A Raisin In The Sun Essay
A Raisin In The Sun In this play, A Raisin In The Sun, the Author Lorraine Hansberry shows how dreams are being chased, how important money could be, and how the race could make a difference. Everybody may have their own dream, different point of view on money, and may be a different race, but all those terms can be relatable. This Chicago family has experienced it all throughout this play. In the play A Raisin In the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, the characters all had their own dreams that were related to money and race. This play takes place in the Southside of Chicago in the 1950s, there is an African-American family is going through many struggles that is related to a check that contains ten thousand dollars. Lena Younger, the mom
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of Walter and Beneatha, is receiving a check from the insurance company for her husband’s death. She has her own idea of how she would like to spend the money, but her children also needed the money for something they are wanting to do. The family has went through many arguments deciding where the money should be spend on. Everybody has their own idea on where the money should be used on, and how the money could help them to achieve their dreams. Three main ideas that ran throughout the story are dreams, money, and race. Everybody can have a dream, but not everybody will able to achieve their dream. In the Younger’s family, Lena, Walter, and Beneatha all had their own dream that they are desire to chase. Lena’s dream is to have her own house instead of living in a small apartment. Walter’s dream is to be rich from his liquor store, and live like the rich white people that he works for. Beneatha’s dream is to become a doctor and save her race from ignorance. The family faces diversity due to everybody having different dreams, but everybody is chasing an american dream.
Lena wants to have her own house so that they can get away from the ghetto, and own a house that her grandson Travis will have a yard to play in, and she could have her own garden. In this play, Lena values her plant very much because it symbolizes the hope for the family. In the middle of the play, Lena announces to the family that she has put a down payment on a house that is in Clybourne Park which is in a white-neighborhood (Hansberry). Lena has made her decision and achieved her dream of owning a house.
Walter wants to invest in business especially the liquor store that his friends has talked him into. He want to be rich, so that he does not have to be a chauffeur anymore for the white people. “I got me a dream” (Hansberry). Walter tells his wife that he has a dream, he wants to invest in a liquor store with his two friends, he wants his family to understand his dream and supports him, and he wants to be rich and make a better living for his family.
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Beneatha has her mindset on her future of being a doctor. “I am going to be a doctor and everybody around here better understand that” (Hansberry). Beneatha wants everybody to know that she will be a doctor, and that was her dream. She wants to become a doctor and help her race. Even with her brother disagreeing with her dream, Beneatha is very clear of her dream, and very confident in achieving it. Lena, Walter, and Beneatha is very precise of the dream that they are urging to achieve. According to Public Agenda, “Achieving the Dream is mainly something people do for themselves.” In this play A Raisin In The Sun the characters are chasing the dream that they are willing to achieve for themselves. Not everybody in the play pursue their dream in the story, but they presents how they are willing to try. “Money may make the world go around, as the song says. And most people in the world probably have handled money, many of them on a daily basis” (Back to Basics). This quote describes the Younger family very well because money became a big issue when everybody needed the money to help do what they wanted to do, but they only have ten thousand dollars to spend. Walter wants to use the money to invest in his liquor with his friends. Beneatha wanted the money to pay for medical school. Lena wanted the money to put down payment on a house. Everybody wanted the money to do what they wanted to do, but how to spend the money became a big
issue. Towards the beginning of the story, mama said to Ruth, “Now don’t you start, child. It’s too early in the morning to be talking about money.” Ruth is now concern about the money because she felt like something has come between her and her husband, and money is all he has been caring about. Walter wants Ruth to supports his decision. Now the whole family has been concern about the money.
The money was for Lena because her husband’s death, so she is the one that can actually spend it how she would like to. “Been thinking that we maybe could meet the notes on a little old two story somewhere” (Hansberry). Lena thinks that putting the down payment on a house could be where she used part of the money on. However, Walter was not so happy with Lena’s decision, and being the mother of Walter, Lena felt bad for her son, so Lena gave the rest sixty-five hundred to Walter and asking him to put half of the money up for Beneatha medical school and he can spend the rest how he wants. She puts the faith in him that he was going to do what she said but he ended up taking all the money and using it to invest in the liquor store with his two friends, Bobo and Willy.
Not long after Walter used the money for the liquor store, Walter’s friend Bobo visited, bringing the news that Willy, has taken Bobo’s and Walter’s money and left town instead of using it to purchase the liquor store. Walter sadly informs his family that all sixty-five hundred dollars are lost, including the money that Walter was supposed to set aside for Beneatha’s schooling. Walter learned his tough lesson after losing sixty-five hundred. The family still made it through and still decide to move into their new house even after losing the sixty-hundred dollars. Money can buy a lot of things, but there is also a lot of things that money cannot buy, like their family’s relationship. The family went through a tough process with the ten thousands dollars. Should race separate and determines where someone will or will not be able to live? In this play, this African-American family has been through a hard time with moving into a white neighborhood. The Younger family was offered a deal to not move in their new home in Clybourne Park because it is an all-white neighborhood. Mr. Lindner is a representative of the homeowner’s association from the Clybourne Park, he came to convince the Younger’s family not to move in the neighborhood According to American Prospect, “The best way to understand racism is an ideology governing the relationship between the white majority and various minority groups.” The Younger’s family is experiencing racism after buying the house in the white-neighborhood that they were not welcomed in. Mr. Lindner tried to bribe the Younger’s family by offering them a deal to buy their house back, but Walter was angry and rushed Mr. Lindner out the door.
Walter rushed Lindner out the door the very first time he came, then he changed his mind he then called Lindner back over thinking about not moving in, but it all has changed around when Walter feel like he should step up like a man. “We have decided to move into our house” (Hansberry). Walter told Mr. Lindner that they are moving to their new house. Mr. Linder was not so happy with their decision but there is nothing else he could do. They denied the deal that was offered by Mr. Lindner, and the family decided to move into their new house. The family did not let race stop them from doing what they want to do, they want to show others that just because they are not white does not mean they cannot live in Clyblurne Park.
One other thing that came across race in this play in the middle of the play Beneatha did something different with her hair after being inspired by a good friend of her Asagai. . “Nothing, except cut it off” (Hansberry). Beneatha decides to cut her hair off to appreciate her own heritage. Beneatha did this because she feels like she should be proud of her race, she wants to know more about her race, and whatever else comes with it. One should never be ashamed of their own race, instead, they should be proud of it. Beneatha’s action shows how much she appreciated her own race.
The race was mentioned many times throughout the story, of how the blacks are being treated different. During this time in the 1950s the blacks were no longer separated by the law, but they were still experiencing racism by the whites. After facing the racial issues the Younger’s family still overcome it, and moved into a white-neighborhood even though they are not welcomed by the neighborhood. Racism will never stop if one race keep separating from another, the world will not get any better with racism existing everywhere.
Dream, money, and race are the main ideas that ran throughout the play. In this play many aspect has happened, dreams are hard to achieve. Money can buy a lot of things, but will not help to achieve everything. The Younger’s family bond has overcome their hardship after losing the money. Don’t let race determine what someone should be doing, or living. Though there will always be hardships, but by working together as a family anything could be possible. Younger’s family did not let race stop them from moving into the white-neighborhood. This world will only change for the better if everybody will accepts all people instead of separate one race from another.
of Walter and Beneatha, is receiving a check from the insurance company for her husband’s death. She has her own idea of how she would like to spend the money, but her children also needed the money for something they are wanting to do. The family has went through many arguments deciding where the money should be spend on. Everybody has their own idea on where the money should be used on, and how the money could help them to achieve their dreams. Three main ideas that ran throughout the story are dreams, money, and race. Everybody can have a dream, but not everybody will able to achieve their dream. In the Younger’s family, Lena, Walter, and Beneatha all had their own dream that they are desire to chase. Lena’s dream is to have her own house instead of living in a small apartment. Walter’s dream is to be rich from his liquor store, and live like the rich white people that he works for. Beneatha’s dream is to become a doctor and save her race from ignorance. The family faces diversity due to everybody having different dreams, but everybody is chasing an american dream.
Lena wants to have her own house so that they can get away from the ghetto, and own a house that her grandson Travis will have a yard to play in, and she could have her own garden. In this play, Lena values her plant very much because it symbolizes the hope for the family. In the middle of the play, Lena announces to the family that she has put a down payment on a house that is in Clybourne Park which is in a white-neighborhood (Hansberry). Lena has made her decision and achieved her dream of owning a house.
Walter wants to invest in business especially the liquor store that his friends has talked him into. He want to be rich, so that he does not have to be a chauffeur anymore for the white people. “I got me a dream” (Hansberry). Walter tells his wife that he has a dream, he wants to invest in a liquor store with his two friends, he wants his family to understand his dream and supports him, and he wants to be rich and make a better living for his family.
.
Beneatha has her mindset on her future of being a doctor. “I am going to be a doctor and everybody around here better understand that” (Hansberry). Beneatha wants everybody to know that she will be a doctor, and that was her dream. She wants to become a doctor and help her race. Even with her brother disagreeing with her dream, Beneatha is very clear of her dream, and very confident in achieving it. Lena, Walter, and Beneatha is very precise of the dream that they are urging to achieve. According to Public Agenda, “Achieving the Dream is mainly something people do for themselves.” In this play A Raisin In The Sun the characters are chasing the dream that they are willing to achieve for themselves. Not everybody in the play pursue their dream in the story, but they presents how they are willing to try. “Money may make the world go around, as the song says. And most people in the world probably have handled money, many of them on a daily basis” (Back to Basics). This quote describes the Younger family very well because money became a big issue when everybody needed the money to help do what they wanted to do, but they only have ten thousand dollars to spend. Walter wants to use the money to invest in his liquor with his friends. Beneatha wanted the money to pay for medical school. Lena wanted the money to put down payment on a house. Everybody wanted the money to do what they wanted to do, but how to spend the money became a big
issue. Towards the beginning of the story, mama said to Ruth, “Now don’t you start, child. It’s too early in the morning to be talking about money.” Ruth is now concern about the money because she felt like something has come between her and her husband, and money is all he has been caring about. Walter wants Ruth to supports his decision. Now the whole family has been concern about the money.
The money was for Lena because her husband’s death, so she is the one that can actually spend it how she would like to. “Been thinking that we maybe could meet the notes on a little old two story somewhere” (Hansberry). Lena thinks that putting the down payment on a house could be where she used part of the money on. However, Walter was not so happy with Lena’s decision, and being the mother of Walter, Lena felt bad for her son, so Lena gave the rest sixty-five hundred to Walter and asking him to put half of the money up for Beneatha medical school and he can spend the rest how he wants. She puts the faith in him that he was going to do what she said but he ended up taking all the money and using it to invest in the liquor store with his two friends, Bobo and Willy.
Not long after Walter used the money for the liquor store, Walter’s friend Bobo visited, bringing the news that Willy, has taken Bobo’s and Walter’s money and left town instead of using it to purchase the liquor store. Walter sadly informs his family that all sixty-five hundred dollars are lost, including the money that Walter was supposed to set aside for Beneatha’s schooling. Walter learned his tough lesson after losing sixty-five hundred. The family still made it through and still decide to move into their new house even after losing the sixty-hundred dollars. Money can buy a lot of things, but there is also a lot of things that money cannot buy, like their family’s relationship. The family went through a tough process with the ten thousands dollars. Should race separate and determines where someone will or will not be able to live? In this play, this African-American family has been through a hard time with moving into a white neighborhood. The Younger family was offered a deal to not move in their new home in Clybourne Park because it is an all-white neighborhood. Mr. Lindner is a representative of the homeowner’s association from the Clybourne Park, he came to convince the Younger’s family not to move in the neighborhood According to American Prospect, “The best way to understand racism is an ideology governing the relationship between the white majority and various minority groups.” The Younger’s family is experiencing racism after buying the house in the white-neighborhood that they were not welcomed in. Mr. Lindner tried to bribe the Younger’s family by offering them a deal to buy their house back, but Walter was angry and rushed Mr. Lindner out the door.
Walter rushed Lindner out the door the very first time he came, then he changed his mind he then called Lindner back over thinking about not moving in, but it all has changed around when Walter feel like he should step up like a man. “We have decided to move into our house” (Hansberry). Walter told Mr. Lindner that they are moving to their new house. Mr. Linder was not so happy with their decision but there is nothing else he could do. They denied the deal that was offered by Mr. Lindner, and the family decided to move into their new house. The family did not let race stop them from doing what they want to do, they want to show others that just because they are not white does not mean they cannot live in Clyblurne Park.
One other thing that came across race in this play in the middle of the play Beneatha did something different with her hair after being inspired by a good friend of her Asagai. . “Nothing, except cut it off” (Hansberry). Beneatha decides to cut her hair off to appreciate her own heritage. Beneatha did this because she feels like she should be proud of her race, she wants to know more about her race, and whatever else comes with it. One should never be ashamed of their own race, instead, they should be proud of it. Beneatha’s action shows how much she appreciated her own race.
The race was mentioned many times throughout the story, of how the blacks are being treated different. During this time in the 1950s the blacks were no longer separated by the law, but they were still experiencing racism by the whites. After facing the racial issues the Younger’s family still overcome it, and moved into a white-neighborhood even though they are not welcomed by the neighborhood. Racism will never stop if one race keep separating from another, the world will not get any better with racism existing everywhere.
Dream, money, and race are the main ideas that ran throughout the play. In this play many aspect has happened, dreams are hard to achieve. Money can buy a lot of things, but will not help to achieve everything. The Younger’s family bond has overcome their hardship after losing the money. Don’t let race determine what someone should be doing, or living. Though there will always be hardships, but by working together as a family anything could be possible. Younger’s family did not let race stop them from moving into the white-neighborhood. This world will only change for the better if everybody will accepts all people instead of separate one race from another.