"The Piano Lesson"

ANALYSIS INFORMATION:

Comments:

"The Piano Lesson" is an example of a story in which the main character is not the protagonist. Although Boy Willie (obstacle character) initiates the action and story problem, it's Berniece (main character) who's central to the story. His failure is her gain.

Brief Synopsis:

A piano serves as a major element in this play, which is set in 1936 in Doaker Charles' Pittsburgh home. Decades earlier, the white slave-owner of the Charles family traded Doaker's father and grandmother for the piano, and the grief-stricken grandfather carved African totems of his wife and son in the piano's legs. Later, Doaker's elder brother was killed in a successful conspiracy to steal the piano, which now sits, untouched and revered, in Doaker's living room. Conflict arises when Boy Willie, Doaker's nephew, wants to sell it to purchase land, sacrificing a symbol of the past to the pragmatic concerns of the present. However, he is opposed by his sister, who wishes to keep the piano because of the family history it represents.

(Drama Criticism, p. 470)

Objective Character Mini-Synopsis:

BOY WILLIE, a Mississippi sharecropper, dreams of elevating his status in society by owning land. He needs money and tries to convince his sister to sell the piano they have inherited.

BERNIECE, Boy Willie's widowed sister, is determined to keep the piano even though it's been a curse upon her family. She would rather hold on to the bitter past it represents than face the challenges of the future.

AVERY, an elevator operator and fledgling preacher, dreams of having his own church and marrying Berniece.

DOAKER, Boy Willie and Berniece's uncle, acts as referee between them. As the family's historian, he tries to put the meaning of the piano in perspective.

LYMON, a young laborer from Mississippi, wants to settle up North to escape the mistreatment routinely meted out to black men like him.

WINING BOY, the older uncle, is a rolling stone whose only commitment has been to his own pleasure.

JOHN SUTTER, who mysteriously fell down his well to his death, was the last descendent of the man who once owned the Charles family. He's now a ghost haunting the piano.

THE OBJECTIVE CHARACTERS:

Name: Berniece
Gender: Female
Description:
A quiet spoken widow of thirty-five. She's still pretty and desirable, but has shunned men in the three years since her husband's death.
Story Activities:
Role: Boy Willie's sister
Extended Role:
Function:
Characteristics:

Motivation: Disbelief; Oppose; Avoidance; Logic; Conscience; Control; Hinder;
Methodology: Certainty; Induction; Nonacceptance; Reaction; Possibility; Evaluation;
Evaluation: Proven; Determination; Trust; Unending;
Purpose: Knowledge; Order; Inertia; Perception; Ability; Self Aware;

Name: Boy Willie Charles
Gender: Male
Description:
BOY WILLIE CHARLES is thirty years old. He has an infectious grin and a boyishness that is apt for his name. He is brash and impulsive, talkative and somewhat crude in speech and manner. (Wilson, p. 2)
Story Activities:
Role: Berniece's brother, sharecropper
Extended Role:
Function:
Characteristics:

Motivation: Pursuit; Feeling; Uncontrolled;
Methodology: Deduction; Potentiality; Proaction; Reevaluation;
Evaluation: Unproven; Expectation; Ending; Test;
Purpose: Chaos; Change; Equity; Desire;

Name: Avery Brown
Gender: Male
Description:
Thirty-eight years old, honest and ambitious, he has taken to the city like a fish to water, finding in it opportunities for growth and advancement that did not exist for him in the rural South. He is dressed in a suit and tie with a gold cross around his neck. He carries a small Bible. (Wilson, p. 22)
Story Activities:
Role: Minister, elevator operator
Extended Role:
Function:
Characteristics:

Motivation: Faith; Help;
Evaluation: Hunch;
Purpose: Thought; Projection;

Name: Doaker Charles
Gender: Male
Description:
He is a tall, thin man of forty-seven, with severe features, who has for all intents and purposes retired from the world though he works full-time as a railroad cook. (Wilson, p. 1)
Story Activities:
Role: Berniece's uncle
Extended Role:
Function:
Characteristics:

Motivation: Support;
Methodology: Acceptance;
Evaluation: Theory;
Purpose: Actuality; Inequity; Aware;

Name: Lymon Jackson
Gender: Male
Description:
LYMON is twenty-nine. . . he talks little, and then with a straightforwardness that is often disarming. (Wilson, p. 3)
Story Activities:
Role: Boy Willie's friend
Extended Role:
Function:
Characteristics:

Methodology: Probability;

Name: Maretha
Gender: Female
Description:
Eleven years old. Quiet and well-behaved, who's the only one in the house that plays the piano as she practices beginner lessons.
Story Activities:
Role: Berniece's daughter
Extended Role:
Function:
Characteristics:

Name: Wining Boy Charles
Gender: Male
Description: WINING BOY is fifty-six years old. DOAKER's older brother, he tries to present the image of a successful musician and gambler, but his music, his clothes, and even his manner of presentation are old. (Wilson, p. 28)
Story Activities:
Role: Berniece's uncle, a gambler
Extended Role:
Function:
Characteristics:

Motivation: Temptation;
Purpose: Speculation;

AUDIENCE AND STORY DYNAMICS APPRECIATIONS:

Nature as it relates to Apparent Dilemma:

Berniece is steadfast in her conviction not to part with the piano. However, she does experience growth. It's the environment that causes her problems, namely Uncle Doaker and Avery, and later, Boy Willie. They insist that she marry against her better judgment which creates an uneasiness within the household, and in her life. Their tacit agreement with Boy Willie to get rid of the piano makes Berniece feel that she's fighting a conspiracy all alone.

Essence as it relates to Negative Feel:

"The Piano Lesson" has a negative feel due to the relentless dissatisfaction with which the characters struggle until the very end of the play. Even at the story's climax Boy Willie's fails to sell the piano and raise the money necessary to buy Sutter's land before it's sold to someone else.

Tendency as it relates to Unwilling:

Berniece is fiercely unwilling to let go of the past and engage in a fulfilling life after her husband's death. She won't marry Avery, who obviously loves her, because of her fear of entrusting her destiny to another man. She's unwilling to accept Boy Willie's quest for equality and dignity as a reason to sell the piano. She refuses to admit even to herself that she's a young woman with sexual needs when she runs away from Lymon after their kiss.

Reach as it relates to Female:

Women will empathize with Berniece's struggle as a widow raising her daughter alone in an world dominated by men. Women will also empathize with her determination to maintain control over her life and be independent after having her life adversely affected by the actions of men beginning with her father, then her husband.

Resolve as it relates to Change:

Berniece refuses to play the piano because she's afraid to wake the spirits of her ancestors. However, when Boy Willie is attacked by Sutter's evil ghost, she uses the piano to release those spirits to save her brother.

Approach as it relates to Do-er:

Berniece's approach to solving problems is to take action: After her husband died, she moved to Pittsburgh with her daughter, and got a job to support them both. When Avery proposed, she refused him, acting upon her feelings. When Boy Willie barges into her house unexpectedly, she tells him to leave. After he ignores her orders and tries to remove the piano from the house, she threatens to shoot him. When Sutter's ghost attacks her brother, Berniece summons her ancestors' spirits to exorcise it.

Direction as it relates to Stop:

Berniece has to stop blaming her brother for her husband's death. She must also quit using the piano as an excuse for her fear and bitterness, and take steps to bury the past and get on with her life.

Mental Sex as it relates to Female:

Berniece uses female problem solving techniques. She tries to uncover Boy Willie's motive behind his unexpected visit. She sets conditions upon having Boy Willie and Lymon in her house. She considers her family's history surrounding the piano and concludes that it cost too much in suffering to give up.

Outcome as it relates to Failure:

Boy Willie's efforts to eradicate his family's slave history by buying the land of their former owner ends in failure when he leaves the piano with Berniece. He returns to Mississippi without enough money to buy Sutter's land which would have enabled him to quit being a sharecropper and own a farm of his own.

Judgment as it relates to Good:

Berniece resolves her personal problems: She overcomes her fear of releasing the spirits of her ancestors when she plays the piano to vanquish the ghost. She comes to terms with the past. She reconciles with her brother and is able to embark upon a more fulfilling future.

Work as it relates to Decision:

The story is moved along by decisions: Boy Willie decides to buy Sutter's farmland and sell the piano to finance his own farm. He decides to pressure Berniece to sell the piano which causes her to fight him with accusations and finally threaten his life. Doaker decides to educate Boy Willie about the importance of the piano to the family, inciting Wining Boy to support Berniece which further divides the family. Avery's decision to exorcise Sutter's ghost causes a struggle against good and evil which forces Berniece to act to save her brother.

Limit as it relates to Optionlock:

Berniece exhausts all of her arguments against Boy Willie selling the piano. When he ignores her and starts to move the piano out of the house, Berniece is forced to threaten him with a gun. Boy Willie tries to sway Berniece to sell the piano by telling her his dream to own land, reasons that if she doesn't play the piano he should sell it, and recalls their father's anguish at being a sharecropper. When his heartfelt pleas fail to move her, he arranges to sell the piano anyway, even under threat of being shot. When Sutter's ghost attacks him and Berniece saves him by playing the piano, Boy Willie has no choice but to let the piano stay in the family home where it belongs.

THE OBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

Throughline Synopsis:

Boy Willie Charles arrives at his sister's home in Pittsburgh determined to sell the family piano which they inherited. He wants to buy land in Mississippi where his family was once enslaved. Berniece refuses to sell the piano, because it represents the family's past. Boy Willie thinks the piano is valuable only because it can be sold to secure his future. Doaker Charles, their uncle, acts as mediator between the siblings. Neither will back down until a vengeful ghost attached to the piano attacks Boy Willie. Berniece uses the piano to exorcise the ghost and save her brother. Boy Willie decides that the heirloom belongs with the family and returns to Mississippi.

Backstory:

In the time of slavery Robert Sutter owned the Charles family. He wanted to give a piano to his wife, but didn't have any money. He traded Boy Willie's great-grandmother and his grandfather, who was nine at the time, leaving their great-grandfather behind. As time went by, Mrs. Sutter missed her slaves. An offer to trade back the piano for them was refused. Sutter ordered great-grandfather Charles to carve the pictures of his wife and son on the piano so that Mrs. Sutter could have them near her. Charles carved portraits of his wife and son, and scenes from his family history on the piano. A generation later, Papa Boy Charles, Boy Willie and Berniece's father, stole the piano from the Sutter's because he believed it belonged to the Charles family. He was hunted down and burned alive in a train boxcar. Boy Charles' widow grieved for seventeen years while young Berniece watched. The piano was passed on to Berniece and Boy Willie. Three years ago in Mississippi, Berniece's husband was killed while on a wood gathering expedition with Boy Willie. She moved to Pittsburgh with Uncle Doaker, taking the piano with her. Since then she's raised her daughter alone. Avery Brown, a farmer turned preacher, followed Berniece to Pittsburgh and proposed to her. She refused his offer, but he hasn't given up on marrying her. Boy Willie stayed in Mississippi. With the recent death of the last Sutter heir, Boy Willie was offered a chance to buy the last acres of the Sutter plantation. He promised to produce the cash in two weeks, but his savings fall short. He and his friend, Lymon, have loaded a truck with watermelons which they intend to sell in Pittsburgh. Boy Willie plans to sell the family's piano to get the rest of the money to buy the land.

Domain as it relates to Universe:

The objective characters exist in an environment that's tainted by the piano which represents their tragic past, and serves as a reminder of the lowly station they hold as black people in America. They find themselves in a situation where they must find self-actualization within the narrow opportunities allowed them in a racist society. Avery accepts a "good" job as an elevator operator in a downtown skyscraper to have a chance of founding his own church. Doaker is content with his career as a railroad cook. Lymon hopes to improve his situation by finding a job unloading boxcars in Pittsburgh, as opposed to being fined for "not working" down home in Mississippi. Berniece works as a domestic, one of the few occupations open to black women. She accepts that this is the best that she can do, but is training her daughter to become a teacher.

Concern as it relates to The Past:

Most of the characters are concerned with the past: Berniece is obsessed with the piano's tragic history and her husband's death. Avery wants Berniece to let go the past by marrying him and playing the piano at church services. Lymon worries that if he returns to Mississippi, he'll end up in the work farm just like in the past. Wining Boy is unhappy with his past life as a piano player because people only wanted to know him for his music. Boy Willie wants to break out of the tradition of sharecropping like his father.

Range as it relates to Interdiction:

The objective characters try to change their destinies of being downtrodden black people in America. Boy Willie fights to sell the piano so he can become a landowner and quit being just another poor black sharecropper; Avery works as an elevator operator to finance his dream of preaching in his own church; Lymon follows Boy Willie up North to escape the unfair laws that threaten to send him back to a Mississippi work farm; Berniece sends her daughter to a settlement school so that she can break the chain of serving as a maid like her mother and ancestors by becoming a teacher.

Counterpoint as it relates to Prediction:

Once Avery has his dream calling him to be a servant of the Lord, he does everything to make his vision come true. He asks Berniece to sell the piano to finance his church; asks her to marry him so that he'll look respectable to his congregation; applies for a bank loan to buy property for his church; urges Berniece to play the piano in the church choir. Lymon foresees his future up North with a steady job, a comfortable home, and a wife suited to him. Doaker, who has worked for the railroad for twenty-seven years, envisions working for it until he retires.

Thematic Conflict as it relates to Interdiction vs. Prediction:

The conflict between interdiction and prediction can be seen when Boy Willie insists that there is no difference between him and the white man. Wining Boy foresees that even if Boy Willie owns land in Mississippi, he'll never have the power to sway the law to his side of an issue against a white man. When Boy Willie is determined to ignore the white man's arbitrary laws, Lymon forecasts that he's going to end up back on a Mississippi work farm.

Problem as it relates to Desire:

The objective characters' cause problems when they act on their desire to change their situations. Avery's efforts to have a church of his own leads him to urge Berniece to play her piano during services and marry him. His persistence causes her great anxiety, while her refusals frustrate him. Lymon's motivated to move up North, find himself a job, and a wife. This causes Berniece to close herself off even more after he briefly sets his sights on her. Boy Willie's desire to change from a lowly sharecropper to a landowner stirs up bad memories of the past, and causes Doaker to act as referee between him and Berniece. Boy Willie's attempt to sell the piano to finance this change incites Sutter's ghost to scare Berniece and attack him.

Solution as it relates to Ability:

Boy Willie does not have the ability to sway his sister's stand on the piano, however, Doaker's talent as an oral historian allows him to explain why Berniece won't part with the piano despite Boy Willie's need to sell it. Lymon's capacity for honesty and gentleness assures that he'll find a loving wife and a job on which to build a comfortable life for himself. Avery's ability to adjust to city life and play by the rules allows him to get a loan for his church.

Focus as it relates to Inequity:

The objective characters focus on their limited opportunities as black people in America. Lymon wants to end the cycle of being put in a forced labor farm, and leaves Mississippi for good. Berniece believes that as black people they are all living at the bottom of life. Doaker has resigned himself to being slotted in the subservient role as railroad cook, traveling wherever he's told, whenever he's told. Wining Boy, vivacious and talented, tried to obtain success as a recording artist, having failed that he's reduced to being just another black blues player without an identity of his own.

Direction as it relates to Equity:

The objective characters direct their efforts toward achieving fairness in their lives. Lymon, afraid of being put back in a work farm for no good reason, comes up North hoping to get a fresh start in life. Avery endures his job as an elevator operator, one of the best jobs a black man can get, while he tries to establish himself as the head of a church. Wining Boy, tired of only being valued for his ability to provide entertainment with a piano, decides to settle back down south where he can be loved for himself. Doaker, while understanding Boy Willie's reasons for selling the piano, stops him from removing it from the house behind Berniece's back.

Stipulation as it relates to Progress:

As the story advances the characters judge their progress by the way things are going. Avery confesses that he's getting tired of Berniece's excuses for not marrying him. Lymon is bolstered by the money he's made selling the watermelons, buys himself a suit to go courting in, but becomes disheartened when the woman he meets just wants him to buy her drinks. Doaker sees the animosity between Berniece and Boy Willie escalate until he has to warn Berniece when she threatens violence against her brother.

(Wilson, p. 99)

Catalyst as it relates to Prediction:

The characters' use of prediction accelerates the story: Boy Willie's relentless pursuit of his greater destiny drives Berniece to accuse him of killing her husband and threaten him with a gun. It also causes Sutter's ghost to appear to Berniece which increases Berniece's animosity toward her brother. Avery's determination to fulfill the prophecy of becoming a preacher drives him to attempt to exorcise Sutter's ghost, which leads to it attacking Boy Willie.

Inhibitor as it relates to Suspicion:

The objective characters' suspicions slow down the story. Berniece's suspicions concerning Lymon's truck being stolen distracts her from learning the true purpose for her brother's surprise visit. Avery's wariness of Berniece's reasons for rejecting his proposals prevents him from realizing that she's afraid, and causes him to antagonize her by his constant nagging.

Goal as it relates to The Past:

The objective characters are concerned with the past the piano represents. Berniece wants to remember and preserve her family's past by keeping the piano; Boy Willie wants rectify the past by selling the piano and buying land that once bound his ancestors in slavery; Doaker wants Boy Willie to understand the family's past through the history of the piano.

Consequence as it relates to Memory:

Failure to achieve the goal to sell off the piano causes the painful memories surrounding it to resurface. Doaker, in explaining why Berniece won't sell the piano, recollects how his father was traded for it, and how his brother was burned alive after stealing it. This memory plagues Doaker with regret and guilt because he helped his brother take the piano from the Sutters, and then didn't save him from being hunted down and murdered.

Cost as it relates to Conceptualizing:

The cost incurred by the objective characters is the negative energy expended when called upon to conceptualize a way to achieve their goals: Doaker imagines that by telling every tragic event surrounding the piano in detail, Boy Willie will understand Berniece's attitude toward the piano. Boy Willie envisions making a moving dolly, having Lymon help him load the piano onto it, and sneaking the piano out of the house when Berniece isn't home. Berniece imagines scaring Boy Willie off by going upstairs and getting her husband's gun, then putting it in her dress pocket to have it handy for threatening.

Dividend as it relates to Understanding:

On the way to achieve his goal, Boy Willie comes to understand that he doesn't have to own land to have dignity, pride, and proof of achievement, the piano represents that for every member of the Charles family.

Requirements as it relates to Progress:

Before Boy Willie can make an informed decision to sell the piano he must first know what it is he'll be selling. Although he goes through the process of listening to Doaker's stories about the piano and his family, and hearing Berniece's stories about their widowed mother's obsession with the piano, he fails to actually understand its significance.

Prerequisites as it relates to The Preconscious:

The objective characters must stop acting on impulse if they're going to get what they want in life: Boy Willie must control the impulse to try to force his will upon others; Berniece needs to restrain the impulse to blame everyone for her current state of misery before she can remarry and get on with her life; Lymon has to quit chasing the first woman he meets, and think before he acts, or he'll end up trapped with the wrong wife.

Preconditions as it relates to Being:

If the goal of selling the piano is to be reached: Boy Willie must adopt some restraint and patience if he hopes to sway Berniece to listen to him; just this once Doaker must act with some passion and fire, and quit being so neutral if he's going to rally Boy Willie's cause and convince his niece to sell the piano; Avery has to quit being an over-zealous preacher and just act like the lonely, caring man he is if he's going to persuade Berniece to release the piano and get on with her life.

Forewarnings as it relates to Doing:

If Boy Willie doesn't become aware that the piano is the embodiment of the Charles' family pride and heritage, and value it for what it is, he'll end up doing what the slave owner Sutter did -- sell off family members and forever separate them from their loved ones.

THE SUBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

Throughline Synopsis:

The Piano Lesson focuses on a struggle between brother, Boy Willie, and sister, Berniece, over whether to sell an heirloom piano. The piano was previously owned by the Sutter family, who held Boy Willie and Berniece's family enslaved. The slaveowner acquired the piano in a trade--he traded Berniece and Boy Willie's great-grandmother and their grandfather for it. Berniece and Boy Willie's grandfather carved portraits of his family into the piano legs in memory of the loss of his wife and son. Boy Willie wants to sell the piano to buy a piece of the property where his family served as slaves. His eye is only to the future. Berniece refuses to part with the instrument. She is unable to play the piano that she insists on retaining because she fears that to do so is to raise the spirits embodied within it. Berniece cannot reconcile her past with her present. At the end of "The Piano Lesson," however, when Boy Willie is struggling for life against Sutter's ghost, Berniece finally understands that the only way to save him is to call upon her heritage, thereby empowering herself with its strength. Her Christian faith alone is not enough; Berniece plays the piano and in a ritual chant calling on her ancestors, defeats the evil spirit.

(Pereira, p. 144)

Backstory:

To Berniece--whose life has been spent in the shadow of violence and death--the piano is a millstone round her neck, trapping her in a vortex of painful memories, dragging her into the depths of a past she wants to forget. First her father, Boy Charles, was burned to death after stealing the piano. Then her husband died in a shoot-out with the sheriff during a wood-stealing foray with Boy Willie and Lymon. Between these two incidents were long, hard years as the fatherless family struggled to survive. The piano is a powerful reminder of all this. She cannot bring herself to play it, afraid to release a torrent of pent-up emotions.

(Pereira, p. 91)

Boy Willie is not emotionally attached to the piano. He only considers it as a means to buy his farm and secure his future.

Domain as it relates to Mind:

An area of conflict between Boy Willie and Berniece is their respective positions on whether or not to sell the piano. She believes it's a shrine to their family's suffering. Boy Willie believes it's an instrument to be used one way or the other.

(Wilson, p. 51)

He believes that it's valuable only to trade for land:

(Wilson, p. 51-52)

Concern as it relates to Memory:

Berniece and Boy Willie come into conflict over Berniece's memory of his involvement in her husband's death three years ago. Boy Willie recalls that Crawley got himself killed when he pulled a gun on the sheriff who interrupted their wood-gathering.

(Wilson, p. 54)

Range as it relates to Suspicion:

A thematic issue that affects Berniece and Boy Willie is "suspicion."

She greets her brother's arrival with suspicion, accuses him and his friend, Lymon, of stealing the truck in which they drove north, and ungraciously tells them to be on their way quickly. When Sutter's ghost appears to her and calls for Boy Willie, she immediately assumes that he has murdered Sutter.

(Pereira, p. 87)

When Boy Willie asks for the name of the man who wanted to buy her piano, Berniece doubts are confirmed.

(Wilson, p. 27)

Because of Berniece's tendency to be suspicious of Boy Willie, it's impossible for him to convince her to sell the piano on his behalf.

Counterpoint as it relates to Evidence:

Boy Willie searches the house for signs of Sutter's ghost when Berniece first sees it, but fails to find any evidence of a haunting. He believes she's making up the ghost sighting to get rid of him. Berniece also fails to provide evidence that the piano is imbued with the anguished spirits of their ancestors, or that it's anything more than a carved instrument. Her eye witness account of the grief and loneliness the piano caused their mother leaves Boy Willie unmoved.

Thematic Conflict as it relates to Suspicion vs. Evidence:

Evidence is given more weight thematically in the subjective story. When the ghost finally menaces him, Boy Willie challenges it without fear or guilt which proves his innocence in Sutter's murder. Berniece plays the piano and unleashes the spirits of their ancestors to combat the evil ghost. The physical attack and its aftermath provides Boy Willie with the evidence needed to convince him that the piano belongs with the family. He and Berniece make peace with each other.

Problem as it relates to Desire:

Boy Willie's drive to change his station in life causes problems between him and Berniece. Boy Willie thinks that selling the piano and buying farmland will ease his life as a black man in Mississippi. He refuses to "live at the bottom of life" where Berniece believes they all are.

(Wilson, p. 92)

Solution as it relates to Ability:

Berniece's ability to play the piano and her capacity to summon her ancestor's spirits when Boy Willie is attacked by the ghost solves the problems between them. By playing the piano and calling up the spirits, she demonstrates its power and significance within the family. Having achieved this, Boy Willie decides to leave the piano with Berniece as he's now convinced that it belongs with her.

Focus as it relates to Self Aware:

Boy Willie's relentless campaign to advance himself in the world regardless of what it costs his sister, creates a major dilemma for Berniece.

(Wilson, p. 94)

Direction as it relates to Aware:

Berniece, aware of what the piano cost their family in lost lives and the grief that follows, tries to make Boy Willie see beyond its monetary value.

(Wilson, p. 50)

She reminds him that their father traded his life for the piano and how their widowed mother suffered:

[. . .] Look at this piano. Look at it. Mama Ola polished this piano with her tears for seventeen years. [. . .] Seventeen years' worth of cold nights and an empty bed. For what? A piano?

(Wilson, p. 52)

Stipulation as it relates to The Preconscious:

As the story progresses Berniece and Boy Willie respond to each other without thinking: Berniece's immediate reaction to Boy Willie's pre-dawn appearance is to order him to leave; accuse him of stealing the truck he arrived in; suspect him of killing John Sutter; blame him for her husband's death. Later, frightened by Boy Willie's persistence, she threatens him with a gun. Boy Willie rushes up to Pittsburgh to sell the piano disregarding Berniece's attachment to it; dismisses her claim that she saw Sutter's ghost; criticizes her reasons for keeping the piano as sentimental; challenges her to go ahead and shoot him when she threatens him.

Catalyst as it relates to Evidence:

The lack evidence accelerates the conflict between Boy Willie and Berniece. When he fails to find evidence of Sutter's ghost, Boy Willie suspects Berniece is lying about the sighting to get him to leave, and decides not to leave without selling the piano. Berniece's failure to present concrete proof of the piano's value as a family heirloom, leads Boy Willie to forge ahead with his plan against her wishes. Berniece refuses to accept Boy Willie's evidence of what happened the night her husband was killed, and physically attacks him.

Inhibitor as it relates to Interdiction:

Interdiction slows the subjective story: Boy Willie's blind determination to sell the piano for money to buy land that will alter his future, prevents him from understanding that the piano is the embodiment of his family's heritage and pride. His stubbornness incites Berniece to threaten to shoot him, and postpones their reconciliation until it's almost too late.

Berniece's THROUGHLINE:

Role:

Boy Willie's sister

Description:

A quiet spoken widow of thirty-five. She's still pretty and desirable, but has shunned men in the three years since her husband's death.

Throughline Synopsis:

Berniece keeps the piano in the living room of her home in Pittsburgh, but refuses to play it. When Boy Willie arrives uninvited she's suspicious of his motives for the visit, and orders him to leave. She refuses to sell the piano, and tries to make him understand why. She threatens to shoot him after he tries to remove the piano from the house. But when Sutter's ghost attacks Boy Willie, Berniece saves him by playing the piano to conjure up their ancestors' spirits to exorcise the ghost. She saves Willie Boy, resolves the issues between them, and is ready to get on with her life without fear of the past.

Backstory:

As a child Berniece lost her father when he was murdered for stealing the piano from the Sutter family. For seventeen years Berniece watched her mother grieve and devote the rest of her life to the care of the piano. Three years ago Berniece lost her own husband when he was shot while collecting wood with Boy Willie. She moved to Pittsburgh with her daughter. She has spent the last three years working as a housemaid and raising her daughter, shunning all social activities. She has refused to play the piano, even though she teaches her daughter to play on it. She's refused marriage proposals from Avery Brown, and his pleas to sell the piano to help finance his church.

Domain as it relates to Physics:

Berniece dedicates herself to the endeavor of convincing Boy Willie that he's not going to sell the piano. She's busy raising her child without a father; dodging Avery's efforts to get her to marry him; running away from Lymon's subtle seduction.

Concern as it relates to Understanding:

Berniece struggles to understand why men rush toward violence when it causes so much grief. She remembers her widowed mother's loneliness:

(Wilson, p. 52)

At the end of "The Piano Lesson," however, when Boy Willie is struggling for life against Sutter's ghost, Berniece finally understands that the only way to save him is to call upon her heritage, thereby empowering herself with its strength.

(Pereira, p. 144)

Range as it relates to Instinct:

Berniece's instinct to protect herself from being hurt by the reckless action of men sets her at odds with Boy Willie, Doaker, and Avery when she refuses to remarry. Her maternal instinct compels her to spare her daughter from the burden of the piano, and to prepare her to be a teacher so that she can be independent and have a better life.

Counterpoint as it relates to Conditioning:

Berniece was trained to play the piano, and conditioned to worship the piano by her mother. Contrary to her mother's intentions, she conditioned Berniece to resent and fear the piano.

(Wilson, p. 70)

Thematic Conflict as it relates to Instinct vs. Conditioning:

Although conditioned to resent and fear the piano, Berniece acts out of pure instinct when it comes to saving her brother from Sutter's evil ghost. She runs directly to the piano and uses it to summon up the spirits of her mother, father, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She can't deny the urge to call upon her family to save her brother, something she's compelled to do despite their differences.

Problem as it relates to Desire:

Berniece is driven to protect herself and Maretha from the consequence of a man's reckless acts. She won't marry Avery because she doesn't want her destiny to be defined by a man again, and be hurt like she was when Crawley was killed. Her refusal puts her at odds with Doaker, Lymon, and Avery because they think a young woman should be married.

(Wilson, p. 66)

Solution as it relates to Ability:

Although she's unaware of it, Berniece has the capacity to free herself from her self-imposed exile from life, and conquer the evil spirit plaguing her family. She has a strong sense of survival and justice that is bolstered by her Christian beliefs. This is demonstrated when she's faced with losing her brother to Sutter's evil spirit. When everyone else is in a panic, Berniece goes to the piano, plays a hymn, and successfully calls up her ancestor's spirits to defeat the ghost.

Focus as it relates to Thought:

Berniece focuses on thought: She's constantly thinking about the suffering the piano caused her mother; how she isn't going to end up like her mother, putting all of her love into the piano in place of a man; how Maretha isn't going to be burdened by the piano's tragic history; why she isn't getting married again.

Direction as it relates to Knowledge:

Berniece efforts are directed by what she believes to be true. She resists Avery's proposal and Lymon's advances because she's sure she'll lose herself within marriage. She tells Avery:

(Wilson, p. 67)

Stipulation as it relates to Doing:

As the story progresses, Berniece moves from one activity to another: She gets herself and Maretha ready for their day; sets rules for Boy Willie's and Lymon's stay; accompanies Avery to the bank to apply for a loan; prepares dinner for her uncle; cleans a businessman's house for a living; fights her brother over the piano; rejects another marriage proposal from Avery; chases Boy Willie and his girlfriend out of the house; kisses Lymon then rejects him; gets her husband's gun to threaten her brother; conjures up friendly spirits to save her brother from the ghost.

Unique Ability as it relates to Senses:

Berniece uses her senses to guide her through a difficult period. Berniece is immediately aware that trouble is ahead when Boy Willie arrives unexpectedly; acutely perceives the meaning of the ghost's appearance; is aware of the power of Lymon's innocent seduction and runs away after their kiss. Her senses show her how to use the power within the piano to destroy the ghost. She's drawn to the carvings etched into the piano, and intuitively uses its music to summon her ancestor's spirits. Her senses tell her that the ghost is destroyed and the veil of oppression has been lifted from her family.

Critical Flaw as it relates to Circumstances:

Berniece's constant dwelling upon her circumstances undermines her desire to improve her life. Her prolonged and bitter grieving for her husband blinds her to the fact that Doaker, and, most particularly, Avery love her and want her to be happy. However, she's so emotionally dependent upon being the wronged widow, she can't recognize her second chance at happiness when he's standing right in front of her.

Boy Willie Charles's THROUGHLINE:

Role:

Berniece's brother, sharecropper

Description:

BOY WILLIE CHARLES is thirty years old. He has an infectious grin and a boyishness that is apt for his name. He is brash and impulsive, talkative and somewhat crude in speech and manner.

(Wilson, p. 2)

Throughline Synopsis:

Boy Willie travels from Mississippi to Pittsburgh to sell the family piano so he can buy farmland. He tries to convince his sister to let him sell the family piano. She refuses. In spite of Berniece's threats of violence against him, Boy Willie locates a buyer for the piano, and starts to remove the piano from her house. He's attacked by an evil ghost attached to the piano. After Boy Willie is saved by Berniece when she summons their ancestor's spirits from the piano, he realizes that it belongs in the family. He returns to Mississippi to make his way without proceeds from the piano.

Backstory:

Boy Willie's father stole the piano and was murdered. His mother kept the piano, and when she died it was inherited by Boy Willie and Berniece equally. When Doaker and Berniece moved north, Boy Willie remained a sharecropper in Mississippi like his father. Boy Willie remembers his father working another man's land with his capable hands, useless without land of his own. With the recent death of John Sutter, the last descendant of the Charles family owner, Boy Willie has a chance buy land of his own. He has two weeks to produce the cash for it, and his savings aren't enough. He must sell the watermelons he brought up from Mississippi, and the piano, to make up the difference.

Domain as it relates to Psychology:

Boy Willie thinks he can manipulate everything and everyone to suit myself. When his uncle tells him that Berniece won't sell the piano, Boy Willie isn't worried.

(Wilson, p. 9)

Although Maretha is taking lessons on the piano, he suggests that she take up the guitar saying, "You don't need to read no paper to play the guitar." Later, he tells a customer that his watermelons are sweet because he puts sugar in the ground with the seeds, then he increases the price of the melons. He tries to convince a woman he picked up in a bar that it's all right to make love on the living room sofa, knowing that Berniece won't like it.

Concern as it relates to Conceptualizing:

Boy Willie envisions selling his watermelons, adding the money from the sale of the piano with his savings, and buying one hundred acres of Sutter land.

(Wilson, 10-11)

Range as it relates to State of Being:

Boy Willie reveals his true nature as a sharecropper when he explains the hopelessness he imagines his father felt in the same position.

(Wilson, p. 91)

Counterpoint as it relates to Sense of Self:

As a thematic counterpoint to his true self, Boy Willie considers himself just as worthy as any white man to make a difference in the world.

(Wilson, p. 94)

Thematic Conflict as it relates to State of Being vs. Sense of Self:

Boy Willie's sense of self triumphs even though he fails to sell the piano to raise money to buy farmland. He leaves Pittsburgh as confident as ever that he's worthy of a higher station in life and will eventually achieve his goal of owning a farm of his own.

Problem as it relates to Self Aware:

Boy Willie's focus on arranging things to achieve his personal goal causes Berniece problems.

(Wilson, p. 94)

Boy Willie's self-conscious attitude eventually forces Berniece to use a gun to convince him to take her refusal to sell the piano seriously.

Solution as it relates to Aware:

If Boy Willie would become aware of how deeply the piano has affected his sister, he could have saved her from a stressful showdown between the two of them. After his fight with Sutter's ghost from which he's saved by Berniece and the piano, Boy Willie becomes aware of the significance of piano, and realizes that it belongs with Berniece.

Focus as it relates to Inequity:

Boy Willie's focus on selling the piano to correct the disparity between him and the white man, despite Berniece's objections, creates a major crisis for her. Boy Willie believes Berniece's reasons to keep the piano are insignificant compared to his need to overcome the disadvantages forced upon him.

(Wilson, p. 46)

Direction as it relates to Equity:

Boy Willie directs his efforts toward what he feels will create fairness in his life.

However, selling the piano to enable him to stand beside any white man as a landowner would leave Berniece without her precious relic of the past. The possibility of losing the piano drives her to threaten to shoot her brother.

Stipulation as it relates to Being:

As the story progresses Boy Willie assumes different roles to get want he wants: He plays the kindly uncle to Maretha, telling her that the guitar is easier to learn than the piano, because he wants to sell the piano. He pretends to be a simple black farmer when he teases his white customer about planting sugar with the watermelon seeds. He bullies Lymon into helping him move the piano over Doaker's objections. He assumes the role of a preacher when he flings water around the house in a mock exorcism.

Unique Ability as it relates to Situation:

Boy Willie's honest assessment of his situation as a black man in Mississippi makes him completely sympathetic to everyone except Berniece. He is right about how owning land will change his life in a racist society. This makes it harder for Berniece to support her wholly emotional argument against selling the piano, while he is being practical.

Critical Flaw as it relates to Interpretation:

Boy Willie's faulty interpretation of Berniece's not using the piano causes more problems between them, and leads to him being attacked by Sutter's ghost. He fails to translate the true value of the piano.

(Wilson, p. 51)

ACT PROGRESSIONS:

The Objective Throughline Act Order:

Objective Story Signpost 1 as it relates to The Present:

Doaker manages the Charles' household while Berniece works as a maid and raises her daughter without a husband; Lymon is on the run from authorities in Mississippi as he helps Boy Willie sell watermelons in Pittsburgh; Avery tries to get a bank loan to start a church and convince Berniece to marry him; Maretha practices lessons on the piano and attends two schools so that she can be a teacher one day.

Objective Story Journey 1 from The Present to The Past:

The characters struggle with their day to day lives. Avery takes a half-day off work to apply for a bank loan. Doaker is resigned to his narrow life as a railroad cook during his trips and as a bachelor at home. Wining Boy confesses that his life as a roaming piano player was unfulfilling.

(Wilson, p. 41)

Objective Story Signpost 2 as it relates to The Past:

Doaker urges Boy Willie to understand the current situation within his household concerning Berniece's struggle to raise Maretha, and Avery's pursuit of Berniece. He patiently explains the Charles' family's tragic past surrounding the piano.

Objective Story Journey 2 from The Past to Progress:

Doaker relates the sad tale of how, during slavery, his grandmother and his daddy were traded for the piano, and how his brother was burned alive for stealing it from the Sutters. Lymon uses his money from the watermelons to buy a "magic" suit from Wining Boy, and sets out to find himself a woman with whom he can settle down. He's disappointed when the woman he meets just wants him to buy her drinks.

Objective Story Signpost 3 as it relates to Progress:

Avery gets a loan to buy property for his church; asks Berniece to marry him again and is rejected again; promises Berniece he'll bless the house to rid it of Sutter's ghost as a demonstration of his faith. Lymon fails to find a "good" woman for himself and returns to Berniece's house alone.

Objective Story Journey 3 from Progress to The Future:

Avery sees that Berniece is just drifting from day to day, and life is passing her by. He's tired of waiting for her to realize what a good life she could have as his wife, if she would just let go of the past and entrust her future to him and the Lord.

Objective Story Signpost 4 as it relates to The Future:

Boy Willie suggests that if Berniece and Maretha don't play the piano both him and Sutter's ghost may be back. Wining Boy prepares to take the train down south to find a place for himself without using his piano playing to earn a living. Berniece, freed from the past, can look forward to a fulfilling future as Avery's wife and partner in his church.

The Subjective Throughline Act Order:

Subjective Story Signpost 1 as it relates to Memory:

Boy Willie remembers his sister's reserved attitude after she refuses to wake up Maretha so he can say hello his niece.

(Wilson, p. 8)

Subjective Story Journey 1 from Memory to The Preconscious:

Berniece refuses let Boy Willie sell the piano because of her memories of the pain suffered by their widowed mother.

(Wilson, p. 52)

Berniece immediate impulse is to lash out at her brother who's reckless and stubborn just like her father and her husband who died violently leaving their women and children behind.

Subjective Story Signpost 2 as it relates to The Preconscious:

Seeing Boy Willie for the first time since her husband's death, Berniece expresses profound grief and resentment and accuses him of killing her husband. She beats him as she demands to know why her husband isn't with her.

BERNIECE continues to hit BOY WILLIE, who doesn't move to defend himself, other than back up and turning his head so that most of the blows fall on his chest and arms.

(Wilson, p. 54)

Subjective Story Journey 2 from The Preconscious to The Subconscious:

Boy Willie's instinctive response to Berniece's outburst is to take the abuse passively with compassion as he tries to calm her down. But Berniece's need for love and companionship from her husband drives her to continue her attack in spite of Doaker's efforts to pull her off her brother.

Subjective Story Signpost 3 as it relates to The Subconscious:

When Berniece suggests they're living at the bottom of life, Boy Willie tells her of his need for respect and equality.

Subjective Story Journey 3 from The Subconscious to The Conscious:

Driven by her love for her brother, Berniece uses the piano to save him from the ghost. Grateful for being saved, Boy Willie cheerfully taunts Berniece about the future:

(Wilson, p. 108)

Subjective Story Signpost 4 as it relates to The Conscious:

After Berniece saves him from the ghost using the piano, Boy Willie considers the possibility that it belongs with his sister, and leaves for Mississippi without it.

The Main Character Throughline Act Order:

Main Character Signpost 1 as it relates to Understanding:

Berniece tries to understand why Boy Willie and Lymon are visiting her in Pittsburgh, if Lymon's truck is actually stolen, exactly how John Sutter came to fall down his well, and why his ghost calls out her brother's name.

Main Character Journey 1 from Understanding to Doing:

Berniece is sarcastic when she finally understands the meaning of Boy Willie's visit.

(Wilson, p. 27)

She immediately orders him to forget the idea of selling the piano. Later, she threatens him:

(Wilson, p.50)

Main Character Signpost 2 as it relates to Doing:

Berniece snubs her brother when she offers to fix only her uncle dinner; emotionally rejects Avery's marriage proposal; refuses his challenge to play the piano and overcome her fears; chases Boy Willie and his girlfriend out of the house; rejects Lymon's advances.

Main Character Journey 2 from Doing to Obtaining:

Berniece prepares herself a bath so she can relax after a hard day's work. She fights for the right to maintain her identity outside of marriage when Avery pressures her to marry him.

Main Character Signpost 3 as it relates to Obtaining:

Berniece tells Doaker how she plans to stop her brother from removing the piano from the house:

(Wilson, p. 86-87)

Main Character Journey 3 from Obtaining to Learning:

Berniece fears that she's lost control over the piano, Boy Willie, and her entire household. But when Sutter's ghost attacks her brother, Berniece seizes control of the situation and summons up her ancestors' spirits from the piano. She learns not to fear her past, but to embrace it, and use it to move on in life.

Main Character Signpost 4 as it relates to Learning:

Berniece learns about the power of the piano when she uses it to save Boy Willie from the ghost. She experiences the release of the spirits of her ancestors, and learns not to fear the power of the piano. She learns to accept her past and look forward to the future.

The Obstacle Character Throughline Act Order:

Obstacle Character Signpost 1 as it relates to Conceiving:

Boy Willie comes up with the idea to sell the piano to raise the cash needed to buy one hundred acres of Mississippi farmland.

Obstacle Character Journey 1 from Conceiving to Being:

Desperate for a farm of his own, Boy Willie comes up with a way to get the cash to buy Sutter's land. He explains his idea and his reason for coming to Pittsburgh.

(Wilson, p. 10)

Boy Willie assumes the role of kindly uncle to Maretha, advising her to take up the guitar in place of the piano.

Obstacle Character Signpost 2 as it relates to Being:

Boy Willie assumes many roles to achieve his goals. To sell his watermelons, Boy Willie plays the role of the simple farmer to his white customers, but when he's with his family he makes fun of them.

(Wilson, p. 59)

Obstacle Character Journey 2 from Being to Becoming:

Boy Willie plays at being a Don Juan when he attempts to seduce a woman on Berniece's living room sofa. Later he becomes confrontational with Doaker when he tries to stop Boy Willie from moving the piano out of the house.

Obstacle Character Signpost 3 as it relates to Becoming:

Boy Willie dreams of transforming himself from a sharecropper to a landed farmer respected by white men as well as black men by seizing control of his economic future.

(Wilson, p. 92)

Obstacle Character Journey 3 from Becoming to Conceptualizing:

Boy Willie becomes combative with Doaker when his uncle stops him from moving the piano out of the house. He envisions building a dolly to move the piano out, sell it, and eventually become a respected farmer:

(Wilson, p. 85)

Obstacle Character Signpost 4 as it relates to Conceptualizing:

After Berniece defeats the ghost, Boy Willie imagines that both he and the ghost might return if Berniece doesn't keep playing it and keep connected to their ancestors.

Miscellaneous Other Storytelling Items:

All Concerns:

Doaker, Berniece, Wining Boy, and Lymon use their past to direct their present lives. Berniece wants to understand why men recklessly pursue their selfish goals and leave their families behind to suffer the consequences. A forward looking Boy Willie envisions selling the piano, buying farmland with the cash, and gaining equality. Berniece and Boy Willie each have different recollections of the night her husband was killed.

Master Plot Synopsis:

In 1936 Boy Willie Charles arrives at his uncle Doaker Charles' home in Pittsburgh. Boy Willie's widowed sister, Berniece lives there with her young daughter.

The action takes place in Pittsburgh in 1936 at the house of a family of African-Americans who have migrated from Mississippi. The conflict centers around a piano that was once traded by the family's white master for two of the family's ancestors. Boy Willie and Berniece, the siblings who inherit the piano (carved to show family history), argue about whether or not to sell it. Berniece's climactic refusal to allow Boy Willie to move the piano exorcises both the literal and figurative ghost of the white slave owner who has been haunting the family.

(Merriam-Webster's, p. 881)

Master Theme Synopsis:

The struggle between Berniece and Boy Willie becomes the central conflict of the play. Berniece looks to the past and the family heritage; the piano is the one thing she will never sell because it is a constant, tangible reminder of the talent as well as the suffering of her ancestors. Boy Willie looks to the future: The piano is a legacy he can sell to start a new life, to make himself equal to the white man economically. This is Mr. Wilson's piano lesson. Blacks, he reminds us, are often deprived both of the symbols of their past and of opportunity in the present. . . either she gives up the piano or he gives up the chance to buy the farm.

(Theatre Critics' Reviews, p. 323)

Subjective Character Synopsis:

Driven by the desire for freedom and equality, Boy Willie is determined to sell the family's valuable piano to buy land that once bound his ancestors in slavery. Berniece, who's endured a type of servitude to the legacy of the piano, vows to keep it in the family. They argue about what makes the piano valuable. Berniece blames Boy Willie for the death of her husband and her hard life as a widow. Each refuses to back down, and Berniece threatens to shoot Boy Willie when he attempts to move the piano from the house. Only when an evil ghost attacks Boy Willie does Berniece's instincts compel her to use the piano to save him and they resolve their differences.

Master Character Synopsis:

BOY WILLIE CHARLES, is brash, impulsive, and talkative. His immediate goal is to get a piece of land. . . For him land is the key to equality, dignity, and freedom. He plans to sell the family's heirloom piano to buy land.

BERNIECE, Boy Willie's sister, blames her brother for the death of her husband three years earlier. She is strong, determined, serious-minded, religious, and superstitious. She has let the tragedy surrounding the piano overshadow her life, but refuses to let it go. She threatens to shoot Boy Willie when he tries to sell it.

DOAKER CHARLES, Berniece's and Boy Willie's uncle, has been a railroad cook for twenty-seven years. He has retired from the world, has no fight left in him, and tries to serve as a peacemaker in the quarrel between Berniece and Boy Willie.

WINING BOY, Doaker's brother. He tries to present the image of a successful musician and gambler, but everything about him is old.

LYMON, Boy Willie's companion. In his old truck loaded with watermelons, he has come with Boy Willie to Pittsburgh with the intention of selling the watermelons and remaining to work, have fun, and find a woman. For a brief moment he reminds Berniece that she's still a young, desirable woman.

MARETHA, Berniece's eleven-year old daughter, who Berniece protects from the tragic history of the piano. (Masterpieces of African-American Literature, p. 357)

AVERY, a young preacher who dreams of having his own church and Berniece as his wife. Trusting in the power of the Lord, he attempts to exorcise the ghost and fails, leaving the job to Berniece.

SUTTER'S GHOST, a descendent of the white slave owner haunts the piano, and refuses to let the Charles' release the symbol of their oppression.