August Wilson's The Piano Lesson

Many works of literature present the idea that past events can affect the present actions, values, and attitudes of a character. This past event can greatly affect how they act and go about their lives on a daily basis. In August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson”, the character Berniece is affected by the history of the piano in connection with her family, which reveals the idea of the importance of embracing and remembering your origins. Berniece Charles is a hard-working, widowed, now single mother. She lives with her uncle Doaker and daughter Maretha and works long hours in order to support her family. Berniece often struggles with the piano in her parlor, as it symbolizes the rather horrific past of her family. Her great-grandparents were slaves, and they were sold in exchange for the piano by the Sutter family. Later, her family’s history became literally engraved on the piano when her ancestor’s faces were carved into it. Her father, Papa Boy Willie, stole the piano from the Sutter family, and was later burned to death in a box car, assumingly for the theft. To Berniece, the piano serves as a constant reminder of her father’s death, and
Berniece’s conflict with Boy Willie over the fate of the piano because of Crawley and her father’s deaths (which are both tied to the piano) causes Boy Willie to instigate drama and try to take the piano by force, which angers Sutter’s ghost into attacking him. It was these evets that made Berniece ultimately realize she couldn’t ignore her family’s history. When Boy Willie is being attacked Berniece utilizes the piano and its history to call upon her ancestors to protect Boy Willie and drive Sutter’s ghost away. These events lead Berniece to realize she should embrace and accept her history and origins, as they have made her who she is today, and can aid her in the