August Wilson's The Piano Lesson
The Piano Lesson Analysis
A title of a work is carefully chosen to not only strike interest but also to give some sort of clue as to the significance of the work. In the case of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, the title, though a play on words, reveals how important the piano is to the message Wilson is trying to convey. The piano, as an object, moves the plot of the play along since the conflict is the two main characters fighting over it. On the other hand, the piano, as a symbol, represents the perseverance of history in an individual’s lives. It’s presence and symbolism work hand in hand to communicate the lesson that family history remains with a person and it’s their responsibility to decide how to use it. Looking at the different …show more content…
The past has hardened her and it shows in the way she raises her child, Maretha, telling her not to go off “showing [her] color” (1.1). When Doaker comments on Berniece keeping the memory of her deceased husband saying, “she still holding onto to him” (1.2) is further evidence of her clinging to the past but not using those memories in a productive manner. Unlike Willie, she views the piano as a symbol of her family’s heritage but fears it. She scolds Boy Willie for trying to sell it when she says, “You always talking about your daddy but you ain’t never stopped to look at what his foolishness cost your mama…cold nights and an empty bed…For a piano? To get even with somebody?” (1.2). She shows her resentment to the past by refusing to play the piano and refusing to tell her daughter of it’s history. Berniece is also afraid of the piano because of those who died because of it. Her mother died honoring it and her father died trying to get it. She explains to her suitor, Avery, “I don’t play that piano cause I don’t want to wake them spirits” (2.2). She faces that fear when Boy Willie comes to the house bringing a ghost with him; however, the ghost isn’t their dead relatives but Sutter’s. The presence of the ghost forces Berniece to face the past and Boy Willie to acknowledge that the past matters just as much as the future.
The play concludes when Avery, who is a preacher, comes to the house to get rid of the ghost. The ghost protests and “fights” with Boy Willie. It is then that Berniece plays the piano to call on the spirits of her dead relatives singing, “I want you to help me” (2.2). By doing this she learns the lesson that the past isn’t there to burden her but to give her strength for the future. Boy Willie also learns the lesson that the past is alive and that using it doesn’t have to be materialistic. It can simply be used to remember who you
A title of a work is carefully chosen to not only strike interest but also to give some sort of clue as to the significance of the work. In the case of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, the title, though a play on words, reveals how important the piano is to the message Wilson is trying to convey. The piano, as an object, moves the plot of the play along since the conflict is the two main characters fighting over it. On the other hand, the piano, as a symbol, represents the perseverance of history in an individual’s lives. It’s presence and symbolism work hand in hand to communicate the lesson that family history remains with a person and it’s their responsibility to decide how to use it. Looking at the different …show more content…
The past has hardened her and it shows in the way she raises her child, Maretha, telling her not to go off “showing [her] color” (1.1). When Doaker comments on Berniece keeping the memory of her deceased husband saying, “she still holding onto to him” (1.2) is further evidence of her clinging to the past but not using those memories in a productive manner. Unlike Willie, she views the piano as a symbol of her family’s heritage but fears it. She scolds Boy Willie for trying to sell it when she says, “You always talking about your daddy but you ain’t never stopped to look at what his foolishness cost your mama…cold nights and an empty bed…For a piano? To get even with somebody?” (1.2). She shows her resentment to the past by refusing to play the piano and refusing to tell her daughter of it’s history. Berniece is also afraid of the piano because of those who died because of it. Her mother died honoring it and her father died trying to get it. She explains to her suitor, Avery, “I don’t play that piano cause I don’t want to wake them spirits” (2.2). She faces that fear when Boy Willie comes to the house bringing a ghost with him; however, the ghost isn’t their dead relatives but Sutter’s. The presence of the ghost forces Berniece to face the past and Boy Willie to acknowledge that the past matters just as much as the future.
The play concludes when Avery, who is a preacher, comes to the house to get rid of the ghost. The ghost protests and “fights” with Boy Willie. It is then that Berniece plays the piano to call on the spirits of her dead relatives singing, “I want you to help me” (2.2). By doing this she learns the lesson that the past isn’t there to burden her but to give her strength for the future. Boy Willie also learns the lesson that the past is alive and that using it doesn’t have to be materialistic. It can simply be used to remember who you