Back when the Sutter family enslaved the Charles family, the Sutter ancestor traded two of the Charles family members-Boy Willie’s and Berniece’s great-grandmother Mama Bernice and grandfather Papa Boy Charles-for the piano, as a gift for his wife, Ophelia Sutter.
Later, Lymon was imprisoned for not working, and after the judge required him to work for a local white man named Stovall in order to pay off his bail, Lymon began hiding out in his truck instead.ĭuring the same conversation, Doaker tells Lymon the history of the family piano. Berniece’s husband, Crawley, was shot and killed in the confrontation.
After their release, the men were pursued by the local sheriff for having stolen some wood. Boy Willie and Lymon, who still haven’t sold their watermelons, reminisce with Wining Boy about serving time on Mississippi’s Parchman Farm. Soon after, Berniece’s boyfriend, Avery Brown, drops by and tells Boy Willie and Lymon about his plans to become a preacher and start a church.Ī few days later, Doaker’s brother Wining Boy (a failed musician) drops by for a visit. Boy Willie denies it and says that Sutter is probably haunting her because of the piano-a sign that she should get rid of it. She runs into the room, claiming that she saw the ghost of Sutter upstairs, and she accuses Boy Willie of having killed Sutter. Just then, they hear Berniece shouting from upstairs. Doaker warns Boy Willie that Berniece won’t agree to this plan. Boy Willie, on the other hand, wants to sell the family piano to help him save up enough money to purchase the late Sutter’s land. Lymon tells Doaker that he’s hoping to settle down in Pittsburgh and start a new life. She tells them to sell their watermelons quickly and then goes back to bed. Berniece dismisses this story as nonsense and mistrusts the young men’s business in Pittsburgh. It’s rumored that the “Ghosts of the Yellow Dog” pushed Sutter down a well. Boy Willie reports that Sutter, the current owner of the farm on which the Charles family was once enslaved, has just died. They’ve driven from Mississippi with a truckload of watermelons they hope to sell. The Charleses are an African American family originally from rural Mississippi they have brought with them a beautiful upright piano decorated with carvings resembling African masks.Īt five o’clock one morning, Berniece’s brother Boy Willie and his friend Lymon show up at the house. The Piano Lesson takes place in the Pittsburgh home of Doaker Charles, his niece Berniece, and her young daughter Maretha.
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