Fences Act 1, Scene 3 Summary

  • It's a few hours later.
  • Rose is taking clothes down from the line.
  • Cory enters carrying his football equipment.
  • Rose fusses at him about leaving that morning without doing his chores; he was supposed to help Troy with the fence.
  • Cory replies that Troy isn't ever around to work on the fence; he's been down at Taylors' for the past four or five Saturdays.
  • He asks her if she told his father about the recruiter.
  • Roses replies that she did, but that Troy didn't say much about it.
  • She tells him he'd better do some chores before Troy gets home.
  • Cory seems more interested in lunch.
  • He exits into the house.
  • Rose continues to take down laundry.
  • Troy enters and sneaks up behind her.
  • He comes on to her.
  • She tells him to go on and asks him what the score was on the game.
  • He says he doesn't care about the game and keeps coming on to her.
  • Rose shrugs him off.
  • Troy asks if Cory is home yet.
  • Rose says that he's in the house doing his chores.
  • Troy calls to Cory as Rose reenters the house with laundry.
  • Troy fusses at his son for leaving without doing his chores that morning. He tells him to get to work sawing some boards for the fence.
  • Cory starts sawing.
  • After a moment, he suggests that Troy buy a TV. They're only two hundred dollars, he says.
  • Troy goes off on his son, lecturing that if he had two hundred dollars he'd spend it on fixing the roof, not buying a TV.
  • Cory remarks that the Pirates won today.
  • His father doesn't want to hear about the Pirates. He says they've got an all-white team and that they never play Clemente, who is half Puerto Rican.
  • Cory says Clemente plays all the time.
  • Troy tells his son that they don't play him enough.
  • He says that's why he doesn't want Cory getting involved in sports – white people won't ever let him get ahead.
  • Cory points out that the Braves have Hank Aaron, and he's hitting a lot of homeruns.
  • Troy says he isn't impressed with Hank Aaron.
  • Cory talks about a lot of other black players.
  • Troy tells him to stop talking about it and to saw some boards.
  • He asks Cory about the college recruiter.
  • Excited, Cory tells him that the recruiter will be coming by to soon to get Troy to sign the permission paper.
  • Troy says Cory is supposed to be working at the A&P.
  • Cory replies that Mr. Stawicki is going to hold his job until after football season. Starting next week, Cory will work at the A&P on the weekends.
  • Troy tells him he's not signing anything. He wants Troy to get his regular job back. He thinks Cory should focus on learning a trade, not sports.
  • Troy lectures his son, saying that the white man won't let him get ahead in sports anyway.
  • He demands that Cory quit the football team and take his job back.
  • Cory asks Troy why he doesn't like him.
  • Troy goes off again, saying that it's a father's job to provide for his son, not to like him.
  • He orders Cory to go down to the A&P.
  • Cory exits.
  • Rose enters and tells her husband that he ought to let Cory play football.
  • She points out that Cory is just trying to be like Troy by playing sports.
  • Troy says he doesn't want Cory to be anything like him.
  • Rose tells Troy that he ought to admit that he was too old to play in the major leagues.
  • Her husband won't hear it; he says it was just because he was the wrong color.
  • Rose points out that what Cory wants more than anything is Troy's approval.
  • Troy says he doesn't have time to hold Cory's hand.
  • Rose tells him that the world has changed, and he can't see it.
  • Troy replies that he works hard every week to provide for his family and that's the best he's got to give.