Piano Lesson In August Wilson's play The Piano Lesson, Berniece is the protagonist or the heroine and main character, who represents the traditions and heritage of the family going back to the times of slavery and even to Africa itself. Willie on the other hand is the antagonist, a violent and angry man, a thief and a murderer who takes revenge on the Sutter family but now intends to use the money from the sale of the piano to buy their land. In short, he is a young capitalist who intends to move up in America and take the place of Sutter, but Berniece decides against this. From the start, she refuses to cooperate with Willie, but for most of the play she is reluctant to accept the piano at all during the first two acts of the play, but in the climactic scene at the end, she uses its power to save her brother's life from the ghost of James Sutter. Finally, she also teaches her daughter Maretha about its history and meaning, ensuring that the family legacy will be passed down to the next generation. Berniece is the protagonist and heroine because her conflict with Willie drives the entire play, and ultimately the choices about whether to sell the piano and how to use it are always in her hands. She is the key matriarchal and spiritual figure in the story and finally invokes the spirits of their ancestors and saves their traditions...
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