A Piano's Cost In The Piano Lesson, August Wilson portrays the life of a 30's family in a dilemma over selling an ancestral piano for money to buy land those ancestors worked as slaves. The piano teaches many lessons, among the most important is that you must hold on to your heritage over everything else, even economic betterment. The Piano Lesson speaks of some basic lessons of African-American culture. Wilson felt a duty toward his …showed first 75 words of 1753 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1753 total…over what to do with the piano is beneficial to the family. For once all the members of the family are in the same place, talking to each other and working out the problems which distance them. They also come to a resolution which honors their past, each other and the symbol of the piano. That they do not forgo history for economic betterment is the core of a lesson Wilson imparts to all African-American's.