Journal #1 for The Paino Lesson

The first thing i noticed about the piano lesson was the dialogue. it converys how they were raised and conveys the setting better than the actual setting description in the beggining. the use of the word "niggers" suggests its in the past, possibly in the 50's. their language also suggests it's more in the south and possibly in a poorer, less educated area. one thing i didn't understand about the passage we read was the long story about the truck breaking down. what was the point of that? i'm thinking maybe something will make the truck of value or importance later on in the story. i was also surprised that there was no mention of the piano in the beginning, but i guess it's best that we meet the characters first. i wonder when the piano will come into the story. i also wonder why the author really stressed the relationships between the characters (i.e. the siblings). i guess it's just so the reader can really understand the relationships clearly. what i also want to know is why the neice and her daughter live with the uncle. did something happen to their home or can they just not afford a place of their own. i'm looking forward to reading more of the story because so far it seems interesting.