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Explanation and themes in a raisin in the sun
Raisin in the sun symbolism
Explanation and themes in a raisin in the sun
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The Act of Betrayal Through the heartbreak of a poor colored family’s dreams, the ultimate betrayal is laid upon the mother of two kids, Lena Younger, or better known as “mama.” Lena Younger has recently lost her husband, Walter Younger or known as “Big Walter.” Life insurance money from his death will be sent to the Younger family, being a total of 10,000 dollars. Lena’s two children are Beneatha and Walter Lee. Beneatha has dreams of becoming a doctor and Walter Lee has dreams of owning a liquor store, which Lena does not support.
The last reason why Walter is rude and disrespectful to his family is when mama came looking for him and found his at the local bar. She sat down with his and starting talking to him about everything like his life, how he has a good life and what kind of changes that need to be made. Once mama starting talking about money doesn't matter Walter totally disagrees with her. Mama: Son--how come you talk so much `about
Walter regains almost all of the levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs but still seeks self-actualizations as he continues to be more open minded in the future. This creates the effect of how the family will be more successful. If it weren't for Mama and her talk with Walter, there may not have possibly been a future where the family as a whole could achieve maximum potential and full
Some examples of these two generations clashing with their ideals can be seen when Walter and Mama argue about money, When Beneatha and Mama talk about her (Beneatha) not getting married, and Beneatha’s career choices. Throughout ‘A Raisin
Living in a two-bedroom apartment in the slums of Chicago is Walter, his mother (Lena), his wife Ruth, Beneatha (his sister), and his son Travis. Walter wants to do better by them by starting a liquor business using the insurance money his father gave his mother, but Mama, who is religious says it’s not Christian and “We ain’t no business people… We just plain working folks.” Then his wife, Ruth tells him she doesn’t want to hear about a dream he never pursues, and Beneatha tells Walter he’s crazy and that the money doesn’t belong to him. Especially since none of the family seems to listen or even support his idea he becomes bitter towards them.
Walter feels worthless and his wife Ruth does not support him ,and Walter spent all the money that Mama gave him on a liquor store. And everybody waste because he used Beneatha money on a store, and Beneatha wanted to save that money so she can go to college and be a nurse ,and Ruth wanted to buy a bigger house for them. Walter sent all the money ,and Ruth can not go to work and how she do not want to have a baby because he has no money. “Just tell me where you want to go to school ,and you will go just tell me, what it is you want to be and you will be it whatever you want to be Yessir. ”In
(114-115) By giving up the money, Walter is shown to be spontaneous and quick to trust. He made a quick decision about giving Willy the money, without even thinking about the consequences, which shows his spontaneity and trust issues. He also didn’t even think to put any money away for Beneatha and he just trusted Willy to get the license before actually getting to know him. The play A Raisin in the Sun, shows how Walter settles on a brisk choice to give his Mamas insurance money to the character Willy Harris so he could purchase an alcohol store. Thus, his choice accounts Willy Harris to steal the cash which causes an apathetic temperament in the story and makes lost expectation in the family.
In the play Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry takes place on the southside of Chicago where Walter and his family are racially profiled and show us how the survive throughout their struggles. The central struggles for the younger family in their search for the American dream is mostly poverty and being racially profiled against for their actions. Hansberry challenges the traditional gender roles and issues of dominance throughout the play when Mama gives Walter lee the rest of the money at the end of the play. He becomes all excited and was supposed to save some for himself and put the rest of the money to Beneatha 's education. Instead, he gave all that money to Willy another character in the play which later on that he stole from him.
Although Walter does not deserve the power, the manhood of Walter Lee enables him to “control” the family. Conversely, Beneatha’s talkativeness and her aggressive personality are against how a 1950s African American should act. Ruth asks “Can’t you be a little sweeter sometimes? (Act 1, Scene 1)” to indicate the modest characteristics women should have. Furthermore, Ruth’s decision of abortion at the beginning of the play was unconventional since it was against gender expectation because it is against her duty as a wife and a mother.
Nonetheless Mama gives Walter a portion of the money for the investment. Instead of just using the money given, Walter also steals his sister’s portion of the check to invest, and ultimately extinguishes both him and his sister’s dreams when the money is stolen by his “friend.” This is a prime example of dreams hurting other people. Walter’s pride and ambition undermines and jeopardizes the entire family’s future and he can never take that back. Walter’s motivation for achieving his dream is a mixture of ambition, greed, and love he has for his family.
African American Strife Lorraine Hansberry ’s play A Raisin in the Sun and the motown music of the Civil Rights era demonstrate the struggles African Americans faced during segregation. Both of these works explore ideas of perseverance, searching for freedom, and the longing for respect that many encountered. Mama relates to Mahalia Jackson’s song “We Shall Overcome” because of her religious perseverance and hope for the future of her and her family.
Beneatha is unhappy with her Identity. She wants to express herself by playing the guitar and becoming a doctor. Ruth is unhappy with the fact that she is having a child because then they might not have room in their home. She is also unhappy in her relationship with Walter. Finally, she does not like Walter’s drinking.
The intention of the author of any play is to get the attention of his or her audience and let it understand his or her thoughts while at the same time being entertained. “A Raisin in the Sun” is a great play that focuses on a family’s pursuit of the American dream. The author, Lorraine Hansberry, skillfully addresses the issues of identity, beauty and class that the black community is grappling with. She challenges America’s whites to pull down the obstacles that prevent the blacks from fulfilling their dreams while at the same time challenging the blacks to clearly define their dreams. The theme of choice is well depicted throughout the play.
Reader Response: 3 “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, is a play about a black families experience in 1950s South Side Chicago. The story revolves around what happens to the family when Lena Younger, the matriarch of the family, receives a ten thousand dollar life insurance check upon the death of her husband. Everyone from the family has different plans for what they want to do with the money. Lena Younger serves as the head of the family. She is Walter and Beneatha’s caring mother so they and Ruth call her Mama.
Many people in the Younger family thought that not taking Mr. Linder's money was a mistake. There are many different views on what they should have done but it changed how they lived either way. I believe that the decision that they made was right because they needed to stand up for themselves and not let a white man tell them what they can and cannot do. They did what they thought was right and I agree with them. I think that they did what they thought was right, but there are some other views on it.
