A Raisin in the Sun Money is Only an Object Essay

Does money control todays society? The Younger family is an African American family in Chicago in the 1950s. The family lives in a small and ratty one window apartment. They are an â€Å"average† family who receives the proceeds from a $10,000 life insurance policy from the death of Walter Lee Sr. Everyone in the family has their own idea of what they want to do with the money, if it was up to one of them. The authors story setting is in the apartment surrounded by various conflicts, conversations and actions of the characters. The story line is only a couple of days, but in that time the author is able to show how poverty can have a negative effect on the Younger family. Hansberry uses Walter Jr’s character to display one way that†¦show more content†¦Walter does not feel like he is the man of the house so Mama and Walter sit down and discuss it. She tells him, †¦Ã¢â‚¬ I paid the man thirty-five hundred dollars down on the house. That leaves sixty-five hundred dollars. Monday morning I want you to take this money and take three thousand dollars and put it in a savings account for Beneatha’s medical schooling. The rest you put in a checking account-with your name on it. And from now on it is for you to look after. For you to decideâ€Å"(42). Walter focused solely on the money and this caused him to think that all the money is his and he can go and do as he pleases. He was obviously disappointed when Mama did not give him any of the money initially but when she entrusted him with the remaining $6,500 it brought about a sense of pride and responsibility that had long eluded him. It was almost a renewing moment for Walter as his family life changed for the better since he was now acting as the man of the house. Hansberry lays out her thoughts in various manners through the family members. She demonstrates that having money and a desire to be in business does not mean you’re a business person. One night the family neighbor, Mrs. Johnson, comes over to chat with the family, she asks about everyone and what is going on with each family member. She continues talking about the family moving and states,â€Å"†¦ Lord-I bet this time next month y’all’s names will have been in the papersShow MoreRelatedresearch paper to raisin in the sun3138 Words   |  13 Pagesgirls are walk together as sisters and brothers.† Martin Luther King Jr. In the play â€Å"A Raisin In A Sun† by Lorraine Hansberry is essentially about dreams, including the American Dream. The play takes place around the 1950’s in Chicago’s south side, when segregation was still around. In this play you meet a cast of people with dreams of a better life that compares the novel A Raisin in the Sun with Martin Luther Kings speech I Have a Dream. It Analyzes the similar themes found in playRead More The American Dream in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun and Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman 2744 Words   |  11 Pagesbe rich. A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, and Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, both address the American Dream. Both plays discuss the desire for wealth and how the desire may lead to one’s downfall. However, each play is very different in addressing issues such as race and feminism. A Raisin in the Sun and Death of a Salesman have the same major theme of the American Dream, but address other issues differently along the way. A Raisin in the Sun is about an AfricanRead MoreCompare And Contrast A Raisin In The Sun And Lena Younger1072 Words   |  5 Pagesdifferent than the ones of a white male, however both will be equally proud of their achievements when one reaches their outcome. The American Dream can be portrayed as being able to succeed at what you want, and while both Lena Younger, Mama, in A Raisin in the Sun and Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, both had similar dreams of achieving love, Lena Younger achieves her dream by providing for her family , Gatsby’s approach on reaching his dream of through improving his wealth did not succeed. Lena YoungerRead MoreThe Great Playwright s Life Story2415 Words   |  10 Pages19, 1930. Although born during a time of hardship introduced by the Great Depression, Hansberry grew up rather comfortably in a middle-class African-American family from the Southside of Chicago (â€Å"Lorraine†). Her father, Carl Augustus Hansberry, not only established Lake Street Bank, one of the first Chicago banks to solicit black patronage, but also established himself as a successful real-estate businessman (Jacobus, â€Å"Lorraine† 1223). Despite the middle-class status, the family experienced racialRead MoreThe Roles Of Sexism And Dreams1377 Words   |  6 Pagesof the protagonists of the play, makes this sexist comment towards his sister, Beneatha, and her desire to become a doctor. Walter belittles Beneatha’s dream by implying that women are only fit for supporting roles just like their mother, Mama Lena. Debuted on Broadway in 1959, the dramatic work, A Raisin in the S un, is composed by Lorraine Hansberry, who depicts the issues of sexism and dreams. Considering these themes, how can we explore the presence of dreams as well as the ideology of sexism thatRead MoreMale Vs Female : Playwrights Of The 1950 S2361 Words   |  10 Pageswith how much money one has and being his family’s sole provider. When Walter’s father died his mother received $10,000 in life insurance payments. She takes a portion of the money and uses it to purchase a house in a well-established suburban white neighborhood. In terms of the remaining money, Walter wanted to invest in a liquor store. After much persuading, Mama finally gives in and gives Walter the rest of the money. When the investment goes belly up Walter loses all the money. His attempt toRead MoreHow Money Plays A Big Role1956 Words   |  8 PagesHow Money Plays a Big Role The Play, A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, is a story about an African American family, the Youngers, who live in an awfully, small sized, ghetto apartment in Chicago. The Youngers include, Lena the mother aka Mrs. Younger, Walter her son, Beneatha her daughter, as well as Ruth her daughter in law and Travis her grandson. The Youngers, essentially, establish a decent perspective of how money, poverty, and racism all play a role in society as well asRead MoreIs The Lengths Of Our Fingers Are So?1478 Words   |  6 Pagescertain objects. Comparable are our lives against it since we also encounter endless struggles as well as contentment all tended to stabilize our lives which counteracts extreme exposure to any one of the situations. But what if we begin to shatter this stability in the greed to only gain the better of the two? Well, we commence to fight our fates and develop conflicts in our own paths without acceptance towards miscellaneous situations. The same i s portrayed in the play, A Raisin in the Sun, whereRead More Comparing the American Dream in Millers Death of a Salesman and Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun3400 Words   |  14 PagesComparing the Destructive American Dream in Millers Death of a Salesman and Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun America is a land of dreamers. From the time of the Spanish conquistadors coming in search of gold and everlasting youth, there has been a mystique about the land to which Amerigo Vespucci gave his name. To the Puritans who settled its northeast, it was to be the site of their â€Å"city upon a hill† (Winthrop 2). They gave their home the name New England, to signify their hope for aRead MoreThe symbolism of the plant in A Raisin in the Sun1893 Words   |  8 PagesThe symbolism of the plant in A Raisin in the Sun One might ask how the scientific facts of the functional purpose of a plant would connect to a literary piece, especially the well-known play, A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry. The plant in the text symbolizes the foundation for the family, honest hope, and Mamas dreams. Symbolism is not a definition of an item, but represents something specific other than itself. Much like Mamas plant, it represents many meaningful ideas with