A Raisin In The Sun Beneatha Younger Character Traits

The 1950s was a time of ongoing struggle against racism and segregation. An African American woman during these times faced many obstacles, and it was increasingly difficult to pursue her dreams. Lorraine Hansberry’s drama, A Raisin in the Sun, focuses on the conflicts that the Younger family face due to a $10,000 insurance check that has the potential to improve their lives immensely. For Beneatha Younger, this check is the key to moving forward and achieving her dream of becoming a doctor. Beneatha, being a confident and independent young woman, denies all aspects of “assimilationism” and insists on pursuing a professional or white-collar career. However, she is so focused on accomplishing this dream, she does not realize her self-centered and arrogant attitude.Through many valuable interactions with characters such as Asagai and Walter, Beneatha comes to realize she must value the success of the family over her own dreams. At the start of the play, Beneatha’s only focus is on becoming a doctor. Correspondingly, the only dream important to her is her own; she makes no attempt to support the family. This
It’s at this time that Beneatha’s character reaches a pivotal point; one at which her mindset begins to change. In Act 3 scene 1, Beneatha explains to Asagai, “It used to matter. I used to care…” When Asagai inquires if she has indeed stopped caring she replies, “Because it doesn’t seem deep enough, close enough to what ails mankind.” Although she still has a chance of becoming a doctor, she doesn’t believe it will satisfy her anymore. Because Walter single-handedly took away the family’s greatest opportunity, she decides that a doctor is not what is needed to repair the damage done to the world. Through losing the family’s dream, Walter forces Beneatha to see her personal dream as a future for her