The Piano Lesson Women and Femininity Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue.

Quote #10

Berniece: (Singing.) "I want you to help me/I want you to help me/Mama Berniece/I want you to help me/Mama Esther/I want you to help me/Papa Boy Charles/I want you to help me/Mama Ola/I want you to help me" (2.5.203)

Notice that, when Berniece makes her climactic appeal to the spirits of the ancestors, most of the names she calls are of women. The only male name she calls on is Papa Boy Charles. For the most part though, Berniece draws on the strength of her family's maternal line.