In Act 1, Scene 1 of The Piano Lesson, Boy Willie asks Doaker for some "grilled bread" he was holding. The stage directions identify the "grilled bread" as toast. Why did he refer to it that way?
asked Sep 2 at 1:46
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The only thing I can think of is that Boy Willie isn't familiar with toast, while he is familiar with grilled bread. But I have no idea how likely that is, in terms of the character's background.– Peter ShorCommented Sep 3 at 17:36
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I may be slightly off but this is what I think: The family is in Pittsburgh, having come there from the South at some point. In the South, typical fare in Black families (poor ones) was cornbread, not bread per se, and certainly not toast. Also, this is the 1930's when toasting was done on old-fashioned stove top grills or griddle. As toasters were considered a luxury ($25.00 according to one site I found). The sister (Bernice) may have started eating bread after moving to the North. So, the bread would have been grilled on a grill placed on the stove.– LambieCommented Sep 4 at 15:25
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@Lambie: They had toasters in the 1930s, and they sold very well. But you're right, Boy Willie came from a poor family in the South and they wouldn't have had one. But maybe the relatives he's visiting in Pittsburgh would.– Peter ShorCommented Sep 4 at 23:37
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@PeterShor The relative was his sister. I doubt they had a toaster. The play's first scene takes place in a shabby living room with only the piano,which he wants to sell to buy land for farming, as indicating earlier properity. A great paper on Black Americans in Pittsburgh angelfire.com/jazz/larryglasco/H1669/Burden.pdf– LambieCommented Sep 5 at 13:16
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@Lambie: The stage directions say that Doaker is carrying toast, not grilled bread. And if they don't have a toaster, there wouldn't be any point in having Boy Willie call a piece of grilled bread by its real name: grilled bread. On the other hand, if they do have a toaster, this little piece of dialog shows that Willie is unfamiliar with middle-class conveniences.– Peter ShorCommented Sep 5 at 13:33
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