“A RAISIN IN THE SUN”
AFTER-READING NOTES.
1. Know the characters and be able to match them to specific situations and actions.
2. Become familiar with the introductory notes that you took at the beginning of this
unit.
3. Make sure you know what happens in the play itself.
4. Issues in this play:
-race relationships
-assimilationism (the process by which a small group of people is forced by
circumstances to become a part of a larger group. The assimilated group loses its
identity, while the assimilating group maintains its traditions and values.
-women’s rights. Ruth works outside the home like Walter, but when they come
home, Ruth has to continue working. While blacks feel segregated and denied of
their rights, both races segregate against women by expecting them to work in and out
of the home.
-generation issues. Mama is an older person, so her views are contrary to those of
her children. There are three generations of women living in this apartment:
a. Mama, in her sixties. She is thoughtful, and frank, to the extent of talking
about her husband’s womanizing.
b. Ruth, in her thirties, talks more to her husband about her feelings and ideas than
mama ever did with her husband.
c. Beneatha, in her early twenties, is the most educated. Her view of the woman’s
place is different from the above two women who seem to believe their place is in
the kitchen. She is pursuing a career that is predominantly male. She is very
independent, to a point of dating two men at the same time, and talks to them
without reservation—something mama and Ruth cannot do with their men.
- cultural issues and views. Through Asagai-an African, we realize skin color is not
in itself a qualifying symbol of unity. Asagai is black, like the Youngers, but his
views about politics, money, gender issues, and even beauty, are different. He thinks
it is foolish and belittling for Beneatha to straighten her hair. He takes his
relationship with Beneatha more seriously than she does, which is why she is
surprised when he proposes. But we must note that Asagai “fits in” with the
Youngers than George (black American), who argues with Beneatha in front of her
family, talks down at people of lesser financial ability, and almost gets into a fight
with Walter before he (George) leaves the house.
Walter, on the other hand, seems to have a problem with Beneatha’s desire to
become a doctor. Like many other people in the American culture at the time, he
believes she should instead become a “nurse like other women-or just get married
and be quiet.”
Fertility. There is constant indirect mention of fertility in the play. The eggs are a
symbol of fertility (like the Easter bunny and the rabbit, both present in springtime
festivals). Walter wants to eat eggs at the beginning of the play. He wants them
UNSCRAMBLED, but Ruth scrambles them anyway. This causes an argument.
Later, Ruth almost ‘scrambles’ her pregnancy, which Walter would rather be left
alone. This causes an argument again, which Walter wins in the end. Mama
remembers having lost a baby (Claude), which is an indirect allusion to fertility.
Note: In the end, we learn that mama’s maiden name was Lena Eggleston. Note the
Egg at the beginning of that name.
- Cultural diversity/identity. Culture is not limited to race. George is presented as a
person from a different culture, that of rich black people, whom the poor blacks
(represented by Beneatha), consider same as or worse than “snobbish white people.”
Asagai is presented as another culture-a true African. Wily is another culture-one of
hoodlums and same as the leaders of Africa, who oppress the very people they are
supposed to protect and guide. Beneatha is an American black woman who is
disconnected from her culture, and makes a conscientious effort to belong to a culture she
knows little about.
The author of this book knew a lot about Africa because her uncle had been a teacher of
African History. Among his students was Kwame Nkrumah, a courageous man who led
Ghana to independence.
Other things you need to know:
*Ruth is as tired as the apartment because she “accommodates the living of too many
people,” doing laundry and cooking for them.
 The alarm bell at the beginning of the play is symbolic. It signals a wake-up call
to not only the characters, but also to the world and its diverse cultures.
 Mama is the most sensitive character in the play. She is the only one who senses
something is wrong with Ruth, long before Ruth mentions she is pregnant. The
next most sensitive character is Asagai. He comforts Beneatha when her money
is lost. He comes to help with the moving and goes to great length to get her
some presents-which George doesn’t do although he has more money. He offers
Beneatha renewed hope if she moves with him to Nigeria.
 George is an example of the results of assimilationism. He hates his own race,
and doesn’t care about his African heritage. Any blacks who wanted acceptance
and gain wealth would have to follow this course.
 The character Mrs. Johnson tells the reader about the difference between racism
in the south and the north. In the south, it was open and blatant. In the north, it is
subtle, and therefore more difficult to identify and conquer.
 The thirty pieces of silver mentioned by Beneatha in Act II scene 3 allude to the
amount of money Judas Iscariot asked the Pharisees before he betrayed Jesus.
This was the highest possible price for a slave in Israelite times.
 The song “Everybody talkin’ ‘bout heaven ain’t goin’ there” was regularly sang
by slaves whose owners were religious people.
 Eventually, Walter gains some form of independence-without money, when he
faces Lindner over the sale of the house.