To what does the play's title refer? Do you consider the message of this play to be optimistic or pessimistic? Explain.

The "fences" referred to in the play's title have several meanings. Rose asks Troy to build a fence around her house, and Troy and Cory wonder why she wants to have her house fenced in as, Troy says, she has nothing anybody wants. For Rose, a fence is a measure of protection for her family, and her desire to build a fence signifies her desire to keep her family together. For her, a fence symbolizes togetherness.
However, the fence in the title also has other meanings. As Bono, Troy's friend, says, "Some people build fences to keep people out . . . and other people build fences to keep people in." Troy builds fences around himself and isolates himself. In his case, fences symbolize isolation and psychological distance. He kicks his son, Cory, out of the house, and tries to hide from his fears in the outside world by keeping himself behind a fence. One of his greatest fears is death, but death is able to get him anyway.
The play is both optimistic and pessimistic, in my opinion. While Troy fails to keep death at bay, the world is somewhat more welcoming of him than what he imagines. For example, he has been affected by racism but still manages to win the job of driving a garbage truck, formerly reserved only for white men. His victory may be small compared to the dreams he once had of playing major league baseball, but it is a victory nonetheless. And, in the end, Rose keeps some of her family together, including Raynell, the daughter of Troy's now-dead mistress, as Rose raises Raynell as her own child. You may have a different view.