Wrestling Jacob in the Book of Genesis and August Wilson's Fences
The connection between Troy Maxson's wrestling match with Death in August Wilson's Fences and the biblical story of Jacob wrestling a mysterious divine opponent in Genesis 32:22-32 has gone largely unnoticed by interpreters. The present article addresses this lacuna by examining the functi...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2015]
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| In: |
Literature and theology
Year: 2015, Volume: 29, Issue: 1, Pages: 47-65 |
| IxTheo Classification: | CD Christianity and Culture HB Old Testament ZA Social sciences |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | The connection between Troy Maxson's wrestling match with Death in August Wilson's Fences and the biblical story of Jacob wrestling a mysterious divine opponent in Genesis 32:22-32 has gone largely unnoticed by interpreters. The present article addresses this lacuna by examining the function of the wrestling match in each story as a way of comparing the characters of Troy and Jacob. Firstly, I will explore how the wrestling match represents for each character the culmination of past struggles and estrangement, and secondly, I will consider the diverse effects of the match for Troy and Jacob. Finally, I will argue that the advantage of this comparative study lies in the way the biblical story of Jacob brings to light aspects of Fences that may be underappreciated, or missed altogether, when the play is interpreted on its own. By showing how Wilson's play engages Scripture, this study also has implications for African American biblical hermeneutics, which affirms that the use of the Bible in art and literature is often a guide for producing biblical interpretations that are meaningful for African Americans. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4623 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Literature and theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/litthe/fru036 |