Preview

Who Is To Be Raised In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
618 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Who Is To Be Raised In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
The play A Raisin in the Sun By Lorraine Hansberry, Mama and Walter Lee argue a lot, mostly about money and how the family should be raised and who should lead the family. For example, In the play Mama and Walter Lee argue mostly about the life insurance money, Walters dad's insurance money to be exact. Walter Lee dreams of owning a business, but his first chance of owning a business is lost (Hansberry 32). He wants to own part of a liquor store, but, Mama disagrees with this choice, saying “...And there ain’t going to be no investing in no liquor stores" (70). Walter constantly begs Mama to give him the insurance money, but, she always refuses.She says things like “...whether they drinks it or not ain’t none of my business. But whether I

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    It is known that children laugh more than adults. Why is that? They do not have a car to drive, money to spend, or people to see. However, what they do have is family to spend time with and follow. In addition, director Daniel Petrie portrayals the theme of it doesn’t matter how much money you have, if you don’t have the support of your own family you won’t be happy in the 1961 version of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun better than Kenny Leon in his 2008’s version.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Walter Younger’s desires are complex and it gets to a point where his desires become a threat to him. “I want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy…” (Hansberry 73). Walter apprises Mama this after he feels ignored when he attempts to explain the plan he has to open a liquor store with his friends, Willy and Bobo. Walter is beginning to understand how his dream deferred is affecting him. Walter not being able to achieve this goal not only affects him but it affects the ones around him as he changes the mood of the family when he has his temper tantrums when he doesn’t get it his…

    • 114 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of the story Walter was trying to pressure his mother into giving him all the money she received from his father’s life insurance policy. “Do you know what this money can do for us Mama -Mama I want so many…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At first, all Walter seems to care about is owning a liquor store with his two friends, Willy and Bobo. For example, one way he is trying to attempt his goal is by using Big Walter’s insurance money. He thinks that this is a good idea because it is an opportunity for him to make contributions for his family. In addition, Mama helps him out when she gives him $3500 to invest in a liquor store even…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Rasin in the Sun Cqa

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorrain Hansberry Walter experiences frustration throughout act one. The family lives in a small apartment with just two bedrooms. Mama and Beneatha share a room and the other one is for Ruth and Walter. Travis, the son sleeps on the couch everyday in the living room. Walter, the man of the house, works as a chauffer everyday making little money. However, opportunities arise with the insurance money that the family will receive from the death of Walter’s father. Unhappy with his job, Walter wants to be rich and devises a plan to acquire wealth with his friends to invest his father’s insurance money in a new liquor store venture. Nevertheless, the family believes in buying a new house to have a better life instead of risking it all on a risky venture. Walter demonstrates the trait of frustration throughout the Scene. At the breakfast table, Ruth does not agree with Walter’s Liquor store plan, thus Walter becomes frustrated and says “That is just what is wrong with the colored woman in this world… Don’t understand about building their men up and making’em feel like they somebody like they can do something” (34). The Liquor store to Walter is an opportunity that leads to a great provider for the family. Working as a chauffer for a rich white man has made Walter totally dissatisfied. There's no room for advancement as an African American. Thus Liquor store is the only hope for Walter to become rich and successful. In order to invest the money Walter needs support from his family, which he is not receiving according to the context. In Walter’s perspective Ruth is shutting him down with negativities and unreliability. Next, Mama comes and talks about how to spend the money. Mama wants a new house and she does not believe in investing in the liquor store. Walter comes in shortly after the check arrives and tires to convince Mama otherwise. However, Mama will not listen, which frustrated…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mama goes out and buys house using thirty-five hundred of the ten thousands dollars. She then gives the rest of the money to Walter and tells him to put aside "three thousand dollars…for Beneatha's medical schooling."(pg 1808) And she told Walter to put the money in a checking account with his name on it, and every penny is for him to spend as he see fit. Mama tells Walter "It ain't much, but it is all I got in this world and I'm putting it in your hands." (pg.…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Albert Einstein once said “Try not to become a man of success rather try to become a man of value.” A Raisin In the Sun was written by Lorraine Hansberry in nineteen fifty nine.The play explores the struggles of an African American family to achieve their dreams. In the play Walter Lee Younger Jr. the son of Mama(Lena) evolves throughout the trials and tribulations the family faces in the play.…

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mama then suggested to Walter, he should talk to Ruth again. He automatically gets defensive, “WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE LISTEN TO ME TODAY!” (39). Once again proving my point of him not, yet becoming a “real man”. No one should ever yell at their parents. He is 35 years old still yelling and arguing with his parents. By him yelling at his mom, this is representing how he is…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is realistic fiction in which the play's title and characters represent the play's themes. The play focused on black Americans struggles to reach the American Dream of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness during the 1950’s and 1960’s. the idea of everyone having a the chance to achieve a better life should exist. Hansberry created her title using a line from Langston Hughes poem “ A Dream Deferred”. The original poem was written in 1951 about Harlem. Hughes line from the poem claimed that when dreams are deferred they become broken. This meant that they are lost/hopeless. Hughes poem further suggested that when dreams and goals are denied to be pursued people forget about them and put them off.…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Big Walter Masculinity

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Mama says that big Walter “worked himself to death” just so he can support his family. Walter has troubles supporting his family because he is trying to be the best man in his eyes which is hurting the family. Walter wants to be a rich successful man and can give whatever his family wants. Walter sets his mind on his liquor store and he will do whatever it takes for it. Walter wants to have this liquor really bad that the money Mama gave him and spent it all on his store and didn’t even get the store.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    They strive for more than they have because they know they deserve it and have earned it. They do not settle for less. To prove that she still can take care of her husband, Ruth uses food, offering him coffee and milk. In contrast, Walter Lee refuses her offers in order to show his independence and strength. Just like in the poem’s line describing a dream that “Like a heavy load,” Mama Younger feels that she has fallen short in taking care of her family (especially Walter Lee) and this weighs on her. She sags under the pain, wishing she could have done more for them all.…

    • 1179 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    This is not a very wealthy family by any means of the imagination. Despite the lack of money mom gave all that she could and provide for her family. They all had food and clothes and a roof over their heads and Dee was still not proud of them. Dee wrote mom once “that no matter where we ‘chose’ to live, she will manage to come see us but she will never bring her friends” (Walker 317). So, mom does her job to raise Dee and Maggie well and provide for them, but Dee always gets what she wants over Maggie. Mom could never say no. Dee comes home and wants stuff to decorate her apartment and mom gives her some, but the real change comes when mom tells Dee no she cannot have the quilt that is Maggie’s inheritance from grandma Dee. Mom does the right thing and does not let Dee take Maggie’s quilts. Never the less a poor single mom manages to raise two girls and put one into college and stands up for the other one when she never has before is pretty good…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Raisin in the Sun

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Mama described them as plain working folk. After much debate and hardship Mama relents and gives the rest of her money to Walter because she believed in him and still had trust in him. At first she didn’t want to give him the money because she didn’t think selling liquor is respectable or proper. She finally saw the situation from her son’s eyes and gave him the shot/money he needed. At the end she finally turns over her place as head of the household to Walter. At first she thought her children prideful. Even though Walter had disgraced the memory of his father she still found a way to forgive him. She started to slowly understand her children’s perspective on things. By relenting her authority over the family to him it allowed Walter to grow and to take his place as the head of the family. Just as she tends to her poor plant she attends to her family who is so much like her little plant.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    walter

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As Walter’s aspiration for the liquor store increases he starts to become more greedy and narcissistic, especially when his father’s ten thousand dollar insurance money check gets closer to arriving. As the family waits for the check to arrive there is anticipation on how the money is going to be divided. Walter is getting jealous of his sister Beneathea because, like Walter, she is a big dreamer and is becoming a doctor, and he knows his mother is going to put away money for her medical schooling. Walter and Beneathea were bickering about what Mama should do with the money and Walter got quite hot headed and said, “Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor?” (I.I .38) At this point in the play Walter was being very egotistical and didn’t realize that he and his…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Walter in “A Raisin in the Sun” has a problem with his family. Since Walter’s family is going through a depression, the reader can expect the Water Lee family is facing internal conflicts. An internal conflict is a problem that deal’s with a person’s emotions. Walter Lee has a major internal conflict with money which leads to other problems with his family.At the beginning of the play Travis who is Walter’s son wanted an amount of money but Ruth kept refusing to give him that amount of money but Walter gave it to him anyway so he doesn’t find out they’re poor. Walter was a limousine driver for a rich person. Also, Walter’s mom has a check of 10,000 dollars. But she doesn’t want to use it for his dreams. immediately after it receives the check…

    • 265 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays