Warning: the article contains spoilers for The Piano Lesson
Netflix’sThe Piano Lessonis a dramatic and haunting tale of family legacy set during the Great Depression. Based on the play of the same name,the main characters ofThe Piano Lessonare the Charles family, specifically Boy Willie, his sister Berniece, and his uncle Doaker. Throughout the movie, Boy Willie and Berniece fight over whether Boy Willie should be allowed to sell their family heirloom piano, which is beautifully carved with pictures of their ancestors.The Piano Lessondeals with whether it is better to honor one’s family by moving up in the world, as desired by Boy Willie, or by holding on to one’s history, as desired by Berniece.
The Piano Lesson’s reviewshave praised how the piano itself helps contrast the characters' personalities, whether they look to the past or to the future in creating a family legacy. ByThe Piano Lesson’s ending, the siblings realize that their family legacy belongs to both of them, despite their differing goals. To tell the story of the Charles family,The Piano Lessonswitches deftly between different timelines and locations in order to show how the piano was made and how it later came to be in their family home, outlining its overall significance.
The Piano Lesson Is Primarily Set In 1936 In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Movie Primarily Takes Place In The Charles Household
The majority ofThe Piano Lessontakes place in 1936 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniain the Charles family home where Berniece, her daughter, and her uncle Doaker live. The conflict concerning the piano occurs when Boy Willie and his friend Lymon arrive in Pittsburgh to stay with Doaker while selling watermelons. Boy Willie tells his family that he has a plan to buy Mr. Sutter’s land, who died a few days earlier when he fell into his well. Boy Willie has some of the money from selling watermelons, but he needs to sell the piano to get the rest of the money.
Who Is Crawley & What Happened To Him In The Piano Lesson
Crawley is a significant character to Berniece and Boy Willie in The Piano Lesson who drives a wedge between their brother and sister relationship.
Throughout this main timeline,the family fights over whether Boy Willie should be able to sell the pianowhile becoming increasingly concerned that they are being haunted Sutter’s ghost. Boy Willie, Lymon, Doaker, and Doaker’s older brother (Boy Willie and Berniece’s other uncle) Wining Boy, spend time together, and the younger two learn the story of how the piano was carved and then later came to be in Pittsburgh, highlighting everything that their family has gone through to have that piano.
When & Where The Piano Lesson’s Flashbacks Of Boy Charles Are Set
The Flashbacks Explain How The Family Got The Piano
The first scenes in the movie, as well as several other flashbacks throughout the movie, are set in Mississippi in 1911. While initially it is difficult to understand what is happening, as the movie progresses and Doaker explains their family story, it becomes more clear. The three brothers, Boy Charles, Doaker, and Wining Boy, worked on Mr. Sutter’s land in Mississippi, and, on the Fourth of July 1911, they decided to take the piano from Sutter’s house while he was gone because they felt that it belonged to them more than Sutter.
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In later flashbacks, it is revealed that Boy Charles,Boy Willie and Berniece’s father, was killed in Mississippi while trying to escape from Sutter and the other white men of the town. While Doaker and Wining Boy left with the piano, Boy Charles stayed behind to pretend like nothing had happened. When he later tried to escape by train, the white townsmen set the train on fire, killing everyone in that car. ThroughoutThe Piano Lesson, the characters mention thatthese ghosts are responsible for killing Sutter, who is haunting the Charles family and the other men who killed them.
When & Where The Piano Lesson’s Flashbacks Of Boy Willie & Berniece’s Great-Grandparents Are Set
These Flashbacks Show The Carving Of The Piano
The oldest flashbacks inThe Piano Lessonshow Boy Willie and Berniece’s great-grandmother and their grandfather being sold by Sutter’s ancestor in Mississippi to buy the piano. The exact time is not stated in Doaker’s story, but it goes back three generations. The piano was given to Sutter’s ancestor’s wife, who requested that Boy Willie’s great-grandfather carve pictures in it for her. Rather than just the two images of his wife and son,their great-grandfather carved their entire family story into the piano, immortalizing it for future generations.
From the flashbacks of Boy Willie and Berniece’s great-grandfather carving the piano to Berniece taking care of her daughter, the entire family line is connected through the instrument.
The movie deals with the Charles family working through the trauma of slavery and racism and their family history through the intergenerational story of the piano. From the flashbacks of Boy Willie and Berniece’s great-grandfather carving the piano to Berniece taking care of her daughter, the entire family line is connected through the instrument. Ultimately, through weaving together different settings and time,The Piano Lessonis able to tell a moving story of a family healing by honoring their ancestors.
The Piano Lesson
Cast
In The Piano Lesson, a brother and sister clash over selling a family heirloom piano—he sees it as a path to wealth, while she views it as a vital link to their heritage. Their uncle tries to mediate, but the conflict reveals deep truths about identity, legacy, and the past.
