Introduction Fences is a play written by August Wilson, an American playwright, in 1983. The play explores experiences of black Americans during the 1950s concerning racial discriminations that dominated the society. The play focuses on the life of Troy, the main character, a family man who is 53 years old. His wife, Rose, and his son, Cory, rely on him in every aspect of their life. In the play, Troy struggles to provide for his family by performing menial jobs. During his youthful period, Troy was a baseball player, but he did not manage to reap most out of his talent because racial discrimination denied him the opportunity to play major leagues in baseball. According to Wilson, Troy differs from his son when he denies him a chance to play in school football (37). In the play, Troy works as a garbage man, and later manages to work as a truck driver after a series of struggles because racial discrimination restrains black men from working as drivers. Troy has an affair with Alberta, so they have a daughter, Raynell. Unfortunately, Alberta dies during delivery. In this view, this essay seeks to explain psychological freedom and self-determination as exhibited in the play by depicting how Wilson’s life experiences influenced the development of the play. Psychological Freedom and Self-Determination The play, Fences , reflects struggles that August Wilson encountered in his life. Since his father left him, his mother and stepfather assume the responsibility of raising and providing him with essential education that he needs. However, August Wilson did not continue with his education because “he was accused of plagiarism at school when he wrote sophisticated paper, which the administration did not believe he could write” (Wilson 2). The school administration suspends and denies him a chance to continue with his studies. Despite the suspension, August Wilson exhibits self-determination by going to the local library where he studies on his own. After reading extensively, he manages to gain literary skills that help him venture into play writing. During his childhood, August Wilson is determined to become an author, but his mother dreams to see him as an attorney. Given that August Wilson refuses to comply with his mother’s demands, she compels him to move out of their home and join the United States Army. The self-determination and freedom of choice make August Wilson pursue his own dream. Although his mother has a strong influence on his life, August Wilson manages to overcome it when he decides to go against her wishes. Burbank highlights, “Wilson’s artistic and political efforts overlap as attempts to elaborate the identity of descendants of slaves; to restore agency to a population otherwise collectively reduced to a trope” (122). Wilson’s experience relates to the experience of Cory and his father Troy in the play. Troy denies his son to take part in the football because he believes that racism may hinder Cory’s performance and progress as it did to him years ago. Hence, the experience of family pressure on career development, as the play exhibits, relates to the experiences of August Wilson. Given that August Wilson experiences racial discrimination against black Americans, he employs his literary skills in fighting