Fences themes The difficulty inherent in breaking from the patterns ingrained in our families, our society, and ourselves Barriers are built by society to keep some things out while keeping other things in Individuals build these same barriers in their relationships too Progress requires self-awareness and breaking old patterns Knowing yourself is harder than it seems and many are blind to this The debilitating effect excuses and delusions of grandeur can have Racial madness and the effects of systemic subjugation: “There’s a lot of people don’t know they can do no better than they doing now” (1606). What happens to a dream deferred? Does it explode or implode? The road to redemption is arduous and takes place across generations Walking away is hard and what feels right is not always right “Times have changed [. . . ] People change. The world’s changing around you and you can’t even see it” (1624). Notice the play takes place between 1957 and 1965 The American Dream is accessible to everyone, but there are more difficulties and barriers to some