Themes: Reclaiming History and Identity
The Piano Lesson dramatizes the struggle of African Americans to reclaim their sense of history and identity. The question at issue is not whether the piano belongs to Berniece and Boy Willie but how to claim what belongs to them. As is demonstrated by Berniece’s ambivalent feelings about the piano, the legitimacy of one’s heritage cannot be upheld unless it is claimed. Berniece’s fear to embrace that which belongs to her legitimizes the visit of Sutter’s ghost—which, according to Doaker and Boy Willie, is looking for its piano. Berniece’s fear also threatens her connections with her family history and her true identity. The Piano Lesson suggests that people cannot change history but can solicit its help in their attempts to establish meaning for the present and the future. To reclaim one’s sense of history, one needs to collect enough courage to face the past, no matter how painful that process may be.
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