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Economic and social hardships in a raisin in the sun
Symbolism in raisin in the sun
Economic and social hardships in a raisin in the sun
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A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry explores the life of a black family during the Civil rights Era in the United States. They faced rough discrimination and poverty but receive an extensive amount of money from an insurance claim that had the potential change their lives. That is the shallow view of the play, in the light of analysis, however, the characters and objects represent much larger ideas. Mama’s plant is an important object that symbolizes not only the state of the family, but the condition of the people during the Civil Rights Movement itself. From the very beginning of Act One it is evident that the family is tense around each other. Travis is “outraged” after Ruth refuses to give him the fifty cents for school, and Ruth …show more content…
After Walter had lost the sixty-five hundred dollars Mama had trusted to him it appeared the Youngers were no longer going to make the move to Clybourne Park. Mama then ‘goes to her plant, which has remained on the table, looks at it, picks it up and takes it to the windowsill” symbolizing defeat(Hansberry, 139). The plant which -- symbolizes the state of the family -- is returned to its original lightless spot. The family is going to stay in their rayless apartment on the southside. The money was their sunlight; their hope and it was stolen. That changes, however, at the very end of the play. Walter realizes that they have to move into the house for their pride, for their father, for their happiness. On their way out “The door opens and she [Mama] comes back in, grabs her plant, then goes out for the last time” (Hansberry, 151). Just like the family the plant is leaving to soak up the summer’s blaze. The play never mentions what happens to the Youngers after this moment, but we can assume it’s good because they are finally going somewhere. The plant parallels the people of The civil Rights movement here, they are making progress and going places men and women never thought possible. They are receiving equality, opportunity, and sunlight. They have hope for a better future for themselves and their
Walter plans to invest in his own liquor store, which he will run alongside his good friend Willy, and plans to do so with his portion of his mother’s insurance check; did I mention that the check was for $10,000! Mama puts down money for a house—a house, in an all-white neighborhood, with a lawn, that her grandson will be able to play on. This has always been a dream of her and her husband, and now that he is gone, she only wants it more. I noticed a few major symbols throughout the scenes in this play. For example, Mama’s plant; this plant never fails to be watered and taken care of by Mama, and this represents not only her caring and compassionate attitude towards a plant but her attitude towards her family as well.
In Act 1, Scene 1, Walter talks about his dreams and appears to have the best plan to support his family. ...
It is not until Walter Younger Sr. passes away and augments the family’s financial situation, through a life insurance policy of $10,000, that the Younger’s are able to pursue better living conditions. Unfortunately, this newfound fortune causes friction between the family members, especially between Walter Lee and Mama Younger. In pursuit of her own happiness, Mama Younger puts a down payment on a house in Clybourne Park, a white neighborhood. It is her right to pursue happiness in the manner she chooses. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the American way.
Confrontation appears to be a common theme within the play. This may be largely due to the differing views on what the meaning of life is. An exchange occurs in Act 1, Scene ii between Mama and Walter. Mama questions why Walter constantly speaks about money, such that it appears that “money is life”. Walter explains to Mama that in order to live a successful life, money has to be the most important factor in achieving this. This conversation takes place early on in the play and reveals the Younger’s economic struggles, which were very common for African Americans at the time. The conversation illustrates the ideological differences between their generations. Throughout the play, Mama’s views oppose her children’s vi...
The chasing of a mirage is a futile quest where an individual chases an imaginary image that he or she wants to capture. The goal of this impossible quest is in sight, but it is unattainable. Even with the knowledge that failure is inevitable, people still dream of catching a mirage. There is a fine line that separates those who are oblivious to this fact, and to those who are aware and accept this knowledge. The people who are oblivious represent those who are ignorant of the fact that their dream will be deferred. This denial is the core of the concept used in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The perception of the American Dream is one that is highly subjective, but every individual dream ends in its own deferment.
Walter and Beneatha’s relationship is very complex. The spiraling tension between the two siblings causes confrontation to form and creep into the Younger household. Walter needs his family to respect him as the man of the family, but his sister is constantly belittling him in front of his mother, wife, and son. This denigrating treatment taints Walter’s view of himself as a man, which carries into his decisions and actions. Beneatha also subconsciously deals with the dysfunctional relationship with her brother. She desires to have her brother’s support for her dream of becoming a doctor, yet Walter tends to taunt her aspiration and condemns her for having such a selfish dream. Mama as the head of the family is heartbroken by the juvenile hostility of her adult children, so in hopes to keep her family together she makes the brave move of purchasing a house. Mama’s reasoning for the bold purchase was,“ I—I just seen my family falling apart….just falling to pieces in front of my eyes…We couldn’t have gone on like we was today. We was going backwards ‘stead of forw...
In the play, Mama has her own American Dream that she chases after, which heavily affects the family’s state of being. Mama has to go through many struggles and much frustration while in pursuit of her American Dream (Bloom 17). Mama says, “Yes, death done come in this house here….Done come walking in my house. On the lips of my children. You what supposed to be my beginning again. You what supposed to be my harvest” (Hansberry 134). She begins to see the harsh effects of what her American dream has done to her children. Mama goes through trials and tribulations to provide a good lifestyle for her children, but neither of them seem satisfied, they both want to accomplish their dreams and aspirations so badly that it blinds them to the reality of what is really important in life.
The play is set around the late 1940s and throughout the 50s on the south side of Chicago In the opening Significance of ending/closing scene Symbols Mama’s plant symbolizes how she loves her family and how she wants their dreams to come true. She takes care of the plants like she takes care of her family and dreams of a house with a garden. Benethas hair is another symbol.
Mama’s dreams were first deferred when she moved into the small apartment that the Youngers family stay in through out most of the play. She became too busy that she couldn’t accomplish her dream. She also could not for fill her dreams since she did not have enough money to do so. Her dreams were even more shattered with the death of her husband, but when she got the money from her husband’s death her dreams then became a reality again. Mama wants Travis to be happy and play in the garden but she cannot do this since they live in a dirty ghetto.
Many people let the conflicts they have take over their relationships with their loved ones. In the plays A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, the readers are introduced to the conflicts between each of the families. The Younger family in A Raisin in the Sun, face conflict when Lena Younger’s husband has passed and has left them ten thousand dollars in his will. The Kowalski family in A Streetcar Named Desire are faced with conflict when Stella’s sister Blanche Dubois comes to town. Most particularly, both plays have each faced challenging hurdles and fatalities during their lives. Although both families come from tremendously diverse backgrounds, they share the same conflicts that occur
The. She thinks that money is not something that makes a family happy. & nbsp; Besides dreams Walter also has a husbands responsibilities which are universally thought of as being able to support his family and raise his children so they are morally in line with what he believes in. Walter's problem, however, seems to be that he is building his supposedly well.
Mama’s plant represents her dream of buying a house when she describes that the plant does not receive enough sunlight. Early on a Friday morning, Mama wakes up to Walter, her son, slamming a door after fighting with his sister, Beneatha, over what their fathers life insurance money should be used for. When Mama enters the room, she exclaims, “ ‘Lord, if this little old plant don’t get more sun than it’s ...
... probably the most excited to move. This is the climax of the play, and it is at this moment that Walter, through his revived manhood, realizes which dream is the most important, and his mothers. Walter refuses Mr. Linder's proposal to buy the house back, and Mama's dream is once again carried through.
Through analysing the relevance for Mama and Walter’s meanings of life we can see how time has functioned in changing specifically Walter’s meaning of life and realizing life is not about money, we see the different generation times and the reasons for there being different views of life’s meaning because of the different issues Mama and Walter have faced. Time has changed the generations’ views on life and what is of importance is different. Hansberry feels that the American dream will never be true for the Younger family even though the Younger’s believe that they can achieve upward mobility, the rest of the world and Hansberry are cynical about this and don’ believe it is true.
In the opening scene of the play Mama goes to her plant and nurtures it. Mama tries to instill the value of family importance to her children as she struggles to keep them together and functioning (Kohorn). The plant symbolizes Mama's dreams of owning her own house. She uses part of the money to put a down payment on a house in a white neighborhood.