On November 20, 1986, President Ronald Reagan declared the rose as the National Floral Emblem of the United States of America. In this proclamation, he stated, “We hold the rose dear as the symbol of life and love and devotion, of beauty and eternity.” In that same year, August Wilson published his play, Fences, with the lead female character, Rose Maxson. Rose’s name adds deeper meaning to her character through its symbolic representation. Like the flower, Rose was beloved, viewed as a symbol of devotion, and was a significant influence on her family. Through the thorns and trials of life, Rose continues to be an example of devotion to her family, resilient through challenges, and compassionate toward others.
It has been said that roses are a symbol of devotion (Reagan). Rose’s devotion was evident in her commitment to her family, her loyalty to her husband Troy, and her dedication as a homemaker. Part of Rose’s commitment to her family was keeping them safe and close to her. As Rose hangs her laundry she sang, “Jesus, be a fence all around me every day” (Wilson 21). The fence was a powerful reminder of Rose’s desire to protect her family. It is not surprising that she seeks to unite Troy and their son Cory, to work together to build the fence. Yet, Troy and Cory seem unaware of the importance the fence holds for Rose. It was Bono, Troy’s longtime friend, who reminded Troy, “some people build fences to keep people out…and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you” (61). The fence took on a deeper meaning to Rose as it became a representation of her commitment, devotion, and love for her family.
Although Troy and Rose experienced challenges in their eighteen years of marriage, Rose was loyal to Troy. Part of Rose’s loyalty stemmed from the realization that as an African-American woman her life would be better with Troy than without him (5). However, her devotion to Troy was evident throughout the play. Rose was the one to greet Troy when he came home each night. She was the one who encouraged him to seek out better working conditions. In addition, Rose was the one who was aware of Troy’s health. She was by his side when he was sick with pneumonia (11). Rose often tolerated and enjoyed Troy’s exaggerated stories and was not afraid to set him straight when he went too far. For these reasons, Troy acknowledged Rose’s devotion by stating, “she done carried me a long ways and I love and respect her for that” (63). However, later events proved Troy’s actions would damage their marriage. Rose’s loyalty to Troy was the glue that held their relationship together.
Rose’s life revolved around being a homemaker. Characterized as the typical 1950’s wife, Rose’s responsibilities included cooking, cleaning, and raising the children. Whereas, Troy worked to provide for the family. One of Rose’s passions was to satisfy her family with a home-cooked meal. When Troy came home from work, Rose would have something delicious cooking in the oven for dinner. On many occasions when Troy’s oldest son Lyons, or Troy’s brother Gabriel, came around, Rose would invite them to have something to eat. Rose never viewed the time she spent preparing and cooking food as a chore. Rose demonstrated her love and devotion to her family through her homemaking skills.
Although Rose’s life was not a bed of roses, she was able to face the challenges of poverty, racism, and Troy’s infidelity through her resilience. While Rose would never say she was poor, she had to be careful with the money Troy earned. The Maxson family lived on the modest, single income that Troy earned as a garbage collector. Troy and Rose would not waste money on an extravagant item like a television when they knew their roof might soon need repair. Owning a home had only been possible because of a government settlement they received when Gabriel became disabled. Rose cooked her meals from scratch and was aware of where to find the best deals. She knew that stores like Bella’s “charged ten cents more” (7). Therefore, Rose shopped at the A &P where she could get more for her money. Rose’s only indulgent activity was playing the nickel games. She justified this because she believed that one day she would win big. These examples of resilience show how Rose was able to deal with her situation without complaint. In a recent article, Kamen compares a person’s coping skills to the protective thorns that help one to be resilient when faced with adversity. Because of this attitude, Rose’s family never felt deprived.
Rose demonstrated a resilience to the racism that defined her era. Being an African-American in 1957 meant prejudice, segregation, and unfair treatment. The Civil Rights Movement empowered many African-American’s to speak up for change. Rose saw these changes and supported Troy to seek out better working conditions. As an African-American, Troy had fewer prospects for desirable jobs. In an effort to improve his working conditions he was labeled by some as a “troublemaker” (2) and was even threatened that he would be fired. Better work for Troy meant a better life for the Maxson family. Rose explained to Troy “times have changed from when you was young” (40). This urged Rose to encourage Cory to seek out opportunities to get involved in football. However, due to racism, Troy still felt that “the white man ain’t gonna let [Cory] get nowhere with that football” (8) and so Cory was deprived of that chance. Waters, an expert in social work, explains that resilience is a necessary skill that helps people move beyond challenges they experience. This validates Rose’s thinking because although she knew that racism existed, she demonstrated an attitude of not giving in and seeking the best in life that could be obtained. These incidents of racism in Rose’s life gave her strength to be resilient and ready to stand up for changes that were to come.
One of the hardest things that Rose faced in her life was Troy’s infidelity. It was not a secret that Troy had an “eye for women” (3). In fact, Bono noticed Troy’s involvement with a woman named, Alberta. Rose became skeptical when she noticed Troy “running out of here every Saturday for weeks” (28). Troy often used the excuse that he was going to Taylor’s to watch a game when he was really spending time with Alberta. Even though Troy had been unfaithful to Rose, he admitted to Bono, “you can’t find a better woman than Rose” (63). Despite feeling suspicious of Troy’s actions Rose was caught off guard when Troy finally told her about his affair with Alberta and that he was “gonna to be a daddy” (66). Feeling betrayed, Rose reminded Troy, “I ’ve got eighteen years of my life invested in you. You ought to have stayed upstairs in my bed where you belong” (68). Troy justified his actions by saying that he felt good when he was around Alberta and “[he couldn’t] give that up” (69). Finally, brokenhearted Rose pleaded, “you take…and you don’t even know nobody’s giving” (71). Despite this heartbreak, Rose was determined to move on with her life. Waters asserts, “resilient people do not let adversity define them”. Even though her relationship with Troy would never be the same, Rose was determined to find a way to move on.
Roses are often associated with compassion. One of Rose’s most admirable qualities was her compassion toward others. She demonstrated this in her interactions with Gabriel, her kindness to Raynell, and her final respect for Troy. While serving in World War II, Gabriel was severely injured and left mentally disabled. Because of this injury, Gabriel believed that he was the “Archangel Gabriel” (24). Gabriel was like a child in an adult’s body. Regardless of this, Rose was always patient and kind in her interactions with him and was genuinely concerned about his health and well-being. For a time, Gabriel lived with Troy and Rose. However, in an attempt to be more self-reliant, Gabriel chose to live nearby in an assisted care home. Rose accepted, supported, and understood his decision to “have his own place” (49). When Gabriel would visit, Rose would have something for him to eat. Providing food for others was one way Rose showed compassion. To demonstrate his gratitude and affection to Rose, Gabriel would often bring a rose and say, “got a flower for you. Picked it myself” (47). In spite of Gabriel’s disability, he still recognized Rose’s kindness and compassion toward him.
Probably the most significant act of compassion was Rose’s kindness toward Raynell, Troy’s daughter with Alberta. Rose was left devastated when Troy revealed he was having an affair and “fathered a child” (67). After this happened Troy and Rose began to distance themselves from each other even though they lived in the same house. However, when the news of Raynell’s birth came, Rose learned Alberta had died during childbirth. As Troy was grieving Alberta’s death, he pleaded with Rose, “I’d appreciate it if you’d help me take care of [Raynell]” (79). Shocked at the prospect of raising the child from Troy’s affair, Rose realized “a motherless child has got a hard time” (79). Rose agreed that she would raise Raynell as her own. Still feeling betrayed, Rose asserted to Troy, “but you are a womanless man” (79). Rose acknowledged that Raynell was innocent of any wrongdoing and most importantly needed a mother, but she was not ready to forgive Troy’s actions. Rose created a mother-daughter bond with Raynell and loved her. Together Rose and Raynell planted a garden. Rose’s compassion was like a garden, representing new life and new growth for the Maxson family with the addition of Raynell.
Roses are often used to show respect for those who have died. Rose’s compassion was manifest as she expressed her final respect to Troy. The relationship between Troy and Rose had increased in bitterness since Troy’s adulterous actions. In spite of these feelings, Rose still wanted to find a way to honor Troy. On the day of Troy’s funeral, the Maxson family and Bono gathered. It had been six years since Troy had kicked Cory out. Rose was delighted and surprised to see Cory in his Marine uniform, and Bono observed, “[Cory] reminds me of Troy when I first met him” (92). This was also the first time that Cory had met Raynell. Rose introduced Cory to Raynell explaining, “this is your brother” (93). Later, while alone together, Cory and Raynell began talking and singing an old song Troy had taught them. This interaction between Cory and Raynell helped them to connect as brother and sister. Despite being welcomed home, Cory still felt resentment toward his father and questioned if he should attend his funeral. However, Rose wanting to honor and respect Troy, reminded Cory, “I know you and your daddy ain’t seen eye to eye…disrespecting your daddy ain’t gonna make you a man” (96). Rose wanted to help Cory make peace with his father and help him to realize that despite his father’s faults he had loved Cory in his own way. Rose reassured Cory “I do know that [your father] meant to do more good than he meant to do harm” (97). Rose confirmed that even though Troy’s actions toward Cory and herself were not perfect she still wanted to respect him. Although at first Rose wasn’t sure about raising Troy and Alberta’s child, she now felt blessed to have Raynell in her life. Rose paid her final respect for Troy as she promised, “I’m gonna give [Raynell] the best of what’s in me” (98). Rose’s kindness to the members of her family helped them to endure challenges of being disabled, motherless, and estranged. In the end, it was Rose’s compassion and respect for others that brought the most precious things in her life together, her family.
In her analysis on roses, Kamen celebrates the fact that, “regardless of the type, roses develop thorns to survive and flourish…to make the end results as beautiful and strong as possible”. This statement is also true for Rose Maxson. Although she experienced thorny challenges in her life, she was able to overcome obstacles through her devotion to those she loved, her resiliency during hardships, and her compassionate actions. Just like the flower, Rose Maxson demonstrated the ability to be resilient and thrive when confronted with challenges. In this way, Rose became an example of strength and beauty to her family.
Works Cited
Kamen, Lisa C. “Life Lessons From A Rose.” PositivelyPositive, www.positivelypositive.com/2012/03/08/life-lessons-from-a-rose/
Reagan, Ronald. “Proclamation 5574—Designation of the Rose as the National Floral Emblem of the United States of America.” The American Presidency Project, 20 Nov. 1986, www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=36750.
Waters, Brad. “10 Traits of Emotionally Resilient People.” Psychology Today, 21 May 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/design-your-path/201305/10-traits-emotionally-resilient-people
Wilson, August. Fences. Plume, Penguin Group, 1986.