When Rose agrees to become a mother to Raynell, she does so despite her unwillingness to be a wife to Troy any longer because the baby is innocent and “you can’t visit the sins of the father upon the child” (74). This is the first moment in which the Maxson family cycle of inflicting generational trauma is broken. As a girl, however, Raynell does not endure the same burden of expectation as Troy’s sons. Fences is largely about patrilineal influence and the way sons pay for their fathers’ mistakes. Troy grew up abandoned by his mother and under the full control of his abusive father. During Cory’s childhood, Rose’s influence as a mother is overshadowed and overwhelmed by Troy. Raynell’s mother dies in childbirth, leaving her motherless until Rose adopts her. Conversely, Lyons grew up fatherless, without the expectations and discipline Troy exerts on his other son but also with the ability to prioritize his passion.

For Troy Maxson and his father, Troy could only become a man by either usurping his father or leaving home. His father saw that Troy was becoming a threat when he discovered his son having sex at the age of 14.