Beneatha Quotes

A Raisin in the Sun, a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, follows the Younger family and their struggle to achieve their dreams. Beneatha, a member of the Younger family’s, dream is to become a doctor and escape the poverty and racism attached to her family. Throughout the play, we see Beneatha as an individual who does not conform to societal expectations. In A Raisin in the Sun, societal oppression and family pressures cause Beneatha to be passionate in the pursuit of her dreams. In A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha is represented as a passionate figure, changing the demographic of women during the ‘nineteen fifties’. During a scene in the play, Mama, Ruth, and Beneath talk about Beneath's love life. Ruth asks Beneath, “You mean you wouldn’t

Honey, I knew you were odd—”. (Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, 49; Act 1, Scene 1). In this quote we see how Beneatha's priorities are different from Ruth or Mama’s. Beneatha's response is “Get over it”. What are you talking about, Ruth? Listen, I’m going to be a doctor. I’m not worried about who I’m going to marry yet—if I ever get married.” (Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, 50; Act 1, Scene 1). In this quote, Beneatha states her priorities and aspirations to become a doctor. Beneatha is not afraid to reject traditional societal expectations, like getting married, and thrive as an independent. Beneatha wants to amount to something, she does not want to be tied down to the impoverished life of her family. In a scene in the play, Beneatha and Walter are arguing about what is being done with the insurance money. While Beneatha wants it to go to Mama and have her decide, Walter wants it for himself. While arguing, Walter shoots at

Walter feels frustrated with the little appreciation he is getting from his family for his financial part in the family's funds. Beneatha snaps back “Well—I do—all right?— thank you everybody! And forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all! FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME!” (Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, 37; Act 1, Scene 1). Beneatha's response illustrates the frustration she has dealing with family pressures. She uses sarcasm to show her annoyance with the judgment she is facing for her ambitious dreams. As the story progresses, we can see Beneatha begin to lose hope around achieving her dream. During a scene talking with Asagai, Beneatha talks about how she saw a kid's face split open and when she saw it again and there was almost no sign of it, she never forgot it. During the scene we can see her loss of hope surrounding her dream “No—I wanted to cure. It used to be so important to me. I wanted to cure this. It used to matter. I used to care about it. I mean about people and how their bodies hurt.” (Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, 133, Act 3 Scene 1). Her statement, “I used to care” implies that the family pressures and societal oppression are causing her to question her aspirations. This quote shows us the reflection between her dreams and the obstacles, like gender roles, racism, and overall societal expectations. Although in A Raisin in the Sun societal