Important Characters
Lena Younger – Mama
Walter Younger – Mama’s son, brother of Beneatha, husband of Ruth, father of Travis
Beneatha Younger – Mama’s daughter, sister of Walter
Ruth Younger – Walter’s wife, mother of Travis
Joseph Asagai – a Nigerian student who is in love with Beneatha
George Murchison – a wealthy black man who dates Beneatha
Mr. Lindner – a white man who arrives at the Youngers’ apartment to try and discourage them from moving into Clybourne Park (a white neighborhood)
I would argue that Beneatha is the main character of A Raisin in the Sun because she is the embodiment of the past and the future. Due to her youth and her goal to become a doctor, she represents progress and what the world can become, with Asagai calling her the “New World” and Walter saying she is a part of the “New Negroes”. She even calls Ruth and Walter old-fashioned. However, she also does not want to lose the past and history, becoming very offended when Asagai accuses her of being an assimilationist. Thus, she is a combination of the past and future. This is demonstrated even in her speech, with it being described as different from the rest of her family because of her education, but also not completely having lost its Southside influence.
At the beginning of the play, Beneatha is situated as the child who is going to college in order to become a doctor, saying, “And forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all!”. As opposed to Walter, she thinks Mama should do what she wants with the money and that Walter and her do not have a say. She is portrayed as being more independent, not wanting to marry George just because he is rich, instead wanting to be a doctor. Beneatha is not present for the arrival of the insurance check and the next time we see her, she is dressed in the Nigerian robes Asagai gave her. In this scene, she is described as looking “back to the past”, dancing and chanting along with the music. She has even cut her hair, saying she hates “…assimilationist Negroes”, adding that George should not be ashamed of his heritage.
One of the next pivotal moments of the dramatic action is when Mr. Lindner arrives at the apartment. Beneatha understands faster than Ruth and Walter what Linder is saying, understanding that he is not welcoming them into Clybourne Park. While Ruth and Walter think he is coming to talk to them in order to understand one another’s problems, Beneatha understands that this is not true, very aware that Lindner is racist, despite him trying to hide it.
The next big moment is when the family learns that Walter lost all the money, including the money for Beneatha’s schooling. Instead of getting mad at Walter, Beneatha stops her mom from hitting him. In the next scene, Beneatha has changed her mind about wanting to be a doctor, saying her way of thinking was that of an idealist. She tells Asagai how others took her future away, angrily rejecting the New World when she says the New World has created her brother and look what he did (losing their money).
After Walter reveals his plan in contacting Lindner again, Beneatha says that he is not a man, giving up hope and saying there is nothing left to love in Walter. However, this changes when Walter stands up to Lindner and her sadness turns into excitement while the family begins to move their boxes, deciding to move into the house after all. She tells her mother how Asagai asked her to marry her and move to Africa with him to become a doctor, an idea she is very excited by, telling Walter that she would never marry George. The end of the play situates her as the combination of the past and the future. She still wants to be a doctor, the future, but she also wants to move to Nigeria, which is representative of the past. Therefore, she is embracing the New World while also keeping her history in mind.
I think A Raisin in the Sun is saying that the American Dream is achievable but it is much easier for white people to attain compared to people of color. Since the consensus of the day was that the American Dream was accessible to everyone who had a strong work ethic, the Younger family contradicts this notion. Despite being a hard working family, the Youngers have been unable to achieve the American Dream, only able to buy a house when they receive a life insurance check. Though Mr. Younger worked for that money, the family was not able to receive the money until he died, thus delaying the American Dream. However, through the demonstration of George Murchison’s very wealthy family, the play is also saying that people of color can achieve the American Dream. It is important to note though that the Murchisons are still an exception.
In the play, the characters do wish for the American Dream, such as when both Ruth and Mama want a house instead of an apartment. When it is learned that Mama bought a house, Ruth says, “…a home”. This stresses the notion that an apartment is not a home but a house is, emphasizing the idea of the time that the American Dream involves a house. Walter also longs for the American Dream, wanting to be the executive of his own business and have a house, a Chrysler, Cadillac, and to be able to afford any college his son Travis wants to attend, wanting to hand Travis the world. It is the idea of giving your children the future you never had, wanting them to be successful. Beneatha represents this success because she is going to school to be a doctor, something that was still rare at the time for women in general. However, her interest in moving to Nigeria at the end of the play demonstrates that though she is moving forward in her life, there is still a part of her that looks to the past, therefore suggesting she does not completely buy into the American Dream as defined in the postwar era.
Note – The American Dream in the postwar era was more about leaving the past behind and moving on with one’s life.
October 27, 2018
Works Cited
May, Elaine Tyler. Homeward Bound. New York, Basic Books, 1999.
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