A Raisin In The Sun

"A Raisin in the Sun" was the only play written by Lorraine Hansberry. (A Raisin in the Sun and Other Improbabilities) It was a part of the curriculum during my freshman year of high school. Things that were tested and considered important and what we needed to know was the plot and a general moral of the story. By reading it again in college, I began to look into the characters a little more in depth and have a better understanding of why things happen the way they do, and what the true point of the play is. Hansberry creates very vivid images of her characters. Each character; Mama (Lena), Ruth, Beneatha, and Walter, plays a specific role in the plot of the story because of the traits they display. The story depicts a black family moving into a white neighborhood. The moral of the story is that you cannot move forward if you don't acknowledge the past. Hansberry, according to Karen Burke, the director of Literacy for Chicago public schools, "The author was a native Chicagoan who wrote very clearly and rigidly about the city's history regarding restrictive housing for African Americans," (Chicago Celebrates A Native Daughter's Drama)

This family is a Matriarchial family, and Mama (Lena) is the head of it. Mama is a woman in her sixties who is considered to be full bodied, but strong. Hannsberry describes her "She is, in a word, a beautiful woman." She is not beautiful in the sense of a typical young beautiful girl, but her experience behind her life makes her beautiful. Another way Mama shows beauty is when she tells Beneatha, "You love people when they hurt you." On page 6 it refers to her having a "face full of strength." I picture her to be a strong woman who can do anything as long as she has the mind set to do it. She shows compassion for life, and knows how to handle herself when she has been hurt or let down.

The three main women in this text represent moments in time. Mama represents the past. She represents all that her family has accomplished and gone through during the years. Mama has a small dream. She dreams of owning a house with a yard so she can garden. Despite her childrens' flaws, she does not put them down. Beneatha and Walter often get in the way of her dream, and do not realize all that she has gone through just to be able to support the family now.

Walter is Mama's son. He has no real big dreams, and is looking for a way to make big money fast, such as opening a liquor store. Those dreams never seem to work out for him. He takes for granted the money that came from his father's life insurance, and does not realize that the money is his own father's flesh and blood. In order for Walter to realize this, it takes him to lose his fathers' money. All he sees is dollar signs, nothing else matters. Walter tries to step on those below him to get ahead in life. Often, love is confused with money. This is shown by the way he treats Ruth, and wants to buy her pearls, even though she could care less for them. He is deeply flawed but at the same time, you can admire him for wanting to provide the best way he can. His dreams, if any, are centered around his son.

Walter sees and hears all the stories about white people. He wants to live a life like them. He hates the idea that he is a chauffer and he wants to be a rich white business man. He does not really understand white people, but we know he hates the idea of serving. He forgets the past, and all the things people of color have done. He desperately wants to be the head of the household. Walter does not like that his mother and his wife have to go out and work. The man is supposed to be the head of the household, and he has a lot of trouble with this. This takes away from his masculinity, and does not help his self esteem. He defines himself as someone he is not.

Mama puts Walter in charge of the money. She is trying to make Walter feel like he is the "man of the house," and is now the one in charge. This gives him sole responsibility of the family's future.Walter imagines himself in a place of power, even though Mama always had it. He is desperate to believe in something, even though it is fake. Mama has to teach Walter a lesson.

Ruth is Walter's wife. She represents the present. She has the same dreams that Mama has. Ruth too, wants a house with a backyard. A settled woman is someone who looks as if she has aged. This is how Ruth is described. However, she is merely thirty years old. Out of all the characters, Ruth is the realistic one. She keeps everything down to earth. She values food on the table and her family, not pearls and nice belongings like Walter thinks she should have. Ruth tries to provide for Walter in the best way possible. She shows support in everything Walter does, even if it is out of line. Usually, Ruth suppresses

her voice and is not really heard by her husband. He has no idea what she really wants. What he really needs to do for her is to be nice to her, and even hold her hand once in a while.

Beneatha is Mama's other child. She is educated and often rubs it in her family's faces when she speaks to them, especially Walter. The future is represented