Motivations of Safety Needs in Wilson’s The Piano Lesson

Abstract

This paper explores motivations in meeting the needs of every human being can arise because of the differences in each individual in a literary text. The selected text is a play from August Wilson entitled The Piano Lesson. The study aims to explore the motivations of the characters' safety needs. This study uses the theory of motivation and hierarchy of human needs by Abraham Maslow, by limiting on the motivation of the safety needs. The findings provide the discovery of six characters with different motivations and ways in fulfilling their safety needs. Within this perspective, the play itself become a representation on the way human's motivation to fulfill their needs, especially the safety needs. The safety needs and the motivations of the characters are symbolized by the piano that becomes the center of the play. Although only 6 characters from 8 characters are proven to be developing motivations on fulfilling their safety needs. Based on those findings, August Wilson's The Piano Lesson has provided the reader and audience a lesson of how a piano can represent not just a musical instrument but also hidden motivations of safety needs of the characters.