Caryn Leigh Burk The Piano Lesson

5-13-05 Final Project

Lit 210-66 Overall Word Count -4004

About the Author and Play

Word Count - 306

August Wilson was born on April 27th, 1945. His name was originally August Kittel, but

he changed it to his mother’s maiden name after his father’s death in 1965. As a youth, Wilson

faced racism as the only black student at the Catholic high school he attended. After transferring

to another school, discrimination and accusations of plagiarism lead Wilson to drop out of

school. He then chose to educate himself in local libraries.

During Wilson’s teen years, he became very involved in the theater, and eventually co-

founded the Black Horizon Theater. As a playwright, several of his works were produced on

Broadway and won much acclaim for their success. His major works include: Ma Rainey,

Fences, Joe Turner, The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, and Seven Guitars. In 1987 he

won a Pulitzer Prize for “Fences”, and in 1991 Wilson won a second Pulitzer Prize for the play

“The Piano Lesson”. This was later made into a movie that was filmed in Pittsburg, and was

broadcast on Hallmark Hall of Fame in 1995(Rawson).

“The Piano Lesson” was written during the Neorealism Movement which is considered to

have begun in 1970 and continues through today. This time period displayed a wide variety of

literature due to its look at realistic situations. “Neorealism is new realism because it focuses on

the real-life experiences of black people.”(Smith et al. 742-950) Wilson’s play is no exception to
this idea, with its portrayal of a non-traditional family and the dynamics between its members.

This play also “calls attentions to the importance of the past on the lives of African Americans in

contemporary society” (Smith et al. 742-950) similar to many works during this period.

Evidence of this can be seen in characters like Berniece with her unwillingness to sell the piano

because it displayed her families past through many detailed carvings.

Caryn Leigh Burk

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Lit 210-66

Scene Analysis

Word Count- 952

The Piano Lesson was written in two acts. The first consists of two scenes and Act Two

is broken down into five scenes. All of them take place in a house where the family lives.

The first scene of the play could be considered an introduction. All the major characters

were introduced as well as the plot and dilemma that would motivate their actions. Boy Willie

and Lymon opened the scene and presented their plan to sell a truck load of watermelons. Boy

Willie needed money to buy land, and had become obsessed with selling the intricately carved

piano that his sister Berniece owned. Doaker; uncle to Berniece and Boy Willie; worked as a

railway cook. He stood back as a voice of reason through most of the scene.

Two other major plot elements were introduced in the opening scene as well. They were

the mysterious death of Sutter; a man who owned the land that Boy Willie wanted, and the

character Avery who was a religious man who wanted to marry Berniece. Both elements would

play a pivotal roll in the development of the play.

In the second scene of Act One, these stories evolved and the story behind the piano was

exposed. A new character was also introduced. Wining Boy; Doaker’s brother, arrived and

drove most of the scene. He told the story of Berniece’s piano and how their family members

were killed over it. This scene also marked one of several dramatic exchanges between Boy

Willie and Berniece. They thrashed out Boy Willie’s lack of respect for their family’s history
and Berniece revealed her blame towards Boy Willie for her husband Crawley’s death. Through

the entire argument, Doaker again displayed his judicious nature and tried to calm the situation.

The conclusion of Act One was very dramatic, closing with Berniece’s daughter Maretha

screaming at the sight of Sutter’s ghost upstairs.

Act Two, Scene One was an important exchange between Lymon and Wining Boy. In

order to support his lifestyle, Wining Boy was pawning many of his belongings. One of them

included a suit that he claimed was magical. Lymon was desperate to “find some women”

(Wilson), and felt that the silk suit was the key to doing so. Wining Boy on the other hand

seemed desperate for the money and took advantage of Lymon’s eagerness. The suit represented

respect and status to Lymon, who was itching to try it out on the town. Boy Willie during the

entire scene was only concerned with his watermelon money. At the end he made the decision to

sell the piano to an interested buyer, without telling Berniece a thing.

The next scene proved to be very important in its portrayal of the relationship between

Avery and Berniece. For the first time, the reader saw Berniece’s fear of involvement, and her

excuses for not marrying Avery. Avery said, “Anytime I get anywhere near you…you push me

away.”(Wilson) Berniece was reluctant to allow Avery into her life as if she were still not over

the death of Crawley. He pointed out to her that Crawley was killed three year before. Berniece

went on to reveal why she would never play the piano again and that Sutter’s ghost was a

definite presence in the house. At the end of the scene Avery and Berniece made plans to try and

bless the house in hopes of driving away Sutter’s ghost.

Scene Three presented a significant view of Berniece and Lymon. Boy Willie brought a

girl to the house after a night out. Berniece of course would not allow it. After the couple left,

Lymon entered the scene which created a vibrant interaction between the two. Despite her
constant resistance to become involved, Berniece had an unexpected connection with Lymon.

He was wearing the “magic” suit, which gave him a new-found sense of confidence. The two

kissed passionately, but Berniece eventually ended it. She seemed shy but flattered at his

boldness, and Lymon was pleased with the effects of his new suit. Overall, this scene was like a

dream with its unexpected turn of events.

Scene four returned to the original plot line however. Its main concern was centered on

the removal of the piano from Doaker’s house. Sutter’s ghost made an appearance that was

unknown by any of the characters. When Boy Willie and Lymon tried to move the piano, it was

mysteriously held in place. Doaker finally put his foot down at this point and would not allow

the men to remove the instrument with out Berniece’s consent. Boy Willie then left the house

vowing to return to take it away.

The final scene of the play held the most striking interactions and the climax of the work.

Boy Willie did return as promised and was continuing with his plan. Berniece threatened him,

but still Boy Willie persisted. He also blurted out how he “discovered the power of death”

(Wilson). He believed that this would keep whites from being able to control him. Through this

upheaval, Doaker again tried to keep the peace. Later when Avery entered the scene, the arguing

continued. The chaos that ensued was brought to a head when Sutter’s ghost appeared for the

entire cast to see. Until that point, Boy Willie had not believed in the existence of this

apparition. He of course was proven wrong. A confrontation between him and the ghost took

place, all while Avery was reciting his blessing. The conclusion of the scene brought Berniece to

accept the past, and she seemed determined to play the piano. She called upon her ancestry to

cleanse the house because Avery’s attempt had failed. The play closed with the house being

purified and Boy Willie willingly departing without the piano.

Caryn Leigh Burk

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Lit 210-66

Character Analysis

Word Count – 1166

The major characters in The Piano Lesson are Doaker, Boy Willie, Berniece, Lymon, and

Wining Boy. They are all family members who display distinct personality traits throughout the

play.

Doaker is a tall, thin man of forty seven with severe features. (Wilson) He was uncle to

Berniece and Boy Willie. Doaker could be considered like a father figure however, especially

because he took in Berniece and her daughter Maretha. He had worked full time for a railway

company laying track and later as a cook on train cars for twenty-seven years. He was wise, but

seemed to have withdrawn from life. He was obviously generous and often sacrificed himself

for other people. In Act One Scene One, Doaker gave Boy Willie the entire piece of grilled

bread instead of just a piece of it. Several times through out the play, Doaker also acted as a

peace keeper between Berniece and Boy Willie. In Act Two Scene Five, Berniece and Boy

Willie were having a heated argument about the piano. Doaker said, “I got to stay around here

and keep you all from killing one another.” (Wilson)

Another significant feature of Doaker’s character was that he could be compared to a

narrator in the play. He explained the history of the piano, and why Berniece would never sell it.

His story outlined the motivation behind Berniece’s actions. Overall, Doaker was a reasonable

man, who was not swayed by either sibling’s fanaticism. 211

 Berniece was the older of two siblings at thirty-five. She had an eleven year old

daughter named Maretha. They together lived in the house with Doaker. Berniece’s personality

was guarded by nature, most likely due to her husband Crawley’s death three years earlier. She

was unwilling to invest in a relationship with Avery who had pursued her since Crawley’s death.

Berniece counteracted that insecurity through her control over her daughter and by not selling the

piano. It represented the last link to her husband, and other family members. Berniece was

clearly stubborn as a result of a damaged past. Her only sense of security came from knowing

that the piano was in her possession. Eventually her resentment toward Boy Willie erupted in

Act One Scene Two. She blamed her brother for Crawley’s death, and was unwilling to accept

that perhaps her husband’s death was a result of his own foolishness. She said to Boy Willie,

“You killed Crawley just as sure as if you pulled the trigger.”(Wilson)

All of this paralyzed Berniece, and made her unable to accept the past. She was stagnant

in life until forced to take action against Sutter’s ghost. Until that point Berniece refused to play

the piano, which could be considered a direct neglect of her ancestry. During her discussion with

Avery about marriage, she said, “I done told you I don’t play on that piano. Ain’t no need in you

to keep talking this choir stuff. When my mamma died I shut the top on that piano and I ain’t

never opened it since. I was only playing it for her.” (Wilson) The death of her parents was

visibly another hurdle which Berniece had been unable to get over. 285

Boy Willie has similar characteristics at his sister Berniece in many ways. He was five

years younger than her, but upon first impression seemed almost ten years younger. He had a

loud personality that was often offensive. Like Berniece, he was stubborn in his beliefs. Boy

Willie was motivated by a need to be self sufficient, and own his own land. After Doaker

explained to him the importance of the piano to Berniece, Boy Willie responded by saying, “He
(his father) spent his whole life farming on somebody else’s land. I ain’t gonna do that. See, he

couldn’t do no better.” (Wilson) That underlying necessity fueled his obsession with the piano.

In many ways, it seemed as if he would not rest until that desire was satisfied. From the opening

moment of the play, Boy Willie carelessly illustrated his greed. By arriving on the doorstep of

his uncle’s house in the middle of the night, Boy Willie instantly displayed his indifference

toward the world around him. He lacked respect for his own families past, and refused to any

responsibility. When Berniece suspected him of killing Sutter himself in order to get to the land,

Boy Willie denied having any involvement. The truth about that issue was never revealed but

Berniece brought up a good point when she asked why Sutter’s ghost was calling Boy Willie’s

name. 226

Lymon was a year younger than Boy Willie. He was not related to the other main

characters in the play, but was close with they’re family as a child. He grew up in the same area

which created a familiarity between him and Boy Willie. Lymon was a man of few words and

was uncomplicated. For the most part, he followed the lead of Boy Willie. Unlike his partner

however, Lymon seemed unconcerned with financial success. What he longed for was much

more personal in nature. His purpose for going to the city was to find a companion. This drove

Lymon to plan on staying in the city.

When Wining Boy presented Lymon with the opportunity to buy the suit, it

seemed as if he couldn’t resist. He lacked confidence on his own and hoped that he would find it

through the purchase of the suit. The moment that he put it on, Lymon was desperate to see what

effect it would have. Lymon found the fulfillment he looked for in an unexpected place though.

When he returned to the house after his night out, Berniece greeted him. The zealous kiss

between the two characters provided that self assurance that Lymon had gone out to find. 206
 Wining Boy was the eldest of the family members at fifty-six years old and was

Doaker’s brother. He tried to present the image of a successful musician and gambler, but his

music, his clothes, and even his manner of presentation were old.(Wilson) Despite his failed

portrayal of success Wining Boy came across as needy and reminiscent of the past life he led.

When he arrived at the house, he acted as if he was there for a visit but his true purpose later

came to the surface. In Act Two Scene One, Wining Boy said that he had business with

Berniece, but really just wanted to ask for money. He needed the money, which led him to sell

the suit to Lymon.

Wining Boy also told stories in a grand way as if it would make them come back to life.

When remembering a past relationship with a woman named Cleotha Wining Boy said, “Man

that woman was something. I used to thank the Lord. Many a night I sat up and looked out over

my life. Said, well, I had Cleotha.”(Wilson) This technique was often his attempt at inducing

sympathy or aw from his listeners. Wining Boy embellished everything to improve his self

importance. 205
Caryn Leigh Burk

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Lit 210-66

Important Themes & Symbols

Word Count – 628

The major theme or idea of The Piano Lesson would be its focus on family and

relationships. The Charles family all though unconventional was still tightly knit. Each

relationship encompassed within that family was intricately dissected through the turmoil

surrounding the piano. Boy Willie and Berniece tested their limits as brother and sister because

of the dispute over selling the piano. This theme also examined a broader sense of the word

family. People like Avery and Lymon were undoubtedly included in that group due to their

relationships with Berniece and Boy Willie. They should not be discounted because they lacked

a blood tie, but rather should be automatically included due to their loyalty.

Relationships were also an undeniable focus in this play. The relationship between Boy

Willie and Lymon for instance, was almost brotherly in nature. It was symbiotic in that it

benefited both parties involved. Boy Willie acquired a supporter, while Lymon gained a leader.

They completed each other’s motives for going to the city. This relationship was similar to that

between Wining Boy and Doaker; Boy Willie and Winging Boy being comparable to each other,

and Lymon being comparable to Doaker. The two pairs were like a young and old version of the

same idea. Lymon and Doaker were stable and straightforward, while Boy Willie and Wining

Boy were both a little fanatical. An interesting look at relationships also existed in Act Two
Scene Three. This was a brief looks at Lymon and Berniece’s similar longing for

companionship.

Another theme that was briefly touched upon was women’s rights. In Act One Scene

Two, Avery and Berniece discussed why she continued to refuse his proposal of marriage.

Avery commented on Berniece’s need to keep people at a distance. He said, “Who you got to

love you?”(Wilson) Berniece then replied by asking, “You trying to tell me a woman can’t be

nothing without a man? You can just walk out of here without me-without a woman- and still be

a man. That’s alright.”(Wilson) Her words questioned why the world assumed she had to re-

marry after her husband’s death.

Wilson also used symbols in his play. The most obvious would be the piano itself. This

important feature represented different things to each character. Overall it symbolized the past in

various ways. For Berniece it represented the loss of her mother and father. She refused to play

it ever again, because of those memories. In Act Two Scene Two Berniece told Avery “When

my mama died I shut the top on that piano and I ain’t never opened it since. I was only playing it

for her.”(Wilson)

Another symbol in The Piano Lesson would be the train. To Doaker this was a very

important element and signified the path of life. His description of it was cyclical similar to life.

Doaker said, “…if the train stays on the track…its going to get where it’s going. It might not be

where you going. If it ain’t, then all you got to do is sit and wait cause the trains coming back to

get you. The train don’t never stop. It’ll come back every time.”(Wilson) These statements were

very clever and insightful. Perhaps Doaker looked to the train for dependability and maybe even

modeled his life after that stable example.

 All of the themes and symbols can be put together to form on reoccurring moral in the

play. This motif would be to look to your past for guidance, accept it and then learn from it.

Each of the major characters discussed they’re past lives in one way or another. In the end

Berniece’s acceptance of her heritage was the most powerful tool against Sutter’s ghost. That

was a direct statement toward the knowledge one can gain from their person al history.
Caryn Leigh Burk

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Lit 210-66

Noteworthy passages

Word Count – 684

Passage One- The entire first scene is significant because it introduced the major characters and

plot of the play. Specifically, the section when Lymon first saw the piano held extreme

importance. Up until that point, there had been no mention of the valuable instrument. Lymon’s

simple question, “Is that the piano?”(Wilson) was like putting a spotlight on the instrument as if

it were on an empty stage. Boy Willie then went on to describe its intricate carvings. He

repeatedly emphasized the highly polished wood and how it would probably sell at a high price.

When Doaker said that Berniece would not sell the piano, Boy Willie acted as if he would simply

be able to change her mind. Doaker reiterated his statement, but Boy Willie continued in his

ignorance.

This passage was extremely important because it revealed the dilemma that would be

focused on for the remainder of the play. From that point on, there was a constant battle between

Boy Willie and Berniece over the fate of the piano. The foreshadowing of impending trouble

was disguised in Doaker’s statement “You can put that thought out your mind.”(Wilson) This

section of dialogue created an atmosphere of apprehension and tension that would remain for the

duration of the play. 206

Passage Two- Another important section was in Act One Scene Two when Doaker and Wining

Boy told the story behind the piano, and why it was so essential to Berniece. Through out the
explanation, Doaker went into detail of their family’s history and where the piano fit into it. The

elaborate history of how the piano was created to remind a woman of her slaves added to its

mystic. Their images had been carved into it which seemed to breathe life into the piano. The

piano no longer was an inanimate object, but rather a crucial part of the family.

Doaker went on to explain how his eldest brother Boy Charles cherished the piano that

depicted his ancestry. He eventually stole the piano from Sutter in order to keep it within his

family. That issue created Berniece’s devotion and anxiety over not selling the piano. Boy

Charles was her and Boy Willie’s father. Regrettably the man was tracked down after the theft

and burned alive in a boxcar.

This story pointed out to the reader why the piano was so vital to Berniece’s state of

mind. Doaker said it best through his words, “…and that why we say Berniece ain’t gonna sell

that piano. Cause her daddy died over it.”(Wilson) Not only was this point of view

understandable, but it helped to further comprehend Berniece’s character. It also pointed out the

superficial quality that Boy Willie’s need for the piano displayed. The story also aided in

producing a background of the Charles family. 251

Passage Three- The most significant section in the play would definitely be the final scene. Boy

Willie continued with his plan to take the piano out of the house and sell it. Disorder was

unleashed when Berniece threatened to shoot him if he persisted. The entire family was

launched into a tirade over the piano. Avery arrived with his holy water and Bible to try and

bless the house, while Sutter’s ghost also made a stand upstairs. Boy Willie tried to no avail to

confront the ghost, which finally pushed Berniece to take matters into her own hands. With out

warning, she played the piano and sang. She called upon her deceased relatives to give her

strength and help cleanse the house of Sutter’s ghost.

 This final scene of the play is extremely significant because it displayed the most growth

in all of the characters. Suddenly, through a traumatic event, Berniece and Boy Willie were

forced to change. Berniece finally embraced her family history and gained strength from it. She

used that new-found confidence to banish Sutter’s ghost from the house. It proved that a

person’s history is a commanding source for knowledge. Boy Willie also went through that

transformation. He ceased to be as self absorbed, and acknowledged that he could not sacrifice

the piano for his own needs. His sudden departure marked the moment of his realization. 227
Caryn Leigh Burk

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Lit 210-66

15 question quiz

Word Count - 268

True or False

1. __ Berniece and Boy Willie were cousins.

2. __ August Wilson won the Pulitzer Prize for “Fences” and “The Piano Lesson”.

3. __ “The Piano Lesson” was written during the Neorealism Movement.

4. __ Berniece did not accuse Boy Willie of killing Sutter in order to buy his land.

5. __ Wining Boy is Doaker’s older brother.

Multiple Choice

6. Lymon was Boy Willie’s ________.

a) cousin b) brother c) friend d) boss

7. The climax of the play was in Act Two Scene _____.

a) two b) three c) four d) five

8. Berniece’s 11 year old daughter was named _________.

a) Grace b) Maretha c) Heather d) Caryn

9. Sutter’s ghost called out whose name upstairs?

a) Boy Willie b) Lymon c) Doaker d) Berniece

 10. Avery often discussed _________ with Berniece.

a) work b) movies c) marriage d) racism

11. Boy Willie and Lymon were selling ________ out of the back of a truck.

a) pianos b) watermelons c) corn d) furniture

12. How was Berniec’s husband killed?

a) he drowned b) a stabbing c) poisoned d) he was shot

13. Wining Boy sold _________ to Lymon.

a) a suit b) a truck c) a watch d) food

14. Boy Willie discovered the power of ________.

a) life b) alcohol c) death d) lying

15. Avery’s attempt to ________ the house failed.

a) paint b) sell c) buy d) bless

Answers

1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. T

6. C 7. D 8. B 9. A 10. C

11. B 12. D 13. A 14. C 15. D