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Alberta is a woman from Tallahassee whom Troy begins a flirtation with at the start of the play, eventually resulting in a full-blown affair and pregnancy. Alberta never appears on stage—she operates less as a character and more as a symbol of Troy’s selfishness and lack of consideration for his family’s feelings and experiences. Alberta is a fantasy for Troy, a way for him to escape the difficult, mundane circumstances of his everyday life. However, that fantasy comes crashing down when Alberta becomes pregnant, and Troy’s affair is exposed. When Alberta dies in childbirth and their daughter Raynell is left motherless, Troy begs Rose to take in Raynell as her own daughter. Troy’s request shows once again how Rose is expected to absorb the negative consequences of Troy’s decisions and react with selflessness, despite the fact that Troy has never done her the same courtesy. Alberta and Raynell are also affected by the consequences of Troy’s selfish actions. Alberta loses her life because of her relationship with Troy, and Raynell grows up under complicated, tense circumstances: While Troy does love her, he is ultimately an emotionally negligent, alcoholic father.
After Troy’s death, the young Raynell’s innocent perception of her father prompts Cory to remember the more appealing and even lovable aspects of Troy, such as his fantastic tall tales and songs. Raynell and Cory bond over the remembrance of their complex, tragic father by performing a song that was supposedly written by their grandfather. Thus, while Raynell and Cory are both free from Troy and their violent grandfather’s dark, turbulent influence, they also see fit to honor their legacies, subconsciously recognizing that Troy and his father were products of a brutal and racist era that did not allow Black people to reach their full potential as human beings. Raynell and Cory’s brief moment of shared grief and love hints at the potential for healing within the Maxson family.
