A Raisin in the Sun
Act I Scene 1
• Setting
– Crowded apartment
– Kid sleeps on couch
– Walter & Ruth/Mama & Beneatha share
rooms
– Apt bldg shares bathroom
Walter & Ruth’s relationship
• Fight – but do love each other
– Fight over dream/scheme
– Stressed – money, space
– Dream – he feels she doesn’t believe/support
him
– Walter’s dream – better life, power, control
Travis
• Asks for 50 cents
– Ruth – “don’t have it”
– Walter – gives his $$
• Wants Travis to think they have money
• Wants Travis to believe there’s a future
Walter & Beneatha
• Brother/Sister
• Typical
• He’s jealous of her
– She has Mama’s attention
– $$ for education
– Doctor
• Walter – won’t happen/nurse
• Treats her dream as unrealistic
THEME
• Black man’s struggle
• Women’s struggle
• (to achieve dreams)
Ruth
• Struggling
• Pregnant
• Maybe her dream to travel/escape??
Mama’s values
• Family
• Religion
– Beneatha – God – Mama slaps her
• In my mama’s house there is a God
• Mama values God’s help
Beneatha
• Flits from one thing to another
– Cameras, horses, acting, guitar – all need $$$
– Express herself (good)
– Walter has some value to his argument
• Mama and Ruth support her ($$)
• Beneatha doesn’t make sacrifices
• She’s had her share and he’s resentful
Big Walter
• Was good, caring, loved children, hard
working
• Lost child and almost didn’t get over it
• Flaws – wild w/ women
Symbolism
• Plant – compare to children
• Plant – scraggly/lacks sunshine but
survives
• Children – stunted/lacks opportunity ($$$)
but survive
Act II Scene 1
• Setting: later the same day
Ruth, Beneatha, Walter
- Walter drunk
- Walter/Beneatha dance to African music
Ruth, George, Beneatha
-George – rude to Beneatha (get out of that
costume)
Beneatha’s hair cropped short
Wants to be natural, back to heritage (from
convers. w/ Asagai)
-George not interested in heritage
Liberia
• Liberia – founded in 1822, Africa’s first
Republic (independent state – elects
own people), founded by freed slaves
from America.
• Ashanti – Founded in 16th C.
• Songhay Civilizations – 11th C. Smelted iron.
• Bantu – 2/3 of African population; language;
agricultural and introduce crops; can settle
down.
• Uncle Tom – Comes from Harriet Beecher
Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin –
servile/subservient to whites – yes sir,
always takes a lower roll; slang/slur term,
negative, not standing up for your race
Beneatha, George, Ruth, Walter
• George – shallow, interested in looks, has
money
• George comes to take Beneatha to theater
– does not like how she looks
– makes comments about heritage
• Walter talking to George about father’s
business
• George bored, blows him off
Prometheus
– Greek God, stole sacred fire from Zeus, gave
it to mankind and the Gods didn’t like it. Fire
allowed them to become civilized (cook, heat,
light) – helped people advance civilization.
People went from dark/unknown to light. Put
him on a mountain and eagles ate out his
liver every day, every night it grew back, and
it was a cycle – eternal punishment.
• Walter – has big ideas, but will end up on
mountain.
Mama bought a house
• in a white neighborhood – Clybourne Park
• Ruth is excited – sees environment as pulling
them down, need to get out of there.
• Walter mad b/c he wanted the money –
butchered his dream
• Initially tells Travis – he’s the future – it’s for him
• Family falling apart before her eyes and she had
to do something
Act II Scene 2
• Friday night a few weeks later
George, Beneatha
• George tells her her looks are important
– Beneatha told Mama earlier he is shallow
– He doesn’t care about her thoughts
• Walter – discover he has not been going to
work, but to a bar
• he is being an immature child
• Defend him – he had a dream and wasn’t
going to achieve
• Mama realizes she is really to blame and
gives him $6500 - $3000 for Beneatha and
rest to put in savings to decide what to do
• Travis wants to be a bus driver
Act II Scene 3
• Saturday, moving day, one week later
• Mood – happy – Ruth and Walter in love
and getting along
• Walter and Beneatha also getting along
Mr. Lindner, Walter
• Clyborne Park Improvement Association
– “Welcoming committee” – low down on how
things are done
• “special community problems” (colored people
moving into certain areas)
• “Negro families are happier when they live in their
own communities”
• want to buy house back from the Youngers
• aren’t wanted in neighborhood
• Stereotypical bigot – (defies) polite, sit
down, communicate
• “You people” – code word shows real
reason there
• Assoc. wants to buy them out w/ financial
game
• “This friends is the welcoming committee”
– IRONY (not welcoming)
• “30 pieces and not a coin less” –
ALLUSION – Bible, Christ, Judas sold out
Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (betrayal) –
this is a betrayal of the American way of
life, and would be of ourselves.
Bobo, Walter
• Willy took off with the money
– Beneatha’s money, too – Walter did not put it
in the bank
• That money is made after my father’s flesh
– Walter
• Mama – you gave it all away
• Cat takes off with your money he don’t
leave you no roadmaps – the $$ is gone
Act III
• Mood – dark, depressed
Beneatha, Asagai
• Story about Rufus and why she wants to
be a doctor
• She feels her future is gone
• Beneatha – life is a circle – bad things
keep repeating
• Asagai – life is a line – no one knows
where it ends
Walter
•
•
•
•
Call Lindner
Wants to sell out
Mama – sees the death of his soul
Mama she taught to love when they’re
down
• Mama – asks Travis to stay
• Walter – guilt – turns into a man – keeps
house
Mama, Beneatha, Walter, Ruth
- telling Mama about the CPWC’s visit
- can’t wait for them to arrive!
- Mama brining plant – it expresses her
- gift for Mama – gardening tools,
gardening hat
Mood- hopeful, optimistic, happy