The matriarch of the younger family, lena, commonly referred to as mama, is walter lee and beneathas mother and travis grandmother. Raisin actually tells the story of walter lee granted that his is a story greatly influenced by mama. Introduction this is a raisin in the sun study guide. A raisin in the sun in the book a raisin in the sun by larraine hansberry, walter and mama are the main characters that have a significant influence on the whole plot of the book. Despite her true love for family and her husband, she has difficulty dealing with walters mistreatment of her. She married in 1953 and separated in 1957 after privately coming out as a lesbian. Character analysis of a raisin of the sun essay 845 words 4 pages. She studied at the university of wisconsin for two years and moved to new york in 1950 to study and then write. Segregation is an intrinsic political injustice that is constantly questioned by hansberry in this work.
A raisin in the sun was the first play written by a black woman to be produced on broadway, as well as the first with a black director, mr. Lorraine hansberry, africanamerican playwright, was born into a relatively wealthymiddle class family in chicago in 1930 and was raised with the belief in fighting for injustice. The theme of dreams in a raisin in the sun from litcharts. A raisin in the sun characters from litcharts the creators. A raisin in the sun characters lorraine hansberry this study guide consists of approximately 55 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a raisin in the sun.
Although walter makes the worst mistakes out of any other character in the play, he also undergoes the greatest transformation. Fitzgeralds 1925 novel the great gatsby, is a good example of modernism for it centers around the characters and their sense of isolation. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this a raisin in the sun study guide and get instant. Maybe it just sags like a heavy load or does it explode poem by. The a raisin in the sun quotes below are all either spoken by ruth younger or refer to ruth younger. The plot revolves around him and the actions that he takes, and his character evolves the. Walter lee younger in his middle thirties, he is the husband of ruth, father of travis, brother of beneatha, and son of lena mama younger. The first edition of the novel was published in 1959, and was written by lorraine hansberry. Evaluation of a raisin in the sun college essays ganjab. Walter younger can be really hard to get along with. Walter younger is a dreamer and is very immature at the. The a raisin in the sun characters covered include. Character analysis of a raisin in the sun the male protagonist of this story is walter lee younger, an african american, who plays the roles of a son, husband, father, and brother. Lindner arrives at the younger household, he is extremely shy and timid, not threatening or abrasive or loud.
Walter works as a chauffeur and drinks a bit too much at times. Mama is the head of the family and has the decision to decide to what she. The characters in lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun are rich and diverse, giving the reader insight into the african american community in the urban north in the years after world war ii. A raisin in the sun what happens to a dream deferred. Not only were successful women playwrights rare at the. Need help on characters in lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun. Lorraine hansberry, the playwright, was an unknown dramatist who achieved unprecedented success when her play became a broadway sensation. A raisin in the sun the unfilmed original screenplay. Mama wants to buy a house in a nicer neighborhood with the money which was the dream her husband and her shared.
Ruth is walter lees wife, a deeply emotional and old fashioned woman. Beneatha younger sister beneatha, also called benny, is the youngest adult member of the younger family. A summary of symbols in lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun. Oct 25, 2010 a raisin in the sun focuses on dreams, one of the most universal elements to life. A raisin in the sun by lorraine hansberry is a play about an african american family striving to fulfill the american dream.
Not only does she struggle to maintain her own household, but she goes out to work in the households of rich white people as well. Walter is an obnoxious character, and he has placed himself first before everything. We learned that the lee family was a low income family and if they had something that kept them going it was simple hope, from that one day they would get a better home, become a successful doctor, go to the best school and lastly buy a liquor store. A proud woman, lena younger does not have much material wealth, but she walks tall, exudes dignity, and carries herself, as hansberry says, with the noble bearing of the. In walter younger, lorraine hansberry shows how poverty and racism can twist and depress people, turning them. If people can be divided into three groups those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened apply each of these to the three characters in raisin who respectively prove that this is so. The character of ruth younger in a raisin in the sun from. Of course, beneatha totally disagrees, and this becomes yet another strike against george in her book. It is the difference in dreams of the characters which stimulates the major conflict of the play. Baby, dont nothing happen for you in this world less you pay somebody off. Unlike the biblical story, though, no mention is ever made of ruth youngers parents or siblings or background.
Character analysis a raisin in the sun 898 words bartleby. Cirignano states, each of us is a book waiting to be written, and that book, if written, results in a person explained. Happiness depends on how you feel towards your loved ones which in lorraine hansberrys play, a raisin in the sun walters obsession with money often caused him to act unkindly to his loved ones. Parents need to know that a raisin in the sun eloquently portrays the life struggles of an africanamerican family living on chicagos south side in the 1950s. She has a keen sense of humor, an ear for accurate speech and compassion for people. See a complete list of the characters in a raisin in the sun and indepth analyses of walter, mama, beneatha, and asagai.
Because beneatha is the most educated of the youngers, she sometimes seems to be obnoxious and selfcentered. Hansberry incorporates the universal dream of being successful in the plot in order to appeal to a general audience. As walter is thinking about himself all the time, mama is excellent and strict. Characters work at subservient jobs walter is a chauffeur, and his mother and sister clean houses, grapple with the impact this has on their selfesteem, and face racial prejudice. A raisin in the sun portrays a few weeks in the life of the youngers, an africanamerican family living on the south side of chicago in the 1950s. A raisin in the sun summary notes by stacie abrams on prezi. The main character of mama is an african american domestic worker whose husband has died and left her a insurance policy. She gives him the money even though hes totally undermined her in front of their son. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in a raisin in the sun, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. A raisin in the sun part 2 starring danny glover and. This is demonstrative of hansberrys play a raisin in the sun as the character beneatha is constantly misunderstood. She favors her african suitor over her rich boyfriend, much to the puzzlement of her family. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Big walter is another character whom we never meet and only learn about through the dialogue of others.
A raisin in the sun character list walter lee younger. As the play opens, the younger family is eagerly awaiting an. A raisin in the sun, a play by lorraine hansberry, is the story of a lowerclass african american family living on the southside of chicago during the 1950s. Ruths close relationship with her mother in law and with her new family is comparable to the biblical ruth, who tells her mother in law, naomi, that she will travel with her wherever she goes and that your people shall be my people. Walter would like to invest in a liquor store with friends. Lorraine hansberrys 1950s play a raisin in the sun also identifies characteristics of modernism through the everyday struggles of urban and industrial housing as well as segregation. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of a raisin in the sun by lorraine hansberry. Pdf a raisin in the sun book by lorraine hansberry free. Study 11 terms a raisin in the sun characters flashcards. Miss hansberry has etched her characters with understanding, and told her story with dramatic impact. A raisin in the sun characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes.
Lorraine hansberry author, robert nemiroff introduction. Characters walter as mama s only son, ruth s defiant husband, travis s caring father, and beneathas belligerent brother, walter serves as both protagonist and antagonist of the play. Although mama is a strong motivational force in this drama, she is not its focal point, as many earlier critics assumed. The youngers financial difficulties make it impossible for ruth to just work in her own home. Assimilationism in a raisin in the sun the play a raisin in the sun demonstrates the intense opposition that white families in clybourne park displayed in response to the youngers moving in to their primarily white neighborhood. Discuss the ways in which the setting of raisin has a profound effect upon two of the characters. As mamas only son, ruths defiant husband, traviss caring father, and beneathas belligerent brother, walter serves as both protagonist and antagonist of the play. It is as if history is conspiring to make the play a classic. At the plays beginning, mama is waiting on the insurance check to arrive.
Lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun society and family. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 160 pages and is available in hardcover format. As a character, then, ruth exposes the difficulties of being a workingclass mother. Shes a downtoearth, hardworking black woman who doesnt suffer. Nicknamed bennie, beneatha is mamas daughter and walter lee. Hansberry noted that her play introduced details of black life to the overwhelmingly white broadway audiences, while director richards observed that it was the first play to which large numbers of. Free download or read online a raisin in the sun pdf epub book. A raisin in the sun part 2 starring danny glover and esther rolle. A raisin in the sun by lorraine hansberry characters. A raisin in the sun was first produced in 1959 and anticipates many of the issues which were to divide american culture during the decade of the 1960s. Looks like bachelor number two is going to get the ax.
She wants to use her husbands insurance moneybas a down payment on a house with a backyard to fulfill her dream for her family to move up in the world. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Try one of the apps below to open or edit this item. His journey takes him from total jerk, obsessed with getrichquick schemes, to a man worthy of respect. It was one of the first plays to describe black characters, themes and conflicts in an unbiased and true manner. Unlike the biblical story, though, no mention is ever made of. Feb 17, 2012 interviews and photos of valencia colleges production of a raisin in the sun. So wrote the new york times and the washington post respectively of. Editions of a raisin in the sun by lorraine hansberry. Custom character analysis projects on lorraine hansberrys novel are available from the writers at paper masters.
A raisin in the sun is a classic play about one familys hopes and dreams in 1950s america. The theme of money in a raisin in the sun from litcharts. A raisin in the sun mass market paperback november 29, 2004. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of a raisin in the sun and what it means. When mama reminisces about her life with big walter, she speaks of him with admiration, although the audience might question mamas tolerance of some of his past behavior. He seems sheltered and overprotected by the numerous adults in the household, yet he is a street kid, drawn to the life of his ghetto neighborhood. A raisin in the sun character analysis songs youtube. Benny attends the local university and loves to experiment with new things such as photography, horseback riding, and playing the. His family is really well off and are perfectly happy to assimilate into white america. The matriach of the family, she is religious, moral, and maternal. Ruths close relationship with her motherinlaw and with her new family is comparable to the biblical ruth, who tells her motherinlaw, naomi, that she will travel with her wherever she goes and that your people shall be my people. She is at her most depressed and angry with george, her pompous, affluent africanamerican boyfriend.
Every character in this play has a different dream. Beneatha is an attractive college student who provides a young, independent, feminist perspective, and her desire to become a doctor demonstrates her great ambition. The female characters in each literary work are attempting to define themselves as africanamerican women while also trying to define themselves through the issues of poverty and racism. She is at her happiest with asagai, her nigerian boyfriend, who has nicknamed her alaiyo, which means one for whom breadfoodis not enough. The lindner character, although basically a flat character, is still developed by hansberry as a human being and not simply a stereotype of a bigot. He says all kinds of mean things to ruth, his wife, and is even short with his longsuffering mother, lena. Throughout the play, she searches for her identity. May 27, 20 just like the younger characters in the play, my students have been somewhat sheltered, and for some, this play opens their eyes. I will go home and much of what i will have to say will seem.
In spite of his manipulative nature, however, travis is a likeable child because, although he might be mischievous at times, he is always mannerly. The main characters within the story include mama, walter lee mamas son, ruth walters wife, and beneatha mamas daughter. Character analysis in a raisin in the sun student name institutional affiliation character analysis in a raisin in the sun introduction in the course of writing literature, it is often ubiquitous for playwrights, novelists and other kinds of authors to showcase themes and styles through characters. In lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun, the characters of beneatha and walter younger share the traits of being determined and ambitious. A raisin in the sun essays are academic essays for citation. Ruth acts as peacemaker in most of the explosive family situations. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the a raisin in the sun the unfilmed original screenplay, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. A raisin in the sun character analysis 894 words bartleby. Ruth is pregnant and goes to a female gynecologist to put a down payment on having her unborn child aborted. Very lowkey, ruth reveals her strongest emotions only when she learns of the. Character list ruth younger the thirtyish wife of walter lee younger and the mother of travis, their tenyearold son. This study guide and infographic for lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text.
In the poem, part of which serves as the plays epigraph. Dreams possess great importance in a raisin in the sun, with the plays name coming from a 1951 langston hughes poem titled montage of a dream deferred. There are three major female characters in both alice walkers everyday use and lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun. Read a plot overview of the entire play or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. In this lesson, we learned about the different characters and their.
In the play, a raisin in the sun, we were introduced to many characters. Professor kristen over of northeastern illinois university provides an indepth analysis of the plot, characters, symbols, and themes in lorraine hansberrys play a raisin in the sun. A list of all the characters in a raisin in the sun. The plot revolves around him and the actions that he takes, and his character evolves the most during the course of the play.
An analysis of the book a raisin in the sun grades hero. An analysis of the book a raisin in the sun urgent paper. For most of the first act, hes nasty to just about every other character in the play. The main characters of this plays, classics story are. See there, that just goes to show you what women understand about the world. A raisin in the sun by lorraine hansberry overdrive.
Robert coleman, new york mirror a raisin in the sun has vigor as well as veracity. In a raisin in the sun, certain characters change and grow as a result of their experiences the greatest amount of change is in walter. Ruths character is also highlighted in this moment. A raisin in the sun is a play that takes place in the predominantly black south side of chicago during the time of racism in the midtolate 1950s. Raisin in the sun compare and contrast freebooksummary. Never before, the entire history of the american theater, has so much of the truth of black peoples lives been seen on the stage, observed james baldwin shortly before a raisin in the sun opened on broadway in 1959.
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