Following the withdrawal of federal power at the end of Reconstruction in 1877, blacks found life to be increasingly difficult as their progress was continuously thwarted by unjustified prejudice and the racism that remained rampant throughout the 1930s. While the federal government previously sought to rebuild and repair the divide between black and white people, Post-Reconstruction oversaw atrocities and the marginalization of blacks, which reflected the notion of white supremacy. Consequences of the failure to properly integrate black Americans into a predominantly white society are shown in August Wilson’s play, The Piano Lesson. Set in 1930s America, there are two main archetypes of blacks that are represented: Bernice, who accepts the poor conditions as they are, and Boy Willie and Lymon, who are determined to lead a better life and seek the same opportunities that white men have.
