A Raisin In The Sun Figurative Language

Through the use of symbolism and connotative language in A Raisin in the Sun, in the scene where Mama is giving the money to Walter, Lorraine Hansberry develops the theme that during rough times, most women will sacrifice anything for their family. Using symbolism, the time when Mama transfers ownership and responsibility of her money to Walter illustrates the theme at hand. In the apartment, the blues are playing in the background and Mama, “...turns off the radio...She takes an envelope out of her handbag and puts it in front of him…)” (106). Mama is giving the remaining money to Walter and Beneatha in order for them both to fulfill their dreams, however, before Mama gives this good news she turns off the radio. Whenever Walter walks into

The entire family has a rough time during this ongoing battle. Mama, seeing her beloved family falling apart due to Walter’s despair, makes a huge sacrifice by giving the remaining sixty-five hundred dollars to Walter. Similar to the first example, symbolism has been used to exhibit the theme yet again. Walter is going through a rough time and now mopes around helplessly because he no longer finds purpose in himself, but Mama tells him “‘...to be the head of the family from now on like you supposed to be,’” after she presents to him the remaining cash (107). Before Walter’s mother receives this fortune, he fights with his mother over who the head of the family is, but after she receives the check, he surrenders. According to Walter’s ideology, money is power, therefore the check Mama receives symbolizes power. Thinking this way shows that Walter stops fighting for the position because he is now weaker than his mother (since he has no money). Though this is Mama’s chance to get things done the way she wants to, seeing her son depressed in this way forces her to give Walter the money, in other words Mama is giving Walter the power to run the family which shows how Mama is sacrificing everything when her son needs it

Walter “...looks up slowly at her and she meets his eyes pleadingly,” and Mama explains to him that “‘...[she] ain't got nothing, don't own nothing, ain't never really wanted nothing that wasn't for you. There ain't nothing as precious to me . . . There ain't nothing worth holding on to, money, dreams, nothing else—if it means —if it means it's going to destroy my boy.’...It ain’t much, but it’s all I got in the world and I'm putting it in your hands’” (106-107). Walter has been misunderstanding Mama’s intentions ever since she buys the house. He does not understand that he will always be Mama’s top priority. Hansberry uses the word ‘pleadingly’ to describe Mama’s look, which shows she is desperate to talk to Walter and she cannot bare to see him suffer like this and therefore lets go of her money, dreams and everything that she has left to save her son, like any mother would do. Even if Mama is not normally selfless, she has become selfless because most women will do anything to save their family and through this difficult time, Mama has given away all she has because Walter means more to her than everything that she