Essay On Berniece's Legacy

From the moment we enter the world until the moment we die, each and every one of us carries a legacy. Whether we like it or not, the lessons learned and labels worn by our ancestors are passed down to us. Although the legacies of our ancestors do not define us, our reactions and what we choose to do with these legacies do have a large impact on our lives. Some people choose to honor their legacy, some try to forget their legacy, and others make an effort to either erase or change their legacy. In August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, Berniece struggles to accept her ancestors past and come to terms with her legacy.
Berniece spends most of the play trying to forget her family’s past. Being the descendant of a slave, Berniece is well aware of the hardships her ancestors faced. Berniece knows she is related to slaves and as a result, sees herself as a lesser valued member of society. Berniece believes that “colored folks is living at the bottom life” (1291). On multiple occasions, Berniece talks about race and the role colored people play in society. One part of this play I found extremely ironic was the fact that Berniece tried to ignore her legacy, yet she was
attached to the piano, which held the story of her ancestors. The piano, served as a physical manifestation of everything the Charles family had been through. Although the physical object of the piano can be seen as a legacy passed down, it is the meaning associated with the piano that serves as the real legacy. The piano legs were covered in intricate carvings telling stories of the Charles family. According to Boy Willie, “The only thing that [made] that piano worth something is them carvings Papa Willie Boy put on there” (1268). Within the Charles family, it was believed that “[the piano] was the story of [their] whole family” (1265). Because the Charles family had been sold to the Sutter family in exchange for the piano, it was believed that “as long as Sutter had [the piano]… he had [them]” (1265). As a result of this belief, Berniece strongly opposed the idea of selling her family’s piano to Sutter. Every character in the play knew for a fact that “Berniece aint gonna sell that piano” (1246). Berniece’s father died trying to protect the piano that held many memories of the Charles family. Besides having images physically carved into the wood of the piano, Berniece also believed that the spirits of her ancestors lived inside the piano.
As a young girl, Berniece’s father was killed as a result of trying to save the piano. After her father’s death, Berniece’s mother could often hear her husband’s voice whenever Berniece played the piano. As a result, Berniece’s mother pushed Berniece to continue playing the piano, so that she could communicate with her husband. Eventually Berniece stopped playing the piano because “[she didn’t] want to wake them spirits” (1279). Although Berniece refuses to tell her daughter, Maretha, about their family’s past and ties to slavery, she continues to keep the piano around. Berniece refuses to sell the piano that serves as a reminder of her family’s painful
past.
At the conclusion of the play, Berniece is finally forced to play the piano. As a result of being forced to play, Berniece learned that she can gain strength by embracing her past. Had Berniece learned this lesson earlier, and chosen to embrace her past, she may have lived a happier life, and acted differently in regards to Willie Boy’s proposal of selling the piano.