Analysis On Rasin In The Sun

An analysis on A Raisin in the Sun

In Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun, there are many important lines that add depth and emotion to the play's plot. Through them, the audience learns about the characters in the play and understands what they are going through.

In Act I, scene ii, Mama asks Walter,

"[Walter] can't you give people a Christian greeting before you start talking about money?" (70).

Right as Walter walks into the apartment, he immediately asks Mama if the insurance check came. He does not even say hello, he is so consumed by the thought of money. This passage characterizes Walter as a man whose priorities are focused on money. He thinks that the quality of life and success is defined by how much wealth someone has. This passage is significant because it shows how Walter is obsessed with money. This is important to the play because it is the audience's first opportunity to see Walter's priorities. They see how Walter wants a lot of money for himself so that he can be successful.

In the second scene of Act II, as Walter tucks Travis into bed, he tells Travis how he thinks the future will be, "One day ... I'll pull the car up on the driveway .... And I'll go inside and Ruth will come downstairs and meet me at the door and we'll kiss each other ... we'll go up to your room to see you sitting on the floor with the catalogues of all the great schools in America around you. . . . and I'll say, all right son .... Just tell me, what it is you want to be--and you'll be it. . . . You just name it, son . . . and I hand you the world!" (108-109).

When Mama entrusts him with sixty five hundred dollars, Walter is so happy that when he sees Travis, he sits him down and talks to him about their future. This