The Younger Family In A Raisin In The Sun (2023)

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“A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, is a play about a black families experience in 1950s South Side Chicago. The story revolves around what happens to the family when Lena Younger, the matriarch of the family, receives a ten thousand dollar life insurance check upon the death of her husband. Everyone from the family has different plans for what they want to do with the money. Lena Younger serves as the head of the family. She is Walter and Beneatha’s caring mother so they and Ruth call her Mama.

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We couldn’t have gone on like we was today we was going backwards instead of forwards- talking ‘bout killing babies and wishing each other was dead… When it gets like that in life- you just got to do something different, push on out and do something bigger…” Mama is the one who keeps the family together by doing something different when times are tough. Mama influences the plot in a positive way and tells everyone how it is to make them understand why she does what she does and what’s going on in their family. Lena Younger in one of the most positively influential characters in the book.

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The play, “ A Raisin in the Sun” authored by Lourraine Hasenberry holds a very unique title that refers to Langston Hughes’s poem “A Dream Deferred.” Langston’s poem is about dreams and what happens to those dreams are not fulfilled. Hassenberry wrote her play about a poor African American family by the name of the Yongers. Mrs. Younger, Walter Lee, and Beneatha all have there own individual dreams. , But are consistently being differed.

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People have dreams to do or be what makes them happy by setting goals to reach their dream. Dreams are almost like goals that people create in their mind to try to motivate them self to achieve their dream. The American Dream is the idea that everyone who is a U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to be successful and benefit through their hard-work, determination, and initiative. In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Beneatha Younger’s dream is to become a doctor and build a career/life for herself without anyone providing for her which connects to the American Dream through her independence, hard-work, and determination.

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Back in the 1950s, women would be a stay at home mom and take care of the house and kids. However, Beneatha does not want to fit this stereotype. She tells Ruth and Lena that "[she is] not even worried about who [she is] going to marry yet. If—[she] ever gets married" (Hansberry 75). Beneatha gets shamed for not wanting to marry before her schooling. Lena and Ruth laugh at her, and are confused on why she does not want to marry George right away. George thinks it is stupid to not get married right now and wants Beneatha to be like everyone else. Sharon Brubaker notes that Beneatha's version of the American dream is "solitary, less traditional, and not as concerned with family." Beneatha does not want to be "white" or "normal" in her life. Sally Burke says that "Beneatha refuses to accept the subservient position often seen as 'natural' for women" (95).

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Beneatha is a young independent woman, who has big dreams of becoming a doctor. During the 1950, it was very rare for a young woman to become a doctor. As a result, becoming a doctor was even harder for a young black woman, like Beneatha. She is constantly told that women should just sit and look pretty. Constantly being put down by George Murchison a man that neglects his roots, “I don’t go out with you to discuss the nature of “quiet desperation”or to hear all about your thoughts...”(Hansberry 96 ). Beneatha is often confronted by Asagi, about how she is assimilating to an oppressive culture. Asagi tells her to stop trying to fit in, to be proud of her African roots, to embrace them, “White-black in this you are all the same.” (Hansberry 64) Beneatha desires to be different from those in her generation. Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor, is often affected by some of her family members’ decisions. She begins to lose hope, thus enabling her to become a realist.

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Ruth Younger is constantly worrying about her family’s well being and happiness for them. Ruth states to Mama, “You know what you should do, Miss Lena? You should take yourself a trip somewhere. To Europe or South America or someplace—(…). I’m serious. Just pack up and leave!

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In Act 1, Beneatha’s quest to find her personal identity is seen in the way she expresses herself, her ambitions, her roots and the way she deviates from what is acceptable in her family. She tries to find ways to express herself such as trying different hobbies. In the past, Beneatha has been a part of a play-acting group, horseback-riding club, and in Act 1 starts guitar lessons (47). She also has the ambition to become a doctor which is looked down upon by her brother, Walter Lee (38). Additionally, her African roots are important to her search for identity. This character trait is seen when Asagai mentions how he met Beneatha. She tells him she wants to know more about Africa because she is looking for her identity (62). Beneatha’s effort to make herself different from her family shows her personal identity. She has different views from her family. For example, she does not accept the existence of God (51). Beneatha’s quest to find her identity is a prominent theme throughout Act

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First, Walter one children of mama younger. Walter older than his sister Beneatha is married to Ruth and they have a son together named Travis. The main problem Walter deals with in the play is mamas inheritance money from Big Walter ( Their father and Mamas late husband ). Walter wants all the money for himself to open up a liquor store with his friends Bobo and Willy Harris. While mama a devoted christian does not want anything to do with thinking it won’t get her in the pearly gates of Heaven. This causes a lot of arguing in the house Walter saying to mama “ You just don’t understand, Mama, you just don’t understand “ (Page 74) In one of their heated arguments. Eventually Mama caves in giving him Money

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Throughout the 1950s, people of color have struggled with achieving their dreams due to the lack of equality that is portrayed in that specific time era. It has been a constant battle for equality for all races and genders over the course of time. In Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin In the Sun the character Beneatha struggles with her racial inequality, education, and gender stereotyping. These specific struggles are the blocks she deals with trying to achieve her dream.

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Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun presents the rise of feminism in America in the 1960s. Beneatha Younger, Lena Younger (Mama) and Ruth Younger are the three primary characters displaying evidences of feminism in the play. Moreover, Hansberry creates male characters who demonstrate oppressive attitudes towards women yet enhance the feministic ideology in the play. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, with the feminist notions displayed in the play, women can fulfil their individual dreams that are not in sync with traditional conventions of that time.

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The author, Lorraine Hansberry, was the first playwright of the century to express real social issues. There are three female characters in the play, each one is faced with a different struggle for their freedom. All three of these women, Lena, Ruth, and Beneatha all dreamed of something more in their future. They did not want the life that every female was supposed to have, they wanted to be different. Beneatha has high aspirations in life and is the character that most expresses her struggles with feminism. She defies the ideal life for a woman and expresses her opinion loud and clear. Beneatha throughout the play finds herself and her African American roots. Walter does not approve of Beneatha’s hopes to become a doctor he tells her, “If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people---then go be a nurse like other women---or just get married and be quiet. . .” (1.1.125) These social issues that the characters faced in their lives made them out to be the people that they were meant to be. It was harder for the Young family to do simple things, but they overcome their obstacles and stayed true to themselves throughout the

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Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun presents the rise of feminism in America in the 1960s. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, with the feminist notions displayed in the play, women establish their rights to fulfil their individual dreams which diverge from traditional conventions of that time. Beneatha Younger, Lena Younger (Mama) and Ruth Younger are the three primary characters displaying evidences of feminism in the play. Moreover, Hansberry creates male characters who demonstrate oppressive attitudes towards women yet enhance the feminist ideology in the play.

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Meanwhile in southside Chicago dreams are either being crushed or pursued. The Youngers family are always facing society as they live in poverty. A family with such big dreams believes the only way for these dreams to come true is money. Mama received her husband's life insurance which was 10,000 dollars. Trusting Walter, her son, she mistakenly gave him the money. Mama specifically told Walter to put away some money away for Beneatha Walter's sister. Like Walter Beneatha has big dreams. She wants to go to medical school

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Beneatha also faced a hardship in her life, but herr 's was different from the rest. She face problems with education. Her family did not fully support her decision of wanting to become a doctor. Beneatha wants to become a doctor but her family is not that wealthy. They do all put in work to pay for her schooling though. School was difficult for black students as they were not always accepted in all schools. “In September 1957 Arkansas Democratic Governor Orval E. Faubus became the national symbol of racial segregation when he used Arkansas National Guardsmen to block the enrollment of nine black students who had been ordered by a federal judge to desegregate Little Rock 's Central High School¨(Faubus). The Whites were definitely trying to keep the blacks from getting the proper education to be successful this is why her family is sceptical about her become a doctor. The family is somewhat supportive of Beneatha’s dream in the sense that they pay for her schooling. Beneatha doesn 't really believe them though, she thinks that they are against her she says “Forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all” (Hansberry.37). She is saying that no one else in her family is ever going to be anything. She believe that she is the only one that is going to be successful. The rest of her family just has a low paying job and they don 't really make anything of them self. The real truth is that her family is working hard to put her through school so that she can make