The Piano Lesson

In The Piano Lesson a major issue is brought up and that is the issue of family vs. selfishness/ material items. Should we let material items and selfishness stand in the way of our family the people that we claim to love? Would your family allow a material item get in the way of a loved one, or would they drop it all together? What would happen if the material item had sentimental value? Well maybe the Charles family can set the example and help answer these questions.

Family is a word that can mean many different things. Family can refer to a group of people that live under one roof. Family can also be people who are kin to each other. Other definitions say that family does not necessarily have to be related as long as they share a common bond, interest and love for each other. The best definition for family is any group of people, relation or no relation that shares a common bond and has a love for each other to the point that they would do almost anything for each other.

Material items on the other hand can be replaced where as loved ones can not. A material item to one can be garbage and not mean anything but to the next it could be their treasure and mean everything in the world to them. Some people would not even have to think twice if it came down to choosing between a material item and a family member. What if however this item had sentimental value? Would it change someone's decision in choosing between a family member and this now sentimental material item? The piano in the piano lesson served as a sentimental item to Berneice and as a material item to Boy Willie.

Berneice had this piano which had been in the family for years and had been passed down from generation to generation. Berneice played the piano up until the death of her mother. Berneice now a mother herself kept the piano in her Uncle Doakers home which is where she lived also. No one played the piano it was more of just a symbol of the Charles family history. To Berneice this piano had no monetary value but the piano was full of sentimental value.

Boy Willie on the other hand was a business man and he was all about the money. To Boy Willie the piano was just another material item that could be exchanged for land. Boy Willie felt that since the only thing the piano was doing was collecting dust he might as well sell it so he could benefit from it and get the land off of it. Boy Willie felt very strong about this and he was not going to have