Chain link is the most lyrical of fences. Also known as hurricane fence, wire mesh lets wind pass without resistance—while paper trash collects at the bottom among thistle and chicory. Chain link was designed to be inexpensive, non-artisanal, the epitome of function over beauty. It’s quasi-invisible and flat-out ugly. But in my sixth decade on earth, I’m thinking about the melancholic charm and nostalgia of chain link.
Chain link is not classically picturesque like stone wall or paddock. Yet it looks good on film: establishing POV or casting its familiar shadow while blocking little light. It allows two distinct spaces to visually coexist in a single frame. Chain link can represent a porous divide, allude to complex social structures, and it’s atmospheric.
Chain link fences block escape from alleyways and lots. In Stand By Me, Gordie eludes the junkyard dog by scaling the chain link fence. But then, when the four friends are physically safe on the other side, the dog’s owner, through the wire mesh, taunts Teddy for being the son of a violent “looney” alcoholic, bringing the boy to tears.
Chain link can represent generational divide. Royal first meets his grandsons through chain link in The Royal Tenenbaums. In Red Dawn, Mr. Eckert, captured by the Russians, grips the fence and shouts “Avenge me!” to his sons on the other side. High fences separate people from governments or corporations. They prevent truth seekers—like Mulder and Scully in The X-Files—fromproving malfeasance.
One film above others established my feeling for chain link and, in a sense, steered everything I’ve been and done. As a teenager I watched The Outsiders repeatedly. Chain link articulates the texture of the working class world in 1965 Tulsa. Pony-Boy, Johnny, and Dallas Winston sneak through a gap in the fence of the drive-in. Two-Bit smashes the butt of a beer bottle on the chain link fence, an instant weapon. When the Greasers, cocky and excited, depart for the rumble, Darry does a handstand on the chain link fence in front of the Curtis House. The Socs have the economic advantage of “mustangs and mansions,” but the Greasers rove freely on foot. I wanted this freedom and loved the marginal spaces lined with chain link. I grew up squarely middle class, but at fourteen I swore my allegiance to Greasers. I loved troubled boys, trespassing in industrial lots, and hanging out in playgrounds at night.
The key to climbing a high chain link fence is speed. You move before the weight gets too heavy on your fingers. Sneakers are better than combat boots, which are harder to fit in the wire diamonds. Look for salvage edges and don’t catch your clothes on the top. For years, I dressed for the possibility of climbing chain link. This kept me out of girl shoes and nice clothes. Even now, in my fifties, the imprint of habit is a flickering question as I leave the house: Could I climb a fence in this?
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Art by Lara Schaberg
