Their feud is over a precious family heirloom, a piano carved with images of their great ancestors, which was made by their slave grandfather. The Great Depression provides a historical backdrop to the play. The Great Depression and the Great Migration brought many blacks north to industrial cities like Pittsburgh in search of jobs. The boy Willie who wants to sell the piano that Berniece keeps in her living room, buy land and grow his own crops. Berniece, on the other hand, does not want Boy Willie to sell the piano because of its meaning to their family, even though it may help them get out of their current living situation. Berniece works as a housekeeper while Boy Willie and Lymon sell watermelons to reach their financial goal of buying the