A Raisin In The Sun Minor Character Essay

A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, is a dramatic play set in Southside Chicago during the 1950s. The Youngers are a struggling family in the slums of Chicago. A Raisin in the Sun has many characters in it, but most of the characters are in the Younger family. The plot of the book focuses on four main characters: Beneatha, Walter, Lena, and Ruth. These characters create the major conflict in the story, while the minor characters simply push the story forward. In A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry lets minor characters develop the play by using Mrs. Johnson as a plot device, Travis to develop Walter’s character, and Mr. Lindner to unite the Younger family. In A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry lets minor characters develop the play by using Mrs. Johnson as a plot device. Mrs. Johnson is used to give the Youngers critical information about what is happening in Clybourne Park. Although she does give some comic relief, that is not her main purpose in this play. Mrs. Johnson tries to get the
Walter was set on selling the house until Travis was around. Walter wanted his son to be prideful and successful, and he realized that by selling the house he would be doing the opposite. Walter told Mr. Lindner “This is my son, and he makes the sixth generation our family in this country....And we have decided to move into our house…” (148), which shows that he understood the impact he had on how Travis thought. Walter was starting to become a more developed character, but in order to become more developed, Travis needed to be there. Travis made Walter start to think of others instead of himself. Instead of being focused on how the situation affected him, he took into consideration how it would influence the rest of the family. Travis developed Walter’s character by changing him from being self-centered to being considerate of other