Second Review

August Wilson. The name brings forth many different emotions. He could be argued to be one of the most influential African-American playwrites in American history. This may be so, but his play The Piano Lesson, does not demonstrate any significant and rousing ideas. Filled with sterotypical names and actions, Wilson attempts to show how he is above sterotypes, but I feel he just succumbs to these in the end. The play revolves around a family despute over selling a piano that has been in the family for years, ever since their family was in slavery. With a hint of a mystery murder, that Boy Willie, the younger brother and trouble causer of the the family, may or may not have committed. Berniece is the lead female in the play, she has a daughter and moved up north to try and make a suitable life for her and her daughter after her husband dies. She is stubborn and very strong willed with what she wants, and gets her way most of the time. Berniece lives with Doaker, her uncle and he provides the calming voice of wisdom in the play. Not only does Boy Willie's presence bring drama, the friend he brings with him, Lymon, brings on many desputes into the home as well. In what should have been the climax of the story, flops miserably will it tries desperately to tie everything together and add a pinch of extremely hidden symbolism on top of the chaos. His themes are hard to discern and even now I'm not quite sure of his plot. The dialogue was simple, the ideas so simple they seemed to have no point.
A taste of what the entire play is like "Hey Berniece if you and Maretha don't keep playing on that piano ain't no telling me and Sutter both liable to be back." The whole play revolves around this circular argument that does not even matter.