A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
**Overview of "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry**
"A Raisin in the Sun" is a poignant play that explores the struggles of a Black family in Chicago as they grapple with financial challenges and dreams for a better future. Following the death of the patriarch, Big Walter, his widow Lena aims to use a life insurance payment to purchase a home in a predominantly white neighborhood, believing it will provide her family with greater opportunities. However, her son Walter has different aspirations; he wishes to invest the money in a liquor store as a means to escape his dissatisfaction with his job. Meanwhile, Walter's sister, Beneatha, pursues her ambition to attend medical school and faces familial pressure regarding her identity and beliefs.
As the family members clash over their dreams and desires, the tensions reveal deeper themes of race, gender roles, and aspirations within the African American experience of the 1950s. The play culminates in a confrontation with a representative from the neighborhood that reflects societal racism, forcing Walter to confront his values and identity. Ultimately, the family's journey symbolizes resilience and the quest for dignity, making "A Raisin in the Sun" a timeless exploration of hope, identity, and the American Dream.
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
First produced: 1959; first published, 1959
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Family
Time of plot: 1950s
Locale: Chicago
Principal Characters
Lena Younger , a retired domestic and the matriarch of an extended African American familyWalter , her sonRuth , Walter’s wifeBeneatha , Walter’s sisterTravis , Walter and Ruth’s sonJoseph Asagai , a Nigerian student, Beneatha’s suitorGeorge Murchison , a student, Beneatha’s suitorBobo , Walter’s friendKarl Linder , a representative of a suburban homeowners’ association
The Story
Walter Younger, Sr., known as Big Walter, has died, leaving his widow, Lena, with a life insurance policy worth ten thousand dollars. Lena wants to use the money as a down payment on a house in the suburbs so that her family can leave their crowded and shabby Chicago apartment. Lena’s son, Walter, disgusted with his job as a rich white man’s chauffeur, wants to invest the insurance money in a liquor store with two partners, Willy and Bobo. Beneatha, Walter’s younger sister, a college student, wants to use part of the money to pay for medical school.
The family argues over how to spend the insurance money. Walter tells his sister to forget about medical school and become a nurse or get married like other women. He appeals to his mother to give him the money so that he can pursue his dream of entrepreneurship and thereby improve the family’s circumstances, but Lena is skeptical about investing in the liquor business. Beneatha and her mother also argue about religion. Lena maintains that Beneatha needs God’s help to become a doctor, and Beneatha asserts that God has little to do with her educational achievements.
Lena informs Walter that his wife, Ruth, is pregnant and is considering terminating her pregnancy because she does not wish to add another family member to their crowded household. Lena encourages Walter to confront his wife and express his desire to have another child, but Walter storms out of the apartment in anger. As he leaves, Lena calls him a disgrace to his father’s memory.
Beneatha is visited by two suitors, Joseph Asagai and George Murchison. Asagai, who has recently returned from his native Nigeria, brings Beneatha a traditional African gown and headdress and encourages her not to become an assimilationist Negro by forgetting her African heritage. George, the son of a well-to-do African American family, urges Beneatha to divorce herself from her heritage and not to take her studies too seriously.
Soon, Lena announces to her family that she has made a down payment on a single-family home in Clybourne Park, an all-white neighborhood. When he hears the news, Walter is outraged and accuses his mother of destroying his dream of owning his own business. He becomes deeply depressed; for three days, instead of going to work, he spends his time drinking heavily at a local tavern. Seeing her son’s depression, Lena has a change of heart. She informs Walter that she put only thirty-five hundred dollars down on the house, and she gives him the rest, commanding him to deposit three thousand dollars of it in a bank account earmarked for Beneatha’s medical school tuition and allowing him to invest the remainder as he sees fit.
Walter’s mood changes dramatically when his mother gives him the money. He makes peace with his wife, and he excitedly tells his son, Travis, that he will make a business transaction that will make the family wealthy.
As the family members pack for the move to their new suburban home, Karl Linder, a representative of the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, visits and offers to buy the new home from them at a profit; his concern is with keeping a black family from integrating the all-white Clybourne Park neighborhood. Walter boldly expels Linder.
Immediately after Linder’s departure, Walter’s friend Bobo arrives, bringing the grim news that their business partner, Willy, has taken Bobo’s and Walter’s money and left town instead of using it to purchase the liquor store. Walter sadly informs his family that all $6,500 is lost, including the money that Walter was supposed to set aside for Beneatha’s schooling. Lena beats her son for his irresponsible behavior.
Later, as the family unpacks, Walter calls Linder to inform him that they are ready to make a deal with him. Walter explains to his family that he intends to humble himself before Linder and agree to sell the family’s new home for a profit. Hearing Walter’s decision, Beneatha calls her brother a toothless rat.
When Linder arrives, however, Walter undergoes a profound change. Standing behind his son, he informs Linder that his family has decided to move into their new home in Clybourne Park. Walter speaks eloquently of his father’s hard work and his family’s pride. He proudly introduces Beneatha as a future doctor, and he introduces Travis as the sixth generation of Youngers in America. Linder leaves disappointed, and the Youngers begin packing again.
On moving day, Lena commands the moving men, and the Youngers begin carrying boxes out of the apartment. Beneatha announces that Asagai has proposed marriage, and Lena proudly tells Ruth that Walter has finally come into his manhood that day. Finally, Lena leaves her family’s shabby apartment for the last time.
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