The Piano Lesson: Act 2, Scene 1 Summary & Analysis

The next day, Doaker is ironing his railroad uniform and cooking something on the stove, singing a song as he works. Wining Boy comes in carrying a silk suit which he was supposed to have pawned; he says that the shop owner wouldn’t offer him enough money for it. Berniece is still at work, and Boy Willie and Lymon are out selling watermelons. Maretha is refusing to sleep upstairs anymore. Doaker tells Wining Boy that although he hasn’t told Berniece this, he saw Sutter’s ghost before she did, sitting at the piano with his hand resting on his head, just like Berniece said. The ghost didn’t seem threatening, so Doaker didn’t worry about it.

Doaker says that he thinks Berniece is wrong about Boy Willie pushing Sutter in the well. Rather, he thinks that Sutter is haunting them because of the piano—he saw the piano keys being invisibly played one time. He figures that Berniece needs to get rid of the piano, since it’s done nothing but cause trouble. However, Wining Boy figures that they have more right to the piano than the Sutters ever did, and anyway, Sutter’s ghost can’t do anything about it. Meanwhile, he needs money, which Doaker reluctantly gives.

Boy Willie and Lymon come in, excited—their pockets are full of money. People were lining up to buy watermelons, even after they raised the price by a quarter. Boy Willie pretended that they planted sugar along with the seeds to make the melons extra sweet, and people believed him. While the younger men are still counting their money, Wining Boy brings in the silk suit and tells Lymon to try it on. He tells Lymon that the suit will help him get a woman, and that he’ll let him have it for $3. Lymon agrees and talks Boy Willie, who’s preoccupied about fitting the piano into the truck, into going to the picture show that evening to meet some women.

While Lymon is trying on his new outfit, Wining Boy tells the others he knew Lymon’s father and that he, too, was always talking about women. In fact, Wining Boy says, he almost could have been Lymon’s father—he had an affair with Lymon’s mother while her husband was in jail. When Lymon’s mother tried to pay the bail, the sheriff demanded an additional $100. She found Wining Boy playing the piano at a saloon and asked for help. Wining Boy knew that if she didn’t come up with the money, her husband would end up on Parchman Farm for three years, a fate he’d help anyone avoid. After Wining Boy gave her the money, Lymon’s mother invited him over, and she ended up inviting him to stay all night. Presently, Lymon enters then in his new suit. Wining Boy tells him that it’s a magic suit and that while wearing it, he’ll be able to get any woman he likes. The younger men head out.