The Piano Lesson: Characters

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associated with living in a racist culture.
Slavery is still fresh in the minds of many blacks and whites during the �30s and so are many harsh feelings. Berniece and Boy Willie tackle the racism of their time in the same way their parents did. Bernice�s personality is very similar to her mother�s, Mama Ola. She chooses to avoid conflicts over racism whenever possible, even if it means keeping quiet about subjects that should be addressed. She finds it easier to � lay low� than to create a situation. Berniece views the history of the piano with the same disdain and sorrow that her mother held for so many years. In one of many heated arguments with Boy Willie, Berniece says, � Mama Ola polished over this piano with her tears for seventeen years...seventeen years worth of cold nights and an empty bed. For what a piano?...To get even with somebody....and what did it ever lead to? more killing and more thieving.�
When Boy Willie speaks, one can almost hear the vigor and ...

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lifestyle from a realist�s point of view with little optimism. She sees no chance of growth for blacks and expresses this when she says, � I�m going to tell her [Maretha] the truth...you at the bottom with the rest of us...that�s just where she living.� Berneice believes that blacks are at the bottom of life and they may never overcome their situation. Although she believes that blacks can find success; she feels that successs is limited to the boundaries in which blacks are born. She follows the idea that some blacks refer to as � the house negro mentality�. This nickname was coined for those slaves who were comfortable with their lifestyles because they saw nothing good that could ...

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