Double Consciousness in Fences is representative of both the effect of double consciousness and the impact it had on the African-American community as a whole. In the play, Wilson presents the reader with a world not yet torn apart by the conflict of racial change. However, his presence is still felt through Troy Maxson's actions in the play as double consciousness acts as both a metaphorical fence that binds Troy, and an idea that will ultimately destroy much of Troy's personal life. In Fences, double consciousness is destructive not only because it affects the black race as a whole, but also because it shows how a single person's actions can affect the people he or she loves and values ​​most. Throughout the play, W. E. B. Dubois's original definition of the term influences Troy's mannerisms, as well as the actions of the entire black community. Troy's use of hyperbole is dramatically affected because he can only "[look at] himself through the eyes of others" (Dubois 5). In an attempt to fill his greatness, Troy forces himself to look at himself from the inside, rather than having others “[look] on with amused contempt and pity.” (Dubois 5). The public and private struggle experienced by most African Americans, including Troy, has advanced to the point of sometimes espousing two conflicting points of view. This has also brought confusion among black people, especially because they don't know why they have to do it. This attempt to see himself differently also pushes Troy to mock the white establishment by proving to the “white man” that he is better than they say. The reader can also understand that the white man's oppression affects Troy's decisions when dealing with his family. Troy feels that......middle of paper......n. Troy attempts to offer this passage as justification for his affair, but only succeeds in further angering a woman who had given him everything. But one should not hastily judge Troy as the sole creator of its problems. The oppression that has plagued blacks in the past – slavery, sharecropping, and Jim Crow laws – has made blacks feel that they must not “let the whites run wild” (McWhorter 14). be the perfect antidote to the problems plaguing the black race. However, upon closer examination, one can see that Troy's actions in Fences exemplify the negative effects caused by double consciousness. Troy's actions reinforce the idea that when the evils of society corrupt a man, he is not the only one who suffers. The rest of society will suffer along with him because of his actions.