A Raisin In The Sun Literary Analysis

In a Raisin in The Sun a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, emphasizes the importance of dreams regardless of the many obstacles and struggles in life. A dream to have a better life. Mrs. Younger, Walter Lee, and Beneatha have their own idea and dreams of what they consider to be a better life.

A Raisin in The Sun title comes from the poem “Harlem” also known as “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes. Hughes reflects on intense images of what happens when a dream becomes put off or lost. It dries, it rots, there is also frustration and sadness with the helplessness to bring a dream come true. The poem “Harlem “reflects exactly what the Raisin in the sun play is about. A play in which tells the story and experiences of the Younger’s family

in the Washington Park subdivision of Chicago’s Southside neighborhood. A family living with the struggle of poverty, struggling to maintain their dignity and holding on to the dreams of a better life. After the death of Mama Younger’s husband, she receives a 10,000 life insurance check. As most of us know if you compare that amount of money in 1959 to our present year 2016 that money would be worth 82,830. The Younger’s family see this check as an opportunity to find their way out and finally being able to accomplish their dreams but soon they began to realize that their dreams did not match. Mrs. Younger “Lena” wants a house. Walter wants to open his own business. Beneatha wants an education. This play is a great example on the relationship between character and conflict.
The Younger’s apartment is a major reflection of the problems the family faces. Five people living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment and two families sharing a single hallway bathroom in which they had to share with their neighbors. Having to wake up extremely early just to make sure you get to the bathroom before the neighbor does has to be very frustrating. In the beginning of act 1 we see how Ruth is trying to wake up her son Travis and her husband Walter to get them both into the bathroom before Mr. Johnson does. We see Ruth tell Walter “All right, you just go ahead and lay there and next thing you know Travis will be finished and Mr. Johnson will be in there and you’ll be fussing and cussing around here like a mad man and be late too” (P.981). In the way that Ruth carries herself, you can see that she is a strong, tired women and makes things happen around the house. She makes sure to wake up her son for school, Walter for work, makes breakfast every morning the same ritual on top of having to work. Travis does not have the opportunity to be able to go to bed early and in his own bed room. He has to sleep in the living room’s couch. When Ruth turns to Walter and tells him “It is not his fault that he cannot get to bed no earlier nights because he got a bunch of crazy good for nothing clowns sitting up running their mouths in what is supposed to be his bedroom after ten o’clock at night” (P.981). Travis having to stay up late because of people being in the living room until late has brought a lot of frustration between Ruth and Walter and maybe even affecting him at school. The building is run down and roach infested. “They have clearly had to accommodate the living of too many people for too many years, they are tired” (P.980). “A table or a chair has been moved to disguise the worn places in the carpet but the carpet has fought back by showing its weariness with depressing uniformity” (P.980). The carpet in the apartment symbolizes weariness and depression. Everything seemed to be worn out, used, sat on or scrubbed too often. “weariness has in fact won in this room” At one point in their life everything was new and bought with love and now after the many years and their living situation has made things look old (P.980). Having a small apartment and only one window, the Younger’s at one time or another must feel cramped.
Mama “Lena” is the head of the Younger family, after the death of her husband Big Walter. She would prefer if the family was run by a man but it seems like she is always waiting for her son to step up and take that role. Mama is used to suffering and poverty, she comes from a history of five generations of slaves and sharecroppers, she has experienced the loss of a baby and watched her husband kill himself from work. She is not perfect but has pride on who she is. Mama is the definition of strong, peaceful and the family’s strength. The plant was mentioned in the play several times, for example “Lord if this little old plant does not get more sun than it’s been getting, it isn’t never going to see Spring again” (P.993). Lena tries to nurture and bring the plant back to life, she does the same with her family. Even though the plant is dying, she has a tendency to tend to it every day in the hopes that she might bring it to life. Her dreams are for her family, to have a house in which they can all live a comfortable life and plans to invest the insurance money in her family. Beneatha often states “the insurance money belongs to Mama” (P.987). It is amusing how often it is mentioned that the money is mama’s and not anyone else’s to spend but mama never planned to spend it on herself. Mama never connects money to her identity and never connects money with life. For instance, when Walter states “Money is life” Mama’s response was “Once upon a time freedom used to be life-now its money. I guess the world really do change...” (P.1002). Mama Lena wants to use the money to buy a house, a house could be something that she can pass down to future generations. She tells Travis the house will be his when he’s a man. Mama Lena knows her family needs love, light and nurturing and having a house it’s just what they need.
Walter is a man with many dreams but no plans to make them happen. Walter is obsessed with his dreams to the point that he cannot think straight. Walter’s main dream in the play is to open up a liquor store and plans to use some of the insurance money to do so. He believes that everyone should see his way of thinking and is his way and no one else matters. He would rather get rich the fast way than to actually work hard and get it himself. Walter is very ambitious, selfish, childish and very irresponsible. He often seems really irritated on feeling like nobody is listening to him. At the beginning of the play it seems like all Walter is worried about is the check coming in the mail. He thinks the money will reconnect his relationship with his wife Ruth. The way in which he treats and verbally abuses his wife is disturbing. For instance, in act 1 scene one he tells her “first thing a man ought to learn in life is not to make love to no colored woman first thing in the morning” (P.982). He also tells her “So tired-moaning and groaning all the time, but you wouldn’t do nothing to help, would you? You couldn’t be on my side that long for nothing, could you?” (P.984) His behavior towards his wife is unacceptable. Walter is so frustrated with himself and feels like less of a man because he’s in his thirties and is not able to provide for his family. He gets upset at Ruth when he hears that she did not want to give Travis fifty cents for school. “What you tell the boy things like that for?” (P.983). and gives extra money he does not have to his son. It is a sign of pride, as a man he does not want his son to see his struggle. Walter believes money will solve all his problems and that using the insurance money to invest into a liquor store it’s just what he needs to make his problems go away. As you can see from the play Walter is not good with money, he was so blind with his vision on the money that he failed to realize that he was being used. When Mama gave him the money instead of actually going to the bank and following his mother’s directions. He ended up giving his money to Willy and lost everything. After losing all the money that was left and letting his family down because of his own selfishness you would think that it would make him change and grow from it but it was not like that. When Mr. Lindner offers them money instead of moving into the Clybourne Park neighborhood he first likes the idea of getting the money but in the end he was able to stand up to Mr. Lindner and refuse his offer. Walter’s comment that the family won’t “fight no causes” (P.1032). It probable meant that Walter was trying to reassure him that they will be good neighbors to the white people of Clybourne Park and also letting him know that they have the right to be neighbors to those white people. Standing up for his family and Mama’s dream of getting her house might have been a sign of Walter finally becoming the man his mother wanted him to be along.
Beneatha is the more educated women in her family.

She constantly talks about her dream of going to college to be a doctor. Beneatha is at an age where she does not think about her family’s needs and how hard her mother works just to put her through school. It seems like she does not know the value of money and don’t ever stop to think on how her decisions affect her family. for instance, when she got home and told Mama she had decided to start taking guitar lessons (P.991) now we all know those lessons were not going to come for free. She shows signs of being selfish but also seems like she is trying to find her identity. Maybe her attitude is because she feels like she has to prove herself as a woman to her own family. Walter tells Beneatha “Who the hell told you, you have to be a doctor? If you so crazy bout messing around with sick people, then go be a nurse like other women or just get married and be quiet” (P.986-987). Beneatha responds back to Walter “Forgive me for wanting to be anything at all” (P.986-987). The fact that she must feel like she has to prove her brother wrong. She also gives the impression like she tries to not let his words hurt her. Beneatha also tends to believe that her intelligence gives her the power to act as if “traditional” tasks, like getting married or having religious beliefs are beneath her. She displays her opinion on God “Mama, you don’t understand. It’s all a matter of ideas, and God is just one idea I don’t accept,” I do not think she realized how offensive that was for her mother. Mama reacting full of anger made her repeat the words “In my mother’s house there is still God” (.992-993). Although she has two men in her life Asagai and George she is not interested on being in a relationship she states in the play “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”

(P.995).
After all the drama, crying, screaming the Younger’s are the real definition of a family.