A Raisin in the Sun Ending

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When reading A Raisin in the Sun, I expected a significantly different ending than the actual conclusion. From the beginning, I made the assumption that only one character would use the money to finance their dreams, and the rest would simply have to deal with the disappointment of their missed opportunity. Compared to my expectations, I can confidently say that the conclusion of the play is satisfactory. Though some of the initial dreams of characters, such as Walter’s dream to open the liquor store, were not met, larger dreams seemed to be realized throughout the progression of the play. The main reason I found the play to be satisfactory was because the Younger family was able to come together in their times of struggle, instead of their relationships becoming even more strained. At the start of the play, it seemed the family was at its breaking point, but they were able to come out of their struggles stronger than before. This showed the true value of family relationships, and how they can help you through even the toughest of situations, and realize what is truly important.
All the characters in A Raisin in the Sun had different dreams they wanted to fulfill with the insurance check. They rely on these dreams for their own happiness, never focusing on a larger scale. Mama, the mother of Walter and Beneatha, had the dream to move into a larger home to provide a better living situation for her family. This was a dream she and her husband shared before he passed, and she seemed to have more conviction to accomplish this goal after his death. Mamma describes her dream saying, “been thinking that we maybe could meet the notes on a little old two-story somewhere, with a yard where Travis could play in the summertime” (933). Mama’...

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...uating the negative feelings throughout the home, and driving them further apart. Watching each character go through their own self-discovery, and lose their selfish agendas was the best ending I could have hoped for out of this play. The message of the play to me is to value one’s family over any worldly item. When material items were focused on, everyone was at odds with each other, and they refused to lose their selfish desires. When the money was lost, though, they still had each other. It did not matter in the end who lost it or why it was lost because it was not coming back no matter who was to blame. The family still had each other in the end, and that is really all that was ever needed.

Works Cited

Hansberry, Lorraine. “A Raisin in the Sun.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Kelly J. Mays. Portable 11th ed. New York: Norton, 2014. 920-994. Print.

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