Posted by Kristi Vang (67.174.158.14) on June 23, 2005 at 10:01:57 p.m.:
Kristi Vang
English 301
Professor Guerin
Essay assignment 2 (Drama)
Thursday, June 23, 2005
The play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry portrays how money can bring both good and evil upon a person and their family, and how love can reunite a family. The Younger family, Mama, Walter, and Beneatha were all deciding on what to do with a windfall of a $10,000.00 dollar life insurance policy from the recent death of Mama’s husband. While the husband is never describe in great detail through out the story we get the impression that he must have been a man of great courage and moral fiber. His wife continues to love him deeply. The money symbolizes various hopes for the Younger family and their respective futures. The $10,000.00 dollars is to be spent in many different ways, with many different ethics. Mama’s dream and desire is to fulfill her belated husbands’ dream of moving the family out of the ghetto and into a big house. She wants to have a house with a big back yard, so that she can tend to her garden and her plants and her grandson Travis can run around and play. Walter, Mama’s only son, wants to get rich quick, so he suggests that they use the money towards an opening a liquor store. He friends of questionable character that is ready to help him spend the money. No one in the family likes Walters’s choice, and probably not Walter friends. Mama’s daughter Beneatha wants to become a doctor and to put the money towards her medical school tuition fee. The family is thus faced with situations that can make their dreams come true or potentially cause disaster and break up the family.
The plot of the play revolves around the protagonist and antagonist Walter and the action that he takes that affects his character through out the play. His actions not only hurt him, but also his family in many different ways. At one point in the play he actually loses $6,500.00 dollar half of which was not his. As he grows spiritually through out the play, his courage becomes apparent when he reaches a moral decision and realizes that his family is his first choice, and not the money he could of have received by making a hasty hurtful racist decision. He begins the play with a self centered egotism that eventually develops into a true love of his family and his race. His character has gone through a complete cathartic change.
As the play “A Raisin in the Sun” progresses Hansberry reveals how the love of money, a subplot of the play, becomes less and less important and how race and morality becomes more the focus. An example of how the play embraces money is in Act 1, scene 2 when Mama is talking with Walter. “Oh-So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life-now it’s money. I guess the world really do change…” proclaims Mama. Walter’s response to his Mama is “No-it was always money, Mama. We just didn’t know about it.” (1346) Hansberry wants to illustrate to the readers the different ways that money has affected the different generations in the Younger family.
Another obvious theme that runs through the play is discrimination and racism, and how it manifested itself in Chicago after World War II. The cruelty demonstrated by Mr. Lindner, when he attempts to pay money to a black family to prevent them from moving into a white neighborhood is the central act of racism in the play. Mr. Lindner, a representative and chairman of the committee of the Clybourne Park Improvement Association (some irony here) comes to the Younger home asking to speak with Mama. Walter spoke with Mr. Lindner instead because Mama was not home at the time of his arrival. Mr. Lindner’s purpose of his visit was to make an offer to a black family hoping to entice them to not move into the neighborhood. Mr. Lindner and the rest of the white community from Clybourne Park offered “to buy the house from you at a financial gain to your family.” (1417) Walter, Beneatha and Ruth were all shock to hear this offer from Mr. Lindner and the community. In essence they were being paid to leave. Walter angrily, asked Mr. Lindner if he had other thoughts or suggestions that would allow them to move into the neighborhood. Mr. Lindner advises Walter that he is making a big mistake by not accepting a very generous offer. Walter refuses to accept the offer that was proposed to him, and asks Mr. Lindner to “get out” of their home. (1418)
The offer that Mr. Lindner proposes must have been unique at that time and was probably a lot of money, it also would have helped Walter and his family out of a serious financial problem since he had just lost $6,500.00 to Willy Harris. We see the character of Walter develop from a self centered person into one that begins to care more for his family and their needs over his own. This crisis is essential to the development of good versus evil theme in this story. The good defines the evil in that the light of his true character is only seen after the darkness of his mistakes.
A very subtle, but important subplot in the story revolves around the relationship between Beneatha and her two suitors George and Asagai. The relationship between George and Beneatha seems to necessitate a divorce from her and her culture in that he wants her to adopt a more Caucasian approach to life. At one point in the story she agrees with him and symbolically straightens her hair, in an attempt to become more of what she thinks he wants. He embodies much of what she finds distasteful in the white culture, and the fact that he is rich only reinforces this idea. One gets the impression that Beneatha feels that George’s family would discriminate against her because she and her family are poor and his family is not. Asagai the Nigerian, has a much better relationship with Beneatha. He is more genuine in his heart towards his culture and desire to learn more about it. There is no mention of his monetary wealth in the story and I believe that is intentional. The relationship between Beneatha and Asagai is not dependant on money.
An interesting aspect of Beneatha personality is her desire to become a doctor. She might be able to reach her goals easier if she would marry George because of his wealth, but she is not attracted to the money. The courage in her character to become a doctor at a time when black female had almost no hope into getting into medical school only makes one respect her resolve even further. She will not take George’s money and respects Asagai moral character.
The end of the play finds a compromise and bonding of the family when they finally into their large house in Clybourne Park. This is another positive attribute to the Younger family. This shows that they were willing to turn down the quick dirty money and move into a home where they can live as a family. The implication remains that they are a black family in a white neighborhood, and most likely will face continued racism and discrimination. The growth that they have experienced as a family through out the play leaves the reader with the confidence that they will succeed in their new home, and continue to work against the wrongs that they have experienced to this point.
1250 words
Reader's Name:
Writers Name:
1) Review the assignment requirements. Read the essay. In your opinion, does the writer answer the essay assignment in this piece? Explain.
2) Write the thesis statement here:
3) Does the thesis attempt to prove a specific idea, or is it too general?
4) What specific evidence does the writer provide to support the thesis?
5) Does the writer explicitly show how this evidence supports his/her view? Are connections made for the reader?
6) Does each paragraph connect with the thesis?
7) Is there additional evidence which the writer has missed?
8) Does the conclusion sum up the writer's point?
9) Give the writer at least one suggestion for improving this paper.