She understood why she had to pass her knowledge to her daughter who was to become the next guardian.Įventually, Berniece understood that she had to make her family (as well as her people) remember about their past to make them choose the right paths in their future. Berniece accepted her role as the guardian of their heritage. She understood that the history of their family is what they need to preserve and cherish. It was not until later she understood why exactly she could not sell the piano. She felt that the way was wrong and it was inappropriate to choose the way offered by Whites.īerniece was a very wise woman whose heart let her make the right choice. Berniece did not want to gain some financial profit at the expense of her (or rather her family’s) freedom. Interestingly, Berniece did not follow the example of many Africans who chose a new type of slavery: sharecropping. Remarkably, the woman could not sell the piano as it could mean she sold her ancestors and made them slaves again. She understood it would be a certain kind of betrayal. One of the ways to do it was to accept the family’s past.īerniece felt she could not give up the piano which was the symbol of their past. She understood that it was vital to keep the family together. The young woman saw that the world outside, which was cruel and unjust, so the only safe place to find could be the family. Though some told her to “put the past behind” her, Berniece felt it was wrong (August 71). She simply felt she could not let her past go as it was the key to her (and her family’s) future. However, there were people who knew or simply felt that the new rules are no better than the old rules of slavery. As for Berniece, she did not understand this first. Some, like Berniece’s brother, wanted to let their past go and accept the new rules. Of course, the horrible reality made people search for their ways. The time of lynching and racial hatred took away the dearest people from her. The brave woman has to live in a very difficult time.

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