A Raisin In The Sun Lena Younger Analysis
The play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, is about a poor African-American family living in a run-down section of Chicago in the 1950’s. The passage above is spoken by Lena Younger, also known as Mama, the matriarch of the family, to her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Lena’s son Walter, is feels emasculated due to his inability to be the “man in the family.” Walter equates manhood with his inability to provide financially for his impoverished family. However, Mama although a traditionalist, equates manhood with honor, and not with money as does her son Walter. Hansberry in the passage above, stresses the importance of obtaining self esteem from integrity or character, rather than from material wealth.
Walter Younger accepts conventional social norms about the role of the “man” in the family. By identifying with these norms, Walter allows himself to be demeaned due to his inability to provide financially for his extended family. Seeing her son getting increasingly depressed, Mama decides to give Walter a portion of the life insurance proceeds she receives from the death of
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When Walter rejects Mr. Linsner’s bribe, he regains his self-esteem by establishing himself as an equal with Mr. Linsner. Walter gives up his misguided impression that his status as a man comes from material wealth and gains his family’s respect by choosing dignity for the Youngers. Thus, the author Hansberry informs that reader that despite her society’s racist and sexist tendencies, choosing between right and wrong is ultimately what defines
Similarities Between A Raisin In The Sun And Frederick Douglass
943 Words | 4 PagesIn Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, we see the story of a young man who believes having money is the key to happiness. In the story, Walter recieves a check and with it, his excitement grows. However, his mother and wife do not share the same passion he does. " WALTER: A job.
Compare And Contrast Po Boy Blues And A Raisin In The Sun
666 Words | 3 PagesDue to the loss of his and his sister’s money, Walter breaks down and decides to demean himself in front of Lindner, who wishes for the Youngers to rethink moving into his white neighbourhood. However, right before Walter loses all his dignity from grovelling at the white man’s feet, Mama steps in with Travis. Travis is Walter’s son, who he loves and cares for immensely. With his young son there as witness, Walter is finally able to muster up enough determination to face Lindner and refuse his offer of money for their new home. Due to his family and compassion for his son, Walter is able to face his loses and keep moving forward.
A Raisin In The Sun Analytical Essay
625 Words | 3 PagesIn the novel A Raisin In The Sun, Lorraine Hansberry brings in multiple characters for brief periods. Each character impacts the story in his or her own specific way. In Hansberry’s realistic fiction novel, she allows the reader to experience what it is like to live in a time period where African Americans and Whites are not considered equals. She gives in depth scenarios, showing what it is truly like to be an African American in Chicago during the 1950’s. The characters in the story experience a multitude of issues involving society, culture, and family.
Impact Of Greed In A Raisin In The Sun
1148 Words | 5 PagesAll in all, Hansberry teaches the reader about the negative power of being wealth centered by the actions of the minor characters throughout the
Masculinity In A Raisin In The Sun
114 Words | 1 PagesIn “To Be a Man,” Julie Burrell claims that there are two types of masculinity present in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun: Mama’s version of masculinity that’s rooted from “a life-affirming Black tradition” and Walter’s version of masculinity that’s dependent on earning money for the family. (3). Initially, in Hansberry’s play, Walter was solely focused on acquiring power through wealth; however, with the decision he made to move into the white neighborhood in the end, he had grew out of his mindset of having a “capitalist masculinity.” Burrell stated that “Walter's newfound manhood...allows him to support the dreams of the women in the household against the obstacles of racist and sexist oppression"
A Raisin In The Sun Theme Essay
916 Words | 4 PagesThe author, Lorraine Hansberry, puts in different characters to help display these themes and the correlation between money and how it affects people. In A Raisin in the Sun, there is a connection between pride and money with more than one character. She puts these specific characters in to display the themes clearly. Lorraine Hansberry puts Walter in the beginning of the story as very pride driven, never wanting to show his son or family their financial struggles. He is a hard worker, but being a chauffeur for a rich white man is difficult for him and his pride and further into the play takes a toll on his attitude, ambitions and family’s future.
Raisin In The Sun Character Analysis
1500 Words | 6 PagesThis shows the family such as Mama and Ruth that they can’t trust Walter with anything now because he lost all of the portion of the money. He is looked down upon for not becoming the “Man” of the house and taking full responsibility when he is supposed to. Another traditional gender role that I see Hansberry challenging is Beneatha in the middle of the book. Beneatha explains how she has started taking guitar lessons Mama and Ruth laugh out loud making fun of her and asking why she wants to play the guitar. All of sudden she gets upset when Mama and Ruth don’t take it seriously “How come you done taken it in your mind to learn to play the guitar?”
James M. Cain's Double Identity
643 Words | 3 PagesWalter explicitly tells Phyllis that he has been working for this insurance company for fifteen years, yet he creates a whole plan to out win the company (7). When Walter states how successful he is for his spring sales, one thinks that he makes good money. So then why does Walter need more of it? The character of Walter represents the ambitious man in the 1930s whom seeks to make quick cash at any expense, in this case by betrayal and murder. Overall, Double Identity themes of infidelity and ambition reflect the effects of the historical background going on during the 1930s, the Great Depression.
A Raisin In The Sun Play Analysis
794 Words | 4 PagesHe has worked his entire life as chauffeur and has always wanted to go beyond being that though he has nothing to look forward to due to lack of economical power. In families, usually the one who brings money home leads and has the power. In the play, Walter has no control of his family mainly because his salary does not give him power. Also, Lena Younger has the insurance check from Big Walter which contained $10.000, making the Youngers depend on her and not on Walter Lee’s budget. As he is seen in the play, it can be deduced that his stressed personality mainly comes from the fact that he has no money to portray power.
A Raisin In The Sun Dignity Analysis
667 Words | 3 PagesA Raisin in the Sun Dignity is the most important thing to Walter Lee in A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry. While in the beginning, Walter states that “Life is money,” by the end, he seems to value his dignity more. Throughout the play, he wants, more than anything, to be an owner of a liquor store. He soon decides, however, that it’s more important for his family to have dignity, than to give in to what society expects of them.
Manhood In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
1076 Words | 5 PagesThe definition of manhood is “The transition from a boy to a Man,” but is really what mahood means to men? Throughout the text the idea of being a man is a large role in Walter’s decisions and actions. Some may argue that Walter is not a man, yet some may argue that he is. The author, Lorraine Hansberry, has not put this topic in for no reason. Walter is very insecure about his manhood throughout the story and his mother even tries to give his manhood to him.
Generational Differences In A Raisin In The Sun
550 Words | 3 PagesSpecifically, Hansberry addresses the issue of generational differences between Benny and Mama. Mama’s style of life was tremendously different from Benny in many ways, as she has an old school mentality. For example Mama believes that the world revolves around God as He decides everyones faith. Mama’s remarks describe her beliefs the best as she says to
A Raisin In The Sun And Beneatha's Relationship
941 Words | 4 PagesIn the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Beneatha has one relationship with George Murchison, the other with Joseph Asagai. The relationship that Beneatha has with these two men are different in health, Beneatha’s relationship with Asagai is healthier than her relationship with George. The author is using Beneatha’s contrasting relationships to show that wealth and upbringing do not define how a one treats another in a relationship. Beneatha’s relationship with Asagai is healthier because Asagai has a more positive view on the world, Asagai is friendlier to Beneatha’s family, and Asagai cares about what Beneatha wants in her life.
Racism In A Raisin In The Sun
873 Words | 4 PagesOut of a family of five, three people work: Walter Lee as a chauffeur to a wealthy white family, Ruth as a housemaid, and Mama as a nanny to other peoples children. This is clearly necessary to afford basic needs as shown in their apartment, with “weariness [having], in fact won” (Hansberry pg.23). It is clear in Hansberry’s characterization that the members of the Younger family are dissatisfied with their station in life, albeit to varying degrees; Walter Lee in particular is very vocal regarding their poverty, as he states at one point: “I got boy who sleeps in the living room- and all I got to tell him is stories about how rich white people
Similarities Between Marriage Is A Private Affair And A Raisin In The Sun
673 Words | 3 PagesIn “A Raisin In The Sun,” the character of Walter is expected to be the breadwinner and the head of the household, while his wife, Ruth, is expected to take care of the home and the children. Similarly, in “Marriage Is A Private Affair,” the character of Okeke is expected to follow the traditions of his tribe and marry a woman from his own culture, while his fiancee, Nene, is expected to be obedient and submissive to her husband. These gender norms limit the personal growth and autonomy of the characters, as they are expected to conform to societal expectations rather than pursue their own dreams and aspirations. The evidence that supports this argument is the way in which both stories depict the struggles of the characters in breaking free from gender norms. In “A Raisin In The Sun,” Walter’s desire to start his own business and become financially independent clashes with his wife Ruth’s desire for stability and security.
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