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The Piano Lesson
The Piano Lesson by August Wilson is set in Pittsburg in the late 1930’s. ... The Charles legacy is incarnated by a 137 year old ornately carved piano, which is an artifact and record of the family’s history under slavery. ... Whereas Boy Willie would sell the piano to buy the same Mississippi land that his family once worked as slaves, in the name of a future that would avenge his ancestors and secure his success, Bernice clings to the heirloom in memory of the blood that stains its wood and refuses to sell. At the same time, she leaves the piano untouched, never playing it and keeping its history from her daughter in fear of literally waking its anguished spirits. ... In the Piano Lesson, Wilson attempts to parallel the character’s lives to their ancestors who were slaves. ... Boy Willie comes to understand the importance of the piano-an importance beyond material concerns- and Bernice finds herself able to use her legacy.
At the core of the Piano Lesson, a brother and a sister are at war over the question of using the family legacy. Bernice, the sister, fiercely protects the piano from being sold. ... Bernice played the piano for her mother as a child, and served as a priestess in the channeling of the family’s ghost, her music enabling her to speak with her dead father. As an adult, Bernice now leaves the piano untouched in an attempt to lay the spirits to rest. ... In the final struggle between Boy Willie and Sutter’s ghost, Bernice will play the piano and resume her old role as priestess, calling the family to assist in the exorcism. ... Uncle Doaker, blames himself for the death of Boy Charles and has washed his hands of the piano, therefore he tries to remain neutral for the sake of his own inner guilt.
Approximate Word count = 1425
Approximate Pages = 5.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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