A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

She was self-centered at the beginning of the playmaking the family sacrifices their desires to accommodate her expensive hobbies, which keep changing from time to time. She is the representation of ‘new woman’ as against the traditional opinion of a female character. However, she gives the rest of the money to Walter for the business investment on the condition of reserving three thousand dollars for her daughter’s education.ĭuring these two supposedly relieving plans, the female member, Beneatha, Walter’s sister has her own plan of pulling the family out of this mess through the money she wants to use in her medical education. Also, Mama disagrees with the plan because it is against religion. Despite his optimism, he is unable to convince even his own wife who conjoins his mother in having a house of their own. His optimism about the success of his investment has made him gleeful so much so that he hoodwinks the family by giving the money to Willy for the liquor store investment in his hope to reveal it later when he succeeds. However, Walter Lee, the male member of the family has his own plans he wants to make an investment in the liquor business with the partnership of his friend Bobo and Willy, the street- smarts. Mama, Lena, the mother of the Youngers, knows the importance of a house, the reason that she insists that they must purchase a house in some good neighborhood. As the money is expected to arrive, all the family members are presenting their individual ideas on how to spend the money carefully not to let it go wasted. The total amount of the policy is $10,000 to be received through a check. The play starts with the Youngers discussing how to spend the money they are going to receive from an insurance company after the death of their patriarch.

The play presents the story of a few weeks from the life of the Youngers family, an African American family living in the poor neighborhood of Chicago’s Southern area during the 50s.

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry