Research Proposal:

A Study of American Dreams of Black Character Portrayed in August Wilsons Fences

By:
Faizal Amir (A03211048)

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
ADAB AND HUMANIORA FACULTY
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF SUNAN AMPEL SURABAYA
2015

Amir |1

A Study of American Dreams of Black Character Portrayed in August Wilsons Fences

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
The United States of America has long been known as the land of the free, The
land of equal opportunity, where everything is possible, and where prosperity and fortune
-and all that it entails- are being strived for. Being introduced to America is being
introduced to the 'American Dream'.
In 1815, the population of the United States was 8,4 million. Over the next 100
years, the country took in about 35 million immigrants (Datesman, Crandall and Kearny,
4). It means that United States had become a colossus among notion. One of the
important reason is people believe that everyone has a chance to succeed in the United
States (30). Most of people think that they will find better life in America because many
opportunities are offered. A Frenchman Clotaire Rapaile captured this unique patriotism
as his statement America is not a place, it is a dream (33).
Discussing about immigrants, African Americans, citizen of the United States who
have origins in any of the black population of Africa, make up the single largest racial
minority and form the second largest racial group after whites in the United States. For
the past, African-Americans survived in the slavery trades. They were discriminate by
Whites so that they had no freedom and even the opportunities to get what they want,
whereas they think that they move to the United Stated to get better life as their dreams.
There are many literary works, which deal or can be analyzed from the viewpoint
of American Dream. One of them is the play by August Wilson Fences. Basically, in

Amir |2

literature, there are three genres, namely poetry, drama and prose. Poetry is a meaningful
arrangement of words. Drama is a story that intended to be performed on the stage. Prose
is fictitious narrative kind of writing. They have much in common but different in
expressing idea, style, and others. Prose generally focus on one or a few major characters
who undergo some kind of change as they meet other characters or deal with problems or
difficulties in their lives, Poetry is much more economical in the use of word, Drama are
meant to be performed on stage by actor (Roberts and Jacobs, 2).
According to Wellek, literature represents life or social reality. It is also social
creation, which employs language as its medium. Wellek writes that large question raised
by literary study in social tradition, political, economic, norms condition (Wellek and
Warren 95).
In addition, there are three divisions among the relation between literature and
society. First is the sociology of the author and the profession and institutions of
literature. The sociology of the author consists of the authors social provenance, the
family background and the economic position. From that, the readers will know where
the author comes from and when he or she lives. Second is the social content of the
literatures themselves. The social content can be the social purpose of the work of
literature and the political or social views of the author in the society. Third is the
influence between literature and society. It can be seen from the way of the readers to
change their life upon the work of literature (95-96). As a result of reading literary work
such as novel, poem, short story or drama, the readers will get more knowledge (104).

Amir |3

In analyzing thesis, the writer chooses the drama as a literary work for object of
study, because the writer interested in the world of theater. Drama is chosen to be the
object of the study because it is one of the literary genres and has unique characteristic
that makes it different from other form of literature. Drama, like poetry and fiction, is an
art of words. In drama, the words are mainly dialogue; people talking are the basic
dramatic action. The talk maybe interrupted by wordless activity, but such activity will
derived its significance from its context of dialogue (Reinet, xi).
The writer is interested in a significant figure, August Wilson, as the author of the
work that the writer is going to analyze for his thesis, because he finds out that August
Wilson is one of the greatest playwrights of the twentieth century, and his ten-play
Century Cycle is a singular achievement in the American theatre. Each of the plays
chronicles black American life through every decade of the 20th century. Individually, the
plays in Wilsons cycle are among the most acclaimed American dramas of the last
quarter century; taken all together they are unlike anything that has ever been attempted,
much less achieved, in the American theatre. Two of Wilsons plays won Pulitzer Prize
for Drama are Fences (1987) and The Piano Lesson (1990).
In this thesis, the writer decided to choose Fences, as one of the great plays
written by August Wilson to be studied. It is because the writer interest to the African
American character and wants to know the life of African American in the United States.
Fences won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and The Tony Award for the best play. Fences,
which was written in the year of 1951 but later developed from 1983-1987 in United
States, is about the life of African American family. It is set just before the start of civil

Amir |4

right movement, in 1957 in Pittsburgh, PA. The play takes place at time when organized
baseball has finally become integrated, but when racial discrimination remains
widespread. The main issue here is about American Dream of Black Character in the
play.
From the explanation above, the writer will focus to analyze the character of the
play, especially the main character as a black people and the dream of black American.
Those reason above make the writer interested in discussing the topic.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Base on the discussion above, the researcher will formulate the problem of study
as follows:
1. How is Troy Maxson characterized in August Wilsons fences?
2. How is the American Dream revealed through the Black Character?
1.3 Objective of Study
The objects of this study are:
1. To know the description of Troy Maxson in the story.
2. To know the American Dream of Black Character in the story.
1.4 Significant of Study
By writing this thesis, the writer hopes that the readers could learn more about the
Black people in America. As what is shown in the drama Fences, the Black American
always gets the discrimination around the neighborhood. Sometime African Americans
fell that their life become unhappy, whereas, they as immigrants, they hope that their life
will be better.
The writer wants to attract the attention of the reader to get know more about
August Wilson. Besides the writer expects that by reading this study, there will be more

Amir |5

reader to appreciate August Wilsons works. The writer also hopes that this study will
give a contribution on the literary study, especially in English Department.
1.5 Scope and Limitation
There are many interesting aspect that can be analyzed in Fences such as the
theme, setting, point of view, symbolism, etc. but this study only focuses in analyzing the
characters of Troy maxson and the American Dream of the Character, Those will be
analyzed by the writer as the scope and limitation for the topic.
1.6 Theoretical Framework
In this analysis, the researcher focus on describing the effect of the main
characters became homosexual. To analyze the short story, the researcher will use theory
of characterization, gay theory, and human sexuality. Without those theories the
researcher could not analyze the statement problem.
1. Theory of character and characterization
According to Abrams, characters are the presented in a dramatic or
narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with
moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say and by
what they do through the dialogue and the action (Abrams, 20). In other
word, through the dialogue and the action the reader will find out that
characters of the novel are being born with certain quality or ability.
According to Murphy, characterization can be seen through the ways, in
which an author attempt to make the authors characters understandable to,

Amir |6

and come alive For the readers. A character can be understood by the personal
description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of
others, reaction, direct comment, though, and mannerisms (Murphy 161-171).
2. Theory of American Dream (as cheated in Sitompuls thesis)
The American Dream can be described as a belief in freedom that allows
all citizens and residents of the United States of America to achieve their goals
in life through hard work. Today, in America it generally refers to the idea that
one's prosperity depends upon one's own abilities and hard work, not on a
rigid class structure, though the meaning of the phrase has changed over
America's history. For some, it is the opportunity to achieve more prosperity
than they could in their countries of origin; for others, it is the opportunity for
their children to grow up with an education and career opportunities; for
others, it is the opportunity to be an individual without the constraints
imposed by class, caste, race, or ethnicity.
3. Three Elements of American Dream (as cheated in Sitompuls thesis)
3.1 Dream of the Good Life: Upward Mobility
The declaration of independence may be the character of the American
Dream, but between that abstract document and current reality are countless
variations on the pursuit of happiness. Yet it also true that among all the
possibilities, as variegated as any American who has ever lived, are basic
classes of dreams that rest on concepts whose meaning both transcends a
particular context and gets defined by the context. The Puritans dreamt of
freedom; so did African Americans. Both understood freedom to represent a

Amir |7

loosening from coercive restraints, but the nature of the restraints was very
different. For the puritans, they were primarily spiritual; for African
Americans, they were all too often literal (which in turn could have major
spiritual consequences).
3.2 Home ownership
Modarres (2007) explains that a major source of wealth and
intergenerational transfer of wealth is real estate. Purchasing a home is
perhaps the most important investment many Americans will make. With that
statement, it can be assumed that the American Dream can be achieved, but
can be achieved to its highest value with the investment in real estate.
The home ownership rate of immigrants exceeds their rental rate
within 13 years of their arrival in the United States. Explaining home
ownership as a function of residency equates it with assimilation, thereby
placing a burden of achieving the American Dream entirely on immigrants.
3.3 The Dream of Equality
America is the land of equal opportunity, freedom to vote, to speak,
and worship. This idea is rather appealing to most, very ideal and extremely
attractive. The more things change over time, the more they remain the same.
Laws can protect, but the hostile feelings within are something that a law is
not capable of ever controlling. It has diffused from generation to generation
like a rampant disease, and seems to only evolve into different circumstances

Amir |8

over time.

1.7 Method of Study

In this research the researcher will use the qualitative descriptive as method of the
study. The researcher will discuss what researcher wants to do. It has divided into four
main sub chapters. They are research design, source of the data, procedure of data
collection, and procedure of data analysis.
1. Research Design
The writer does a library research to answer of the problem. Therefore the
collecting data take from books, journals, magazines, periodicals, and online
resources. The writer also uses qualitative method to describe the character of
Tom Maxson and the American Dream of the Character.
2. Source of Data
The main data of this study is Fences written by August Wilson. Fences is
Wilsons second major play of a poet turned playwright and the most compelling
storytellers to begin writing for the theater in many years. It is produced in in
1985 at the Yale Repertory Theatre, and consist of two acts, the first act consist of
four scenes, and the second act consist of five scenes.
The supporting data of this study is derived from the references, which
deal with the main data. Those are, literary references include the essay, the
writers works, and some theories related with the main data, it consist of theory
of characterization, and theory of American Dream. Besides, the writer also
collects several books of critical approach of literature, which deal with the topic.
3. Method of Data Collection
In analyzing this study, the writer did some step. First, read and
understand the play thoroughly. Second, selecting the related references

Amir |9

supporting the data collection. Third, repeating the play reading in the references
reading in notes the data.
4. Method of Data Analysis
After collecting the data, the writer identified and classified the problem,
which deal much with the purpose of the study. The data will be analyzed using
literary theories, the writer uses the theory of characterization and American
Dream to answer the statement of problem.
1.8 Presentation
These researches consist of four chapters. Chapter one is the introduction; consist
of background of study, statement of problem, objective of the study, significant of the
study, scope and limitation, and the presentation. Chapters two consist of review of
related literature and related theories. Chapter three consists is research method, and
chapter four is the analysis based on problem of the study. The last chapter contains the
conclusion of the thesis.

Work Cited
Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms.New York: Holt, 1981, Rinehart and Winston.
Datesman, Crandal, Kearny. American ways, An Introduction to American Culture 3th Edition.
United States, Longman. 2005.
Murphy, M. J. Undertanding Unseen: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel
For Overseas Students. London: George Allan and Unwin, Ltd. 1972.
Reinet, Otto. Drama: An Introductory anthology, Boston: Little Brown and Company, Inc. 1961.

A m i r | 10

Robert, E and Jacob, H, E. literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall. 1995.
Sitompul, G.G.S.R. American Dreams in Arthir Millers The Death of Salesman. Thesis, North
Sumatera, University of North Sumatera. 2008.
Taylor, R. Understanding the Elements of Literature. New York: Harcourt, Publishers. 1981.
Thomas, R.M. Human Development Theories: Windows on culture. London: Sage, 19999.
Wellek, Rene and Austin Warren. The Theory of Literature. New York: Harcout, Brace and
Company, Inc. 1956.
UND Writing Center, Modern Language Association (MLA) Format and Document, Pdf File.

Website Cited
http://www.thegreenespace.org/story/312026-11-things-you-should-know-about-august-wilson/