A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry Act

A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry

Act I “the furnishings of this room were actually selected with care and love and even hope – and brought to this apartment and arranged with taste and pride. ” (1. 1. stage directions) O Setting – Southside of Chicago O Crowded apartment O Travis sleeps on couch O Walter & Ruth/Mama & Beneatha share rooms O Apt building shares bathroom O family struggles to maintain their pride in the face of poverty

Walter & Ruth’s relationship O Fight – but do love each other O Argue over dream/scheme of business O Stressed – money, space O Dream – he feels she doesn’t believe/support him O Walter’s dream – better life, power, control “Mama, something is happening between Walter and me. I don’t know what it is – but he needs something – something I can’t give him anymore. He needs this chance, Lena. ” (1. 1. 187) p. 17 O Walter- dissatisfied with his life, taking it out on everyone around him. O She is afraid of what will happen between them if Walter doesn't get the chance to attain his dream.

Travis O Future generation; hope O Asks for 50 cents O Ruth – “don’t have it” O Walter – gives his $$ O Walter wants Travis to think they have money & believe there’s a future O part of the reason he's giving Travis money is to deliberately undermine his wife. O Chases rat in street w/ friends O Graphic nature of poverty O Upsets Ruth

Walter & Beneatha O Brother/Sister relationship O Pick on each other O WALTER “Have we figured out yet just exactly how much medical school is going to cost? ” (1. 1. 109) O Walter resents Beneatha's wish to become a doctor because it will cost the family a significant amount of money. O The Youngers' poverty seems to often make them turn on each other. O Walter thinks her dream is unrealistic

Ruth O Walter is dissatisfied with his life, and he constantly takes it out on her O taking a real toll on her O seems irritable, depressed O Pregnant O Biblical allusion – Ruth = devoted wife and daughter-in-law Mama: "When the world gets ugly enough – a woman will do anything for her family. The part that's already living" (1. 2. 235). P. 42 O Though Ruth hates the idea of aborting her child, she feels it's the best decision for her financially-strapped family.

Mama’s values O Family O Nurturing, unconditional love O struggles to instill her values in children and connect with them O worried about Walter's obsession with money O totally disapproving of Beneatha's lack of faith in God O Religion O "In my mother's house there is still God. "

Beneatha O Flits from one thing to another O Cameras, horses, acting, guitar – all need $$$ O Wants to express herself O Walter has some value to his argument O She’s had her share, and he’s resentful O Mama and Ruth support her ($$) O But Beneatha doesn’t make sacrifices O Alaiyo – One for whom bread – food - is not enough O Food=necessity of life O She’s not satisfied with only a basic life O Asagai understands her journey of self-expression

Big Walter O Was good, caring, loved children, hard working O Lost child and almost didn’t get over it MAMA (She holds the check away from her, still looking at it. Slowly her face sobers into a mask of unhappiness) Ten thousand dollars (1. 2. 169) O Lena realizes there is no price someone can put on a lost loved one O seems she would remain in total poverty if she could have her husband back

Symbolism O Plant = children O Plant – scraggly/lacks sunshine but survives O Children – stunted/lacks opportunity ($$$) but survive O Eggs=dreams O New baby O “Eat your eggs” – argument is not about food O Frustration- women keep men from achieving their goals (Walter’s POV) O Momma’s maiden name O Lena Eggleston O Motif = repeating symbol or theme

Themes O The value and purpose of dreams O Black man POV O Women POV O Generational conflict O Walter- life is about money O Mama – life is about freedom O Pride O Clean house before Asagai arrives O African-American vs African culture O Beneatha/George vs Asagai O Identity O Assimilate- to conform with the customs of a group or nation

Act II Scene 1 O Setting: later the same day O Walter drunk O Walter/Beneatha dance to African music O Imagines himself a great chief O His need to express power & authority in his life O George – rude to Beneatha (get out of that costume) O Beneatha’s hair cropped short O Wants to be natural, back to heritage (from convers. w/ Asagai) O George not interested in heritage O “Let’s face it baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy spirituals and some grass huts!”

Allusions O Liberia – founded in 1822, Africa’s first Republic (independent state – elects own people), founded by freed slaves from America. O Ashanti – Founded in 16 th C. O Songhay Civilizations – 11 th C. Smelted iron. O Bantu – 2/3 of African population; language; agricultural and introduce crops; can settle down. O Uncle Tom – Comes from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin – servile/subservient to whites – yes sir, always takes a lower roll; slang/slur term, negative, not standing up for your race

Beneatha, George, Ruth, Walter O George – shallow, interested in looks, has money O George comes to take Beneatha to theater O does not like how she looks O makes comments about heritage O B calls G an assimilationist O Person willing to give up their own culture to submerge himself in a dominant culture O Walter talking to George about father’s business O George bored, blows him off

“Good night, Prometheus” O Greek God, stole sacred fire from Zeus, gave it to mankind and the Gods didn’t like it. O Fire = intelligence O Prometheus was overreaching his place in life by stealing the gods’ fire O Walter – has big ideas, but not “enlightening” George O Verbal and dramatic irony O No business knowledge, experience O Expressing his contempt for Walter O George is a snob Verbal irony- say one thing but mean another Dramatic irony- audience knows more about the situations

Mama bought a house O in a white neighborhood – Clybourne Park O Ruth is excited – sees environment as pulling them down, need to get out of there. O “Is there a whole lot of sunlight? ” O Symbol = hope, light O Walter mad b/c he wanted the money O butchered his dream O Initially tells Travis – he’s the future – it’s for him O Family falling apart before her eyes, and she had to do something

Act II Scene 2 O Friday night a few weeks later O Date- George tells Beneatha her looks are important O “I don’t go out with you to discuss the nature of “quiet desperation” or to hear about your thoughts…” O He doesn’t care about her thoughts O Beneatha told Mama earlier he is shallow O “Well - I guess you better not waste your time with no fools” O B thanks Mama – grateful for her understanding

Act II Scene 2 O Mrs. Johnson – newspaper article O “You mean you ain’t read ‘bout them colored people that was bombed out their place out there? ” O Mama does not allow the “n” word in her house O “Education has spoiled many a good plow hand” O Booker T. Washington O Mama - fool

Act II Scene 2 O Walter – discover he has not been going to work, driving around, then to a bar (Green Hat) O Phone call O he is being an immature child O Mama realizes she is really to blame and gives him $6500 O $3000 for Beneatha and rest to put in savings to decide what to do O Trust, responsibility

Act II Scene 3 O Saturday, moving day, one week later O Mood – happy O Ruth and Walter in love and getting along O Walter and Beneatha also getting along O Mr. Lindner Clybourne Park Improvement Association O “Welcoming committee” – low down on how things are done O “special community problems” (colored people moving into certain areas) O “Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities” O want to buy house back from the Youngers

Act II Scene 3 Mr. Lindner O Stereotypical bigot – (defies) polite, sit down, communicate O “You people” – code word shows real reason there O Assoc. wants to buy them out w/ financial gain O “This friends is the welcoming committee” – IRONY (not welcoming) O “ 30 pieces and not a coin less” – ALLUSION O Judas sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (betrayal) – this is a betrayal of the American way of life, and would be of ourselves.

Act II Scene 3 O Willy took off with the money O Beneatha’s money, too – Walter did not put it in the bank O “That money is made out of my father’s flesh” - Walter O reflects his belief that money is the lifeblood of human existence O Mama hits him O Mama’s idealism about family falters

Act III O Mood – dark, depressed O Beneatha & Asagai O Tells story O why she wants to be a doctor p. 88 O Incident w/ sled O She feels her future is gone O Beneatha – life is a circle – bad things keep repeating (p. 89) O Realist, fate is sealed O Asagai – life is a line – no one knows where it ends O Idealist, can change the future

Walter and Mama O Call Lindner O Wants to sell out p. 95 -97 O Mama – sees the death of his soul O “…We ain’t never been that dead inside. ” (96) O Mama taught children to love family when they’re down O “There is always something left to love” (98) O Mama – asks Travis to stay O Walter – guilt – turns into a man – keeps house O Walter achieves independence without the money

Symbolism Mama’s plant O feeble plant represents her family’s deferred dreams for a better future, which have struggled to survive under the strain of life in Chicago’s South Side O “this little old plant. . . ain’t never had enough sunshine or nothing. ” O Mama takes it to new house O symbol of perseverance will accompany the family as it faces new challenges in Clybourne Park. O “It expresses me. ” O Also… represents “dream” house w/ garden O Loved gardening

Symbolism Beneatha’s hair O pride in her African heritage and her desire to explore her African roots O Asagai - straightened hair- “mutilated” O decides to cut her hair and wear it in its natural form O proudly marks herself as an anti-assimilationist and visibly expresses her racial identity

Symbolism O Eggs = Dreams = motif O New baby O Younger, Eggleston O “Lord, ever since I was a little girl, I always remembers people saying, "Lena – Lena Eggleston, you aims too high all the time. You needs to slow down and see life a little more like it is. Just slow down some. " (3. 1. 69) O migrate from the South O Lena blames herself for dreaming too big, figuring that she was wrong to buy the house O “Eat your eggs” - how women keep men from achieving their goals O “Damn these eggs…” O Walter feels Ruth is not supporting his dream

Symbolism O Sunlight O Ruth – “Is there – is there a whole lot of sunlight? ” O hope and life, since all human life depends on warmth and energy from the sun.

Theme O Family O Love them, especially during difficult times O Dreams O Value and purpose of individual and collective dreams O Everyone has the power to change his/her life O Asagai- “Life is simply a straight line…one that reaches to infinity” O Asagai- we see the African struggle for independence similar to Walter’s O “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes

Theme: Pride O Mama tries to instill in her children a sense of respect for their ancestors, who were Southern slaves and sharecroppers O Walter plans to accept Lindner’s humiliating offer O He can’t compromise his honor (pride) in front of his son O Walter becomes the man Mama hoped for O Reaffirms the dignity of the human spirit O Their dream of rising above their apparent limitations is realized

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker O Mama accepts herself for whom she is O Strong, country, strong-willed (like Dee) O Dee changes her name b/c… O Wants to identify w/ African heritage O The quilts were promised to Maggie O Conflict resolved = Ultimately Mama gives Maggie the quilts b/c of her daughter’s love of family tradition O Dee’s statement about heritage = irony O Mama & Maggie appreciate their heritage by living it, while Dee wants to leave old ways behind & preserve them only as artifacts on display O ARIS connection O Identity & heritage