The Piano Lesson

The piano is the object at the center of the play’s conflict. Setting aside the play’s resolution, in which Berniece must keep the piano to appease the spirits and keep the house safe, who has the greater claim on the piano, Berniece or Boy Willie? How do the other characters weigh in on the conflict? Consider what the piano means to the Charles family and what it meant to the Sutter family within the historical context of slavery and the violent racism that continued in the century that followed. The piano also has meaning through the significance of music to Black Americans throughout their history, particularly genres like the blues that were appropriated and commodified by white men. What would it mean for Boy Willie to sell the piano to a white man? What would it mean for him to use the money to own the land that his ancestors were forced to work as enslaved labor?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might divide into small groups, with each group taking a main character from the Charles family. Groups can make a list of their character’s opinions and arguments about what should happen to the piano and then write their lists on the board.