Raisin in the Sun: Character Profile (Mama)
Camden Weir
A. Wells
Honors English II
November 10, 2013
1. Character Profile
A. What is your character's role in the family? Mama may not seem like it it, but she is a complex character. Her character develops and changes throughout the play. In the first scene, she comes off as a crusher of dreams by telling Ruth, "Well-whether they drinks it or not ain't none of my business. But whether I go into business selling it to 'em (is), and I don't want that on my ledger this late in life" (42). Mama tells this to Ruth after Ruth tries to convinces Mama of using the insurance check to let Walter open a liquor store. However, further on in the play, Mama gives Walter the opportunity to do whatever he wants to do with the money after she has put the down payment on the new house. Mama also acts as the glue that holds the family together. She never looks for her own benefit, like Walter, but for the gain of the family as a whole. When she buys the house in the all white community without asking how the rest of the family might feel may seem selfish, but she has actually done something that will benefit herself, Walter, Beneatha, Ruth, Travis, and even the new expecting baby. Mama is the member of the family that everyone else goes to for advice; even when they know that the advice won't be what they want to hear, they know she will give them the advice that's in their best interest. From the outward appearance and someone's first thought, people may not think Mama is very important; but the Younger family would not be able to cooperate and succeed without the role of Mama.
B. What does your character want? One thing Mama wants most for the family is a good and hopeful future. Mama’s plant represents both Mama’s care and her dream for her family. There is one time in the play when Mama states, "Lord if this little old plant don't get more sun than it's been getting it ain't never going to spring again" (40). Even when she confesses the plant's poor state of
A. Wells
Honors English II
November 10, 2013
1. Character Profile
A. What is your character's role in the family? Mama may not seem like it it, but she is a complex character. Her character develops and changes throughout the play. In the first scene, she comes off as a crusher of dreams by telling Ruth, "Well-whether they drinks it or not ain't none of my business. But whether I go into business selling it to 'em (is), and I don't want that on my ledger this late in life" (42). Mama tells this to Ruth after Ruth tries to convinces Mama of using the insurance check to let Walter open a liquor store. However, further on in the play, Mama gives Walter the opportunity to do whatever he wants to do with the money after she has put the down payment on the new house. Mama also acts as the glue that holds the family together. She never looks for her own benefit, like Walter, but for the gain of the family as a whole. When she buys the house in the all white community without asking how the rest of the family might feel may seem selfish, but she has actually done something that will benefit herself, Walter, Beneatha, Ruth, Travis, and even the new expecting baby. Mama is the member of the family that everyone else goes to for advice; even when they know that the advice won't be what they want to hear, they know she will give them the advice that's in their best interest. From the outward appearance and someone's first thought, people may not think Mama is very important; but the Younger family would not be able to cooperate and succeed without the role of Mama.
B. What does your character want? One thing Mama wants most for the family is a good and hopeful future. Mama’s plant represents both Mama’s care and her dream for her family. There is one time in the play when Mama states, "Lord if this little old plant don't get more sun than it's been getting it ain't never going to spring again" (40). Even when she confesses the plant's poor state of