According to author Sheri Metzger, Fences relies on the image of baseball. The play is constructed in nine scenes, or innings, each defined by Troy’s success or failure. Metzger posits that the use of baseball imagery in framing Troy’s strengths and weaknesses illustrates the struggle of being a black man in the time period. Although he was one of the best players in the negro leagues, Troy never earned a decent living like the white players did. His lingering bitterness about this failure contribute to his unwillingness to accept that black players can now make a living in the major leagues.
The author goes on to claim that Troy’s experience with baseball limit him in many of his relationships, as he takes every measure to stop his son Cory
