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Sutter's Struggle In The Piano Lesson

333 Words2 Pages

As the conflict between them builds, the ghost of Sutter seems to grow stronger until it attacks Boy Willie. He wrestles it, but he begins losing. That battle with Sutter's ghost seems to allegorize the struggle between the white master and the black slave throughout generations, ending with the slave crushed under the master’s boot. Berniece ends the fight when she finally plays the piano, calling upon her ancestors to assist the family. “I want you to help me, Mama Berniece…” she sings, addressing the dead. When Sutter is banished, Boy Willie understands that the piano serves as the family legacy incarnated. It’s an artifact and record of the family's history under slavery. Before leaving, he warns his sister of further conflict to keep playing on the piano, or he and Sutter may come back. …show more content…

The Piano Lesson expresses the idea that African Americans must embrace where they've come from before they will ever truly be able to move forward. The Piano Lesson wrestles with the problem of what they can best do with their cultural heritage. They can draw strength from the past, putting history to its good use. The generation of African Americans know very little knowledge about the past of their ancestors. They were shielded from the anguishes their ancestors suffered. This is a problem. It’s important to remember the past. Even if you’re not African American, there’s something to gain from the play. We all have a cultural heritage, and we should be aware of where we all came from. This play is taken place in Pittsburgh in 1937, but we have gone a long way since the time of slavery and segregation. With help of what Thurgood Marshall began, the United States will heal from its past of racial intolerance. Let’s not repeat what our ancestors went

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