The Piano Lesson

by

August Wilson

Jim Stovall Character Analysis

Jim Stovall lives in Mississippi and is offered Sutter’s land for a lower price than the price quoted to Boy Willie. It’s not otherwise specified who Stovall is or what he does, but a judge tries to force Lymon to work for him after he posts Lymon’s bail, a job that Lymon flees.

Jim Stovall Quotes in The Piano Lesson

The The Piano Lesson quotes below are all either spoken by Jim Stovall or refer to Jim Stovall. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Racism and Self-determination Theme Icon
).
Act 1, Scene 1 Quotes

BOY WILLIE: Lymon bought that truck so he have him a place to sleep. He down there wasn’t doing no work or nothing. Sheriff looking for him. He bought that truck to keep away from the sheriff. Got Stovall looking for him too. He down there sleeping in that truck ducking and dodging both of them. I told him come on let’s go up and see my sister.

Related Characters: Boy Willie (speaker), Berniece, Lymon Jackson, Jim Stovall
Related Symbols: Truck
Page Number: 6
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 1, Scene 2 Quotes

BOY WILLIE: They looking for Lymon down there now. They rounded him up and put him in jail for not working.

LYMON: Fined me a hundred dollars. Mr. Stovall come and paid my hundred dollars and the judge say I got to work for him to pay him back his hundred dollars. I told them I’d rather take my thirty days but they wouldn’t let me do that.

Related Characters: Boy Willie (speaker), Lymon Jackson (speaker), Jim Stovall
Related Symbols: Truck
Page Number: 37
Explanation and Analysis:
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Jim Stovall Character Timeline in The Piano Lesson

The timeline below shows where the character Jim Stovall appears in The Piano Lesson. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, Scene 1
Racism and Self-determination Theme Icon
Grief, Hope, and History Theme Icon
...Willie for $2,000. However, Boy Willie knows that Sutter’s brother has offered it to Jim Stovall for $1,500. Boy Willie didn’t challenge this—he just asked for two weeks to get the... (full context)
Act 1, Scene 2
Racism and Self-determination Theme Icon
...who was later fined and jailed for being unemployed. After Lymon’s bail was paid by Stovall, the judge made Lymon work for Stovall to pay off the debt, overruling Lymon’s preference... (full context)
Act 2, Scene 3
Racism and Self-determination Theme Icon
Love, Relationships, and Independence Theme Icon
...in the North. Unlike in Mississippi, Lymon can’t be forced to work for somebody like Stovall. He figures that after he and Boy Willie sell the remaining watermelons, he’ll look around... (full context)