The Piano Lesson

by August Wilson

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Themes: Symbolism of Sutter's Ghost

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Another powerful dramatic device that is also rich with symbolic value is the ghost of the white landowner, Sutter, which symbolizes the memory of the enslavement and oppression of African Americans by whites. The drive of the play is toward the liberation of these people from that history, which can come about only through a sense of self-worth, which is what both Berniece and Boy Willie seek. Although the piano belonged to the Sutters, the Charles family believed that it belonged to them, not only because their grandfather had carved their family history on it but also because it was paid for with their flesh and redeemed by their blood. After her father’s death, Berniece’s mother made her play the piano because she understood that it was a form of possessing it. When Berniece is about to lose the piano through Boy Willie’s scheme, she repossesses it by playing it and thus exorcises Sutter’s ghost. Boy Willie gives up his plan because he then understands that the family has its identity and pride intact, and he does not need land to gain those qualities.

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Themes: Symbolism of the Piano

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Themes: Building One's Future by Establishing a Relationship with the Past

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