Images of African Traditional Religions and Christianity in Joe Turner's Come and Gone and the Piano Lesson

Abstract

Throughout August Wilson's plays, characters are struggling with and wrestling over their ideas of religion and God. Wilson sets up a dichotomy between the role of Christianity and the African traditional religion (ATR) in two of his plays. Acceptance of one religion resolves the conflict, and Wilson illustrates these two polarized religions by creating images that reflect the tenets of ATR and Christianity. Joe Turner's Come and Gone includes a story of a Shiny Man, rituals, ghosts, a juba, and a self-inflicted cutting, all of which relate to the tenets of ATR, whereas characters of the Shiny Man and Martha represent Christianity. In The Piano Lesson, the ghost of Sutter represents ATR, whereas Avery represents Christianity. In each of these plays, the characters are forced to choose between ATR and Christianity, and Wilson subtly guides his characters to choose ATR and overcome. Wilson's plays are a contemporary commentary on the role of religion in the lives of American Blacks.