and rejects Troy, she makes the extraordinary choice to take what life is offering her instead of rejecting it because it does not look exactly like the thing she has always wanted. Wilson ends the scene on this line to let the audience take in her powerful decision to do what Troy has never been able to do.
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