Diving Deeper: Themes and Motifs
The Ancestors
The ancestors are present in many forms in The Piano Lesson. Their most significant visual manifestation is in the carvings on the piano itself. In addition, Doaker tells their story at length in Act 1, scene 2 when he explains the history of the piano and the significance of the carvings. And in the play’s final scene, Berniece calls upon the ancestors by playing the piano that she has for years refused to play; she begs them to help her, and they do.
Family conflict
Although the topic of father/son conflict tends to be a focus of Wilson’s later plays (Fences, King Hedley II, Radio Golf), in The Piano Lesson the primary family conflict occurs between a brother and sister, Boy Willie and Berniece. Ultimately, the two are able to understand and accept each other by accepting their shared past.
Legacy
In The Piano Lesson, August Wilson is deeply interested in exploring the concept of legacy among Black Americans during the 1930’s. Central to the action of the play is the family piano itself, which is both a gift from the ancestors and the physical manifestation of a shared legacy of oppression and grief. Wilson demonstrates that questions of legacy, and of what Black Americans want or need to carry forward with them to achieve a better future, is deeply complex and difficult to resolve, even within one family. (Boy Willie, for example, sees the piano in terms of its monetary value, whereas Berniece wants to preserve it and keep it.) The struggle to define a legacy, whether physical or metaphorical, ties in closely with the themes of the ancestors and family conflict (above).
Ghosts
There is at least one ghost (Sutter’s) that is literally present in The Piano Lesson, but there are many other ghosts too, including benevolent ones (such as the ancestors) and the avenging spirits known as “the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog.” Many ghosts haunt some of the other plays in Wilson’s American Century Cycle as well: Harmond’s dead brother in Radio Golf, Hedley’s late girlfriend in King Hedley II, and Troy’s father in Fences.
Parchman Farm
The Mississippi State Penitentiary. It was known as Parchman Farm because inmates were subjected to penal labor (hard manual labor) in nearby agricultural settings. The oldest prison in Mississippi, the Mississippi State Penitentiary is now a maximum-security prison. In The Piano Lesson, Boy Willie, Lymon, Wining Boy, and Doaker have all done time at Parchman. For more on Parchman Farm, see the “Interesting Facts” and the “Bonus Materials” documents in the Study Guide.
Music
As in many of Wilson’s plays, music plays a central role in The Piano Lesson, as do the experiences of Black blues musicians and recording artists. For more about the influence of music, particularly blues music, on Wilson, see the essay in the Study Guide entitled “Singing the Blues and Chasing Ghosts in The Piano Lesson” and the “Bonus Materials” document.
Great Migration
Most of the characters in The Piano Lesson have left the South for Pittsburgh as part of the Great Migration, the period from 1910-1970 when millions of Black Southerners headed north and west in search of better lives. For more information about the Great Migration, see the essay in the Study Guide entitled “Pittsburgh and the Great Migration” and the “Bonus Materials” document.
The Railroad
The theme of the railroad recurs throughout The Piano Lesson, and in many different ways: as a source of employment (for Doaker); as the link between the American South and the North, and therefore an important means of transportation for Black Americans during the Great Migration; and as a means of vengeance (the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog), among others.