His famed position was that of the lone man, dependent entirely upon his own strength, speed, and skill, in direct competition with the physical prowess of his opponents and with no assistance from his teammates. His mental confrontation with Death, whom he sees variously as a martial force and as a competitor on the field, demonstrate the perspective that Troy has on life and the world, and they also indicate how he treats his family. He sees himself as the person in charge, and has no real concept of the team that exists around him -- the support he is given by his wife especially, and the true nature of his brother's and his sons' dependence on him. As Cory's final "strike-out" in the next-to-last scene of the play shows, people must behave according to Troy's will in Troy's world, just as he was able to control his own movements on the baseball diamond.
Symbolic Interpretation
The several instances of baseball reminiscing and figurative incorporation detailed above -- the opening scene of exposition and a clarified stance on the subject of sports, the ongoing perspective of singularity exemplified in Troy's face-off with Death, and the lack of teamwork evidenced in both his baseball career and his home life -- all have significant symbolic meanings for Troy's character and for the play as a whole. Some of these have already been touched on above, but more detail is necessary to arrive at a true understanding of this play.
Baseball means many things to Troy Maxson, but most essentially it provided a system of clear rules in which he could excel and...
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