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Analysis of the piano lesson
Essay about the piano lesson
Essay about the piano lesson
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In The Piano Lesson Berniece had a piano that belonged to her mother so she kept it in her house. The piano was barely used by anyone in the house because Bernice was scared to play it, she wouldn’t even teach her daughter to play it. Berniece mother cleaned that piano everyday and her grandmother carved ancestors into it also so it meant a lot to her. Her brother Boy Wille and his friend Lymon went into town selling watermelons and after they were sold he was determined to get that piano on the back of the truck and sell it too. In Boy Wille eyes if something isn’t being used or if your not making money off it then there’s no point in keeping it. He was going to sell the piano and give half of the profit to Berniece, then use the other
Surprisingly, this novel ends with Boy Willie and Lymon going back to Mississippi without selling the piano. Finally, Boy Willie closes by telling Berniece that if she doesn’t keep playing on the piano, he and Sutter would both be back. In saying this, Boy Willie means that if they don’t keep their inheritance close to their heart, unfavorable events could begin happening once
The Piano Lesson written by August Wilson is a work that struggles to suggest how best African Americans can handle their heritage and how they can best put their history to use. This problem is important to the development of theme throughout the work and is fueled by the two key players of the drama: Berniece and Boy Willie. These siblings, who begin with opposing views on what to do with a precious family heirloom, although both protagonists in the drama, serve akin to foils of one another. Their similarities and differences help the audience to understand each individual more fully and to comprehend the theme that one must find balance between deserting and preserving the past in order to pursue the future, that both too greatly honoring or too greatly guarding the past can ruin opportunities in the present and the future.
Boy Willie is the protagonist in the play The Piano Lesson, which is written by August Wilson. He is a foil character to his sister Berniece. He wants to sell the family piano. His biggest obstacle is his past, and his sister. Berniece wants to salvage the piano and keep it as a namesake. The quarrels revolving around legacies is the central conflict of the play. Boy Willie’s “Super-objective” contains two parts: fear and legacy resulting in memory.
In an article by David M. Galens, he describes Berniece’s life as it is full of mixed feelings and emotions. One of the things that gave Berniece assorted emotions was her brother trying to sell the piano out of the family. “She is fiercely protective of it [the piano] and refuses to allow Boy Willie to sell it. The piano is the Charles’ family totem: it visibly records the lost lives of Berniece and Boy Willie’s ancestors, and it is the only tangible link remaining between past and present” (Galens).
Bernice struggles to fully see what is represents, her family’s past and her ancestry. The piano’s significance is fundamental because it has a connection to her ancestry. When Berniece moved to the north, she brought the piano with her, “He didn’t want me to bring it up here-- but I wasn’t gonna leave it down there.” Ordinarily, she was going to bring the piano with her because it had a connection to the piano, through her family ties. She used to play the piano for her mother when she was younger, and she was good at it too, whenever her mother wanted she would just tell Berniece to play something for her and she would “..say when i played it she could hear my daddy talking to her. I used to think them pictures came alive and walked through the house. Sometime late at night I could hear my mama talking to them. I said that wasn’t gonna happen to me. I don't play that piano cause I don't want to wake them spirits.” When she talks about her playing for her mom, she mentions that late at night her mom would be conversing with these “pictures” or “spirits,” which is another reason why she doesn’t want to play the piano, in far that she will ‘awaken’ them. Berniece disliked the fact that her mom devoted so much time of her life to a piano, and with both of her parents gone, t makes it harder for her to move on
...eives nothing from the children. It should be obvious to the reader at this point that the children are obviously in no way doing any wrong and are telling the truth to the best of their knowledge. The continual obsession of the governess over maintaining the protection and innocence of the children gets so severe that it causes Flora to come down with a serious fever and Miles grows seemingly weaker and sicker without his sister there with her.
The same idea applies in the play as well. Power and authority are always changing hands. Let’s look at this from the perspective of the main character, Walter. In the beginning of the play, we see Walter being bossed around by his wife and mother. They are always telling him what to do and how to do it. Walter puts up with it, only because he has a plan. When the $1...
In the Piano Lesson the main symbol is the piano in Berniece’s home. The piano has a lot of meaning behind it and has been through a lot. This piano has made it all the way from the South to the North, which wasn’t easy. Berniece brought the piano miles from where it was because it meant so much to her. The carvings on this piano are magnificent they represent all of her ancestors. The blood and sweat that were put into making this piano means so much more than just something you play is amazing: “ Willie Boy carved all this. He got a picture of his mama… Mamma Esther… and his daddy, Boy Charles. He got all kinds of things that happened with our family” (1183). Instead of carving what Sutter asked he made the whole piano about the history of his family. After the carving was done, the piano became a monument to his family’s
In The Piano Lesson each central character learns a lesson. August Wilson uses plenty of symbolism throughout his play, the strongest symbol being the piano itself, representing the family's history, their long struggle, and their burden of their race. Throughout the play, the conflict revolves around the piano, and Berniece and Boy Willie's contrasting views about its significance and about what should be done with it. Berniece is ashamed and cannot let go of the past, or the piano, and Boy Willie wants to move his life forward, and use the piano to do so. Wilson portrays the 'lesson' of the piano as accepting and respecting one's past and moving on with one's life gracefully, through Berniece and Boy Willies contrasting actions and the play's climactic resolution.
The piano held symbolic significance in the story of the family and their struggle to move forward. The piano represents the importance and value of slaves during slavery. Slaves were traded for objects during slavery. Slaves were of no importance to their slave owners. As Doaker says in the story “now she had her piano and her niggas too”, meaning slaves were nothing more than an accessory to their slave owners (Wilson 395). Doaker sarcastically speaks of how slaves were not considered humans but property. As Sandy Alexandre states in her work, “Property and Inheritance in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson”, “Doaker sees greed where there should be something like repulsion or at least a semblance of hesitation to accept such an ill-begotten gift”(77). Alexandre argues slaves are not given the proper respect and are not considered equal. This specific event from the story shows how little to ...
Do you ever have one of those days when you remember your parents taking away all of your baseball cards or all of your comic books because you got a bad grade in one of your classes? You feel a little depressed and your priced possession has been stolen. This event is the same as August Wilson’s, The Piano Lesson. The story is about a sibling rivalry, Boy Willie Charles against Berniece Charles, regarding an antique, family inherited piano. Boy Willie wants to sell the piano in order to buy the same Mississippi land that his family had worked as slaves. However, Berniece, who has the piano, declines Boy Willie’s request to sell the piano because it is a reminder of the history that is their family heritage. She believes that the piano is more consequential than “hard cash” Boy Willie wants. Based on this idea, one might consider that Berniece is more ethical than Boy Willie.
One fine sunny day Mr. Boddy came along. He offered Mr. White a job in her kitchen. She would soon be doing deeds such as, cooking cleaning, winding rope, and house sitting. All was fine and dandy until she realized just how much money Mr. Boddy had.
The two The main characters in the play, Mama and Walter, want this money to be used. for the benefit of the whole family. Even though both of them want to benefit the family, each one has a different idea of what to do with the money and how to manage it to benefit everyone. & nbsp; Walter Lee, like his father, wants his family to have a better life. and want to invest the money in a liquor store. Walter wants the money.
...bag of money and put it in the king’s hands…“Take this six thousand dollars, and invest it…any way you want” (222). She has already placed all of her trust in the king even though she has no confirmation that he is in fact her uncle. They are completely unsuspecting of the fact that the duke and the king are attempting to steal their money.
Baines, a local man with Maori ways, makes a deal with Stewart in which he will trade land for music lessons from Ada. Baines offers Ada a deal to get the instrument back, and she is unprepared for the price she must ultimately pay. He recognizes the value that the piano has with Ada, which Stewart fails to do. The first act of compassion from Baines towards Ada is when he has the piano tuned. This event symbolizes that he truly cares what Ada feels and respects her as a women and person. Stewart does not comprehend that affection must be earned through trust, respect, and love. Baines realizes this and he gives the piano back to her saying, “I want you to care for me” (The Piano).