The paper discusses and expound on the real meaning of the Piano as illustrated in August Wilsons work “The Piano Lesson.”

The Narrative of the Family

The narrative is about a family who is trying to find serenity in order to forget their tragic past. Willie travels from the south to see his sister Bernice. Willie’s forefathers were slaves, and he proposes selling the family piano, which has been passed down through centuries (Wilson 10). The goal of selling the piano is to raise enough money to purchase the farm where his ancestors were slaves. However, the two brethren own half a share of the piano and the sister refuses to allow him to sell the piano.

The Use of Symbolism

By the use of symbolism, August Wilson uses the piano, his characters, and the situation of the family to provide the audience with the proper lesson of banishing our past to progress in our lives. The piano was a symbol of the significance and value of slaves during the era of slavery. It held a symbolic importance in the history of the family with their struggle to move forward in their lives. The slaves were not important to their owners and were seen as property just like the piano (Wilson 35). They were exchanged for objects during the slave trade. From the story, it is evident that they were considered as property since Doaker refers to them as owned accessory. In the story, the piano is of equivalent value as the slaves during slavery. Sarcastically, Doaker trolls on how the slaves were not considered as human but as property since they can be inherited. It only means that the slaves were nothing more than accessories to their owners. The piano, therefore, acts as a symbol for slavery.

Work Cited

Wilson, August. The piano lesson. New York: Plume, 1990.Pg 1-108