Generational Gap In A Raisin In The Sun

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Question 1: Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun

The play “A Raisin in the Sun” is about a coloured or black family of five people staying in the south-side of Chicago in the United States of America. The family of five lives in a two bedroomed apartment, which they all share. This has been home to Lena Younger (the head of the family) which she shared with her late husband. Life is difficult for the Younger family as they struggle from day to day to improve their poor living conditions. There is however a ray of hope; Lena Younger is awaiting a $ 10 000 pay-out from her late husband insurance money. Although Walter and Lena who are two main characters in the play have different plans for the money, they both want to use the money for something that will benefit the whole family. The generational gap/difference between the two main characters has an influence in the way they plan to use the money, and in the way they manage their ambitions and objectives. This essay will discuss how these differences …show more content…

When the $10000 arrives, Walter has plans of investing the money in a bottle store. Walter believes that if his business does well and make a lot of money, he would be able to buy his family and himself happiness. In Walter’s world, life revolves around money, or money is everything even. Lena Younger on the other hand plans to use the money to purchase a house in an affluent suburb, pay for Beneatha’s studies, and invest the rest for the wellbeing of her family. In Lena’s mind she has always wanted to restore her family’s dignity and pride. She also believed that is what her late husband would have wanted. She is content with what she has and believes that dignity is more important than money. She does not think that money can make a family happy. A significant contrast in the two character’s personalities is vividly displayed in the way they plan to use the

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