Piano Lesson day #8ish

I totally knew they were going to kiss. I totally saw it coming. And while it seemed romantic and all, and they might have more romance later, it seems like they're destined to not be a couple. I mean, Lymon is helping Boy Willie sell the piano, and Berniece really doesn't want to sell it. Maybe Lymon will take her side after this and not help Boy Willie sell it, because now he's in love with Berniece. Maybe, but I don't think that's his character. Because even with all his talk about how Boy Willie doesn't do things right, Lymon will still do whatever Boy Willie tells him to. And on the point of Avery, I don't think Berniece will choose him. He seems very boring, and very insistent on having a "good wife." I wouldn't want to marry him, but hey, maybe Berniece does.

Is it just me or is this getting really Twilight-ish? Team Avery vs. Team Lymon?...

Ugh. I'm sorry I even brought that up.

Also, they have a lot of sex. Boy Willie and Lymon, at least. Apparently, abstinence isn't a big deal in this time period.

I commented: "Yeah, I was kinda surprised at how Lymon's actions didn't really match his words when he was coming on to Berniece, he kept saying how he wanted Grace or how that one woman he slept with was the prettiest woman he'd ever seen. Not exactly the best way to lead into a kiss. Maybe it's because he was drunk?"

Piano Lesson... #6? or 7?

I thought it was interesting to learn more about why Berniece won't play the piano. It seems that after her father died, her mother became very depressed (and maybe a little crazy?) and was constantly pressuring Berniece to play on the piano. Berniece said that she thought there were spirits in the house when she played, and that's why she won't play it- she doesn't want the spirits around. This also connects to Sutter's ghost, and how Doaker found him sitting at the piano a few weeks before this. So maybe that's going to become a major plot point: The piano attracts spirits.

I'm still surprised that this book has supernatural events in it.

I commented: "I don't really like Wining Boy, especially when he was trying to get Doaker to give him more money. You're right, he's really cheap." on Blake's blog.

Piano Lesson day # 5 i think.

I was a little surprised by the humor in the end of Act 2 Scene 1, between Wining Boy and Lymon and Boy Willie. I mean, it was funny, but I didn't expect it. The play for the most part had been pretty serious, about death and ghosts and money and slavery, and then BAM! Some interesting pickup lines come along... Anyway, I thought it was funny.
Also, I think it's interesting that Doaker saw Sutter's ghost at the piano before Berniece did. That makes it seem even more likely that the ghost really does exist, and that it's not just in someone's head. And the fact that Doaker thinks that Sutter broke his neck might come up again later when we learn more about why Sutter's ghost is haunting them. It might just be because of the piano... Or is it something more?

Comment on haylee's blog:
"I like how you pointed out that the characters are unable to leave the past and move on, and how that's tied with the piano and Sutter's ghost. But at the same time, I think Boy Willie might be too eager to move on, and he doesn't really take the time to stop and think about what he's doing, you know?"

Piano Lesson Journal #4 i think

So on friday we finished act 1 scene 2, which added a lot of background information on the family. I think it was really interesting to learn about how the piano was made and why, and how Doaker and his brothers stole the piano from Sutter. Then Berniece talked about how her mother made her play the piano all the time, and she said something about how her mother "mixed her blood in with all the rest" on the piano. This makes me think that the piano has some bloody history, and that the reason Berniece won't sell it has something to do with her mother.

Also, I think it's weird that Sutter's Ghost has become a legit character in the play, since I thought the play was like, reaslistic. Guess not.

Piano Lesson day 3

The scene we read today offered a loooot more background information on their family. I had been wondering what the "Ghosts of the Yellow Dog" were, thinking that some Labrador retriever had killed a bunch of people or something. But now I know that it was actually some people who were killed when a train caught on fire.
When we first started reading, I thought this was going to be entirely historical realistic fiction, but there seems to be a slightly supernatural (or at least superstitious) element to it. I mean, there's the appearance of ghost of Sutter for one thing, and then Wining Boy told his story about standing on the railroad tracks and feeling the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog compel him to stand in front of a train. I'm not sure if this'll play a major role in the rest of the plot, but it would be interesting if it did.
Also, there was a ton of background on their family. About how their ancestors were slaves and carved the piano for a dying girl, and how Doaker and Wining Boy and a man named Charles stole it from Sutter. It offered a lot of explanation about the characters and I was glad of it.

I tried to comment on several different blogs (Rachel's, Alec's, Tylor's, and Trevor's) and it wouldn't let me for some reason, it kept making me re-log in, even though I was already logged in. Anyway, I'll try again later to see if it's just blogger being dumb.

Piano Lesson Day #2

So far, I think I'm getting a pretty good picture of Boy Willie's character. He seems very selfish, like most young men are at around his age, but he also seems a little untrustworthy. He seems selfish because of the way he wants to sell the piano just to benefit himself, despite his sister's wishes, which are important to her. And untrustworthy because of all the hints that Berniece makes, like saying that he pushes Sutter down the well. Especially with the mentions of a man named Crawley being dead because of Boy Willie. Also, the way he acts around Maretha makes him seem more two-faced. He cusses and uses the n-word a lot with the older characters but acts super sweet to Maretha. And while it's good that he isn't a bad influence on the twelve-year-old, he also doesn't seem to show much integrity. He's a different person with different people, which is like the exact opposite of integrity.

I commented: "The N-word makes me uncomfortable too, I'm glad I haven't had to read it out loud yet. I don't believe that using it will wear it out and make it less offensive... I don't like the word." On Autumn's blog