What was the in mood in Act 1 of Fences?

The mood in the first act of Wilson’s play is definitely fraught with tension, anger, and bitterness. Troy Maxson’s life is chaotic at best: he is an ex-convict and garbage collector who is fighting against racial discrimination at his Pittsburgh job. At one time in his life he also wanted to be a professional baseball player, but racial discrimination and then age barred him from his dream career. Though married to Rose, mother to his son Cory, he may also be engaged in an extramarital affair. And his brother, Gabriel, a brain-injured World War II veteran, thinks he is the eponymous archangel.
The play’s main conflict revolves around Cory, who has the chance to attend college on a football scholarship. Cory, who works at the local A&P, has convinced his boss, Mr. Stawicki, to hold the job for him until after the season. When he begs Troy to let him play, Troy refuses to sign the permission slip. He does not want his son to experience the same racial discrimination he encountered in his short-lived sports career. Going one step further and essentially dashing his son’s dreams in the process, he tells Cory’s coach that Cory can no longer play football.

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