As Ernest Hemingway once said, "The most painful thing is to lose yourself in the process of loving someone too much and forget that the We’re special too.” It's common for people to get lost in relationships. It's easy to adopt certain personality traits from a partner and believe that it's part of who you are and your personality. Relationships can be difficult and sometimes require you to compromise your needs for your partners. Some relationships can make you feel trapped, and this is the case in August Wilson's play, Fences. Troy and Rose have been married for over 20 years and enjoy a committed and loving marriage; However, Troy feels trapped as if he is "stuck at first base", so he makes the decision to trick Rose. He believes this new relationship made him feel alive and special; however, he doesn't think about Rose's feelings. Troy's decisions cause him to lose the respect of his wife and his son, Cory. Rose also says that she wanted to leave and feel special, but she didn't because she was attached to Troy; After a big argument, Rose proclaims that he is a woman less a man and Cory defends his mother. Although Cory and Rose lose touch over their relationship with Troy, they have become stronger, more independent people because of Troy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay To begin, Cory's relationship with Troy built the strong-willed person Cory has become. At first, Troy always overshadows everyone. Troy is a person who “fills a room” when she enters (1647). He is the center of all attention. Troy refuses to let anyone else have a different opinion or point of view; it's the way of Troy or not. Troy is stubborn and refuses to admit he is wrong. This is seen in Cory's relationship with him. Cory, who was playing football to get into college, asked his father to sign a release from a recruiter to play for a college team. Cory realized he could get into college by playing football; however, Troy refused to acknowledge that anyone could be right except him. Troy is stuck in the past and thinks Cory has no chance of making it in football. Even though Cory knows this is his path to college, Troy won't listen to his son and refuses to let him be on the football team. When Cory defends himself and confronts his father, he receives a "strike" (1630). Troy approaches Cory and tells him "you made a mistake"; however, Cory protests and claims that he did not make a mistake (1630). Troy punches him for standing up for himself and that's when Cory knows his father is wrong. This is the turning point in Cory and Troy's relationship. Cory can understand that standing up for himself isn't wrong, it's just not what his father wants. Cory now understands that even though his father is loud and bossy, he won't try to understand others; he will only think of himself. These strikes continually brought Cory down and Troy discouraged him even more by saying that even if he provides for Cory, he doesn't have to love him. Strikes discourage any behavior that Troy doesn't like. Strikes are used to control Cory; however, the strikes are the downfall of Troy's control over Cory. The final blow is what allows Cory to become strong-willed and independent. After defending himself and his mother and exposing Troy's wrongdoing, Cory is asked to leave the house. Troy tells him that “if he wants to come back here, he’s going to have to use a bat” (1644). This fight causes Cory to fight for himself and for what he believes in. Cory has.