Beneatha Younger In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Ben Carson once said “Ambition, like a torrent, never looks back.” Beneatha Younger is a hopeful, ambitious young woman who hopes to achieve her goals despite the stereotypes of the time. She is a main character in Lorraine Hansberry's award winning play, “A Raisin In The Sun”. “A Raisin In The Sun” is a play about the Youngers, an African American family of five living in Chicago in the 1950’s. They live in a very cramped apartment, which is shared with another family. The play begins with them all eagerly waiting for an insurance check, in the name of their dead patriarch, for $10,000. Tensions rise as the members of the family all want to use the money differently.

Very early on in the play, it is plain to see that Beneatha is very flighty when it comes to her interests. She is constantly jumping from activity to activity, seemingly at the drop of a hat. Her mother briefly mentions all of the money

This is an especially farfetched ambition, considering the fact that it was a male dominated profession. She is initially met with skepticism by her family, but soon they grow to accept her wishes. Since Walter loses the money, there is seemingly no way for Beneatha to follow her dream. That is, until Asagai offers for him to take her to Nigeria to study medicine, as well as a marriage proposal. She accepts both.

In conclusion, Beneatha Younger is truly a woman like no other. She is fully aware of the obstacles ahead of her, but she continues to pursue her dreams in spite of them. She frequently goes against the status quo, much to the chagrin of her family. To her, making something of her life is more important than living up to the rigid, unforgiving expectations set up for women by society. These are the reasons why even today, years after it’s initial release, Beneatha Younger is seen as an important and influential character in North American