The play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry examines the hopes and challenges faced by the Youngers, an African-American family living in Chicago during the civil rights movement. Mama's plant, Beneatha's hair, and the insurance money, are all utilized throughout the play to symbolize the characters' dreams and goals. While Mama's plant stands in for her drive to provide a loving and warm home for her family, Beneatha's hair signifies her quest for individuality and desire to go against social standards. The insurance money, which the family got from Mr. Younger, symbolizes both Walter's aspiration for financial success and the families shared motivation to have a more prosperous future. These symbols reflect on the racial and economic discrimination that …show more content…
Beneatha cuts her hair early in the play, which leads Walter to make fun of her and say who ever heard of a colored woman going to college?" ( Act I, Scene II). Beneatha's hair is a representation of her willingness to follow her dreams and her defiance of traditional beauty standards. "I'm going to be a doctor, and everyone around here better understands it", she states to Asagai. (Act I, Scene II). Asagai pushes her to take pride in her natural curls, Beneatha's hair becomes the focal point of her family's divergent future expectations. Beneatha's hair is a representation of her effort to find balance between her African background and her American identity, as well as her quest for meaning and purpose in a world that doesn't appear to have much room for her aspirations. "I want so many things that they are kind of driving me crazy," she says to Asagai. I want to see something positive when I look in the mirror, you know? (Act I, Scene II). Beneatha's hair serves as an effective symbol for her constant journey to understand who she truly is and what she truly wants out of