The Piano Lesson by August Wilson Essay - 2077 Words

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson: The Wisdom of the Ivories Can a treasured object of the past serve as a teacher for the future? Once people share the historical significance of it, an object can symbolize the overcoming of hardships of those lives in which it becomes a part. Therefore, it may indeed â€Å"instruct† future generations to glean wisdom from the past. August Wilson’s play The Piano Lesson centers on the trials and triumphs of a family affected by the enslaving of their ancestors and by current racial prejudice. An embellished piano, which bears the carved images of their enslaved ancestors accounts for the conflict that the Charles’ face. The Charles’ siblings inherit the piano from their mother, widowed upon the murder of her†¦show more content†¦Boy Willie states, â€Å"Papa Boy Charles brought that piano into the house. Now I’m supposed to build on what they left me. You can’t do nothing with that piano siting up here in the house† (Wilson 51). If he sells the piano, Boy Willie will be able to build a life for himself. Berniece says, â€Å"Money can’t buy what that piano cost. You can’t sell your soul for money† (Wilson 50). She believes if they sell the piano, she risks losing part of her identity. With tender sentiment, Berniece relishes the determination of her ancestors to appreciate life and the love they had for one another in the face of slavery. Boy Willie says, â€Å"See, you just looking at the sentimental value†¦You can sit up here and look at that piano for the next hundred years and it’s just gonna be a piano† (Wilson 51). Berniece’s pertinacious refusal to part with the piano emanates from her sentimental devotion to it and the memory of her ancestors. Therefore, Berniece characterizes herself through the piano as it brings the beauty of the past generations to their lives (Wilson 50, 52). Boy Willie defines himself as an Afr ican American who declares his equality as a man and seeks to enhance his self-worth by becoming a land owner (Wilson 51, 94). Therefore, he values the piano for its potential to raise his personal quality of life through a financial gain. The significance of the piano resides in the differing viewpoints of each sibling. August WilsonShow MoreRelatedThe Piano Lesson By August Wilson Essay1902 Words   |  8 Pagesaffects their future actions in a negative or positive way. A play in which a character must contend with an aspect from the past is, The Piano Lesson by August Wilson. In August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, Bernice Charles, struggles with embracing her family’s history of enslavement and oppression. She does this by deciding to keep the family’s heirloom, the piano, but yet denies its presence. She also decides to move up north from the south and away from her family’s history with her Uncle DoakerRead MoreThe Piano Lesson By August Wilson1143 Words   |  5 PagesThe Piano Lesson was written by August Wilson, formerly Frederick August Kittel Jr. Wilson wrote the play in 1990, which received various rewards, notably a Pulitzer Prize in 1990 and a Peabody award in 1995. The play takes place in the Hill District of Pennsylvania 1936, where Wilson was born and grew up. It is set during the great depression and revolves around the Charles family and an important family heirloom. A piano that represents the Charles family history during slavery in America. TroubleRead MoreThe Piano Lesson, By August Wilson1054 Words   |  5 PagesIn The Piano Lesson, by August Wilson, Berniece struggles with her personal connection with the piano. Her families past reveal her relationship with the piano. The piano meant a lot of things to a lot of different people over the years. The piano is a complex and multilayers symbol; its meanings are both personal and political. For example, Berniece was affected by the piano positively and negatively. She had a sentimental connection with it and never wanted to get rid of it. But the piano had aRead MoreThe Piano Lesson By August Wilson1827 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"The Piano Lesson†, a play that was written by August Wilson deals with the problem of what African Americans can do best with their own cultural heritage. It seems to question on how to put history into best use. For instance, the author says, â€Å"My generation of blacks knows little about the past of our ancestors. They prevented us from the indignities that they suffered†. It is necessary for African Americans to be conscious of their past, even though, many of its parts were full of struggle. ThisRead MoreThe Piano Lesson By August Wilson1295 Words   |  6 PagesThe piano lesson playwright August Wilson. The piano lesion is about the African American family. It’s about the history of their family. â€Å"The Piano Lesson† is published in 1936, with all the action taking place in the house of Doaker Charles. Main character of the play is Berniece s brash, impulsive, and fast-talking brother, the thirty-year-old Boy Willie introduces the central conflict of the play and berniece is the sister of boy Willie, â€Å"The Piano Lesson† is a brother and sister couple at warRead MoreThe Piano Lesson By August Wilson1059 Words   |  5 PagesThe Piano Lesson by August Wilson is a complex play emphasizing on the African-American family life. The main conflict in the play is between the main characters Bernice and her brother Boy Willie. The siblings are arguing over a piano that represents their family heritage. The diverse reaction between the siblings exhibits how dissimilar male and female reacted toward the history of their family and on a broader aspect their nation. The play defined Boy Willie character of a man who does not wishRead MoreAnalysis Of The Piano Lesson By August Wilson919 Words   |  4 PagesThe Piano Lesson by August Wilson is not only a captivating play, but it also encompasses a deeper truth. The play tells the story of how a piano holds a family’s past, and because of it, creates conflict. Berniece, a pivotal character in the work begins as a person who puts all of her feelings and history behind her, but in the end learns to embrace her past to move onto the future. August Wilson uses the growth of the character Berniece throughout the play to convey his central message of, youRead MoreEssay on Lessons from The Piano Lesson by August Wilson965 Words   |  4 PagesIn the play â€Å"The Piano Lesson†, the Charles family faces this question, and struggles to find the answer. The family’s legacy is in the form of a piano. On the piano are carvings of their ancestors. The two main characters that are havin g a conflict over the piano are Berniece and Boy Willie. Boy Willie wants to sell the piano so he can add the proceeds of the sale to the proceeds of selling watermelon’s and buy some land from â€Å"Sutter†. Berniece doesn’t want to sell the piano because it holds theRead MoreEssay about Analysis: The Piano Lesson by August Wilson1735 Words   |  7 Pages August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, tells a story of a family haunted by the pain of their past and their struggle to find peace to move forward. The story begins with character Boy Willie coming up from the south visiting his sister Bernice. Boy Willie introduces the idea of selling the family’s heirloom, a piano, to raise enough money to buy the land on which his ancestors were enslaved. However, both Boy Willie and his sister Berniece own half a half of the piano and she refuses to let Boy WillieRead MoreThe Piano Lesson Is A Play That Was Written By August Wilson.1345 Words   |  6 Page sThe Piano Lesson is a play that was written by August Wilson. The story is used in a collection of plays by Wilson to show the struggles of African Americans throughout the twentieth century The story takes place in 1937 Pittsburgh with an African American family that battle within themselves on whether or not to keep a family heirloom, a carved piano. Wilson hits hot points of the past and today with his view on civil rights and the power of death. In The Piano Lesson is a tool that allows the reader