Mama In A Raisin In The Sun

Words: 1413
Pages: 6
Open Document
Historically, single-parent families were mainly caused by parental death. 57% of these families were black during the twentieth century. When a parent must raise their children alone, sacrifices will be made to keep any family happy and from falling apart. In A Raisin in the Sun, author Lorraine Hansberry portrays a strong mother figure and widow through character Lena Younger. Also known as Mama, Lena Younger is a determined mother, grandmother, and mother-in law who will do anything and everything to keep her family together, happy, and in their right minds. With her braveness and the respect of her children on her side, Mama achieves her goal of togetherness through any situation.
Set in Chicago during the 1950s, A Raisin in the Sun …show more content…
Steady actions bring out a static character. Mama does not go through a major change. Her actions are consistently for her children. She always has their best interest at heart. When Mama enters for the first time in the play, her concern is the fight between Walter and Beneatha about schooling and money. “Who that ’round here slamming doors at this hour? … My children and they tempers … What was you and your brother fussing ’bout this morning?” When Mama exits the play, her family calls to her, waiting for her to join them. This further proves Mama’s concern for them throughout the play. If any of them were to leave her or part from each other, she would be even more concerned with them than when they were all together. She wants to stick together in order to keep an eye on them, very evident throughout the …show more content…
Anyone can try to be strong, but everyone has a weakness. In Mama’s case, her children are her greatest weakness. From the start, Lena was not too thrilled about Walter trying to not only open a liquor store, but overall do something bigger with his life. She did not believe in him. When Walter becomes restless over this desire of his, Mama digs deeper and changes her opinion. She begins to believe that he can be something better. She designates Walter as the financial head of the family; in charge of any income. The Younger bank account now belongs to Walter. In fact, Mama could have easily kept the insurance check money to herself. What does she do? She leaves money in the bank for Walter and sets some aside for Beneatha’s schooling. She knew her children needed it, and she gave up what could be hers for them. She shows her children that she believes in them after all. If her children are happy and know they are supported, they will stay with
Show More

Related Documents: Mama In A Raisin In The Sun

Raisin In The Sun Mama

In the play A Raisin In the sun, the character mama makes the choice to give the money to Walter younger. As a result Walter causes for him to lose the money he was given by Mama and shows himself to be to trustworthy in people he meets. Mamma makes the choice of giving the money to Walter. She had made the decision of handing him $6,00 dollars that was left from the down payment on the house. Mamma makes this choice because she has the most trust and him and believes that he should be the man in…

Words 453 - Pages 2

A Raisin In The Sun Mama Character Analysis

In the play A Raisin in the Sun, the character Mama chooses to buy their family a new house. By doing so she causes conflict between family members and the people in the neighborhood since they are all white. Buying the house makes Mama brave because a lot of conflict came along with that choice. The Youngers had received $10,000 of insurance money from Big Walter’s death and the family had many ways to spend it such as on Beneatha’s medical school, or Walter’s liquor store. But at the time the…

Words 377 - Pages 2

Character Analysis Of Mama In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

A Raisin In The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a novel and play about a black family in the early 1900s. They get ten thousand dollars of insurance money because their father died. Throughout the book Walter wants to spend the money on a liquor store but Mama wants to buy a house and support the family. In Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun Mama is a religious, righteous and hopeful character. This influences her family especially her son Walter. First of all mama is religious this helps her family cope…

Words 720 - Pages 3

A Raisin In The Sun Essay

Dreams are something that everyone has. No matter the age, time period, race, or part of the world they may be from every person has a dream. In “A Raisin in the Sun” the author tells a story of deferred dreams and the way one family tries to cope with everyday life when their dreams seem unattainable. Through her use of literary elements like symbolism, conflict, and setting Lorraine Hansberry is able to clearly demonstrate her theme of deferred dreams. Through the use of symbolism Hansberry is…

Words 886 - Pages 4

Raisin In The Sun Essay

Raisin In The Sun—The Continually Compelling Drama Raisin In The Sun—a play written by Lorraine Hansberry—appeared nearly 50 years ago on Broadway. Raisin In The Sun confronts, racism, grief, power struggle, gender discrimination and the thirst for money all within a two-hour play. The themes discussed previously are still very prevalent in today’s society, as they were to the characters in the play; which makes Raisin In The sun a continually compelling drama today. Throughout Hansberry’s play…

Words 420 - Pages 2

Anatomy: A Raisin in the Sun and Sun Lorraine Hansberry Essay

Marvin Vaca Professor Eszter Szalczer ATHR 121Z/Play Analysis 16 April 2012 A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry, playwright of “A Raisin in the Sun,” was born in 1930, but tragically died at the young age of thirty-five. Her shocking death was a huge loss for the American drama community; she seemed to be in line for a very promising career. Hansberry was raised in Chicago and her family was of middle-class. However, her father always wanted a better life and he spent most of his existence…

Words 754 - Pages 4

Comparing The American Dream In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Ciara Willheart Ms. Jones American Literature 1 June 2015 The American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, Lena fulfilled her “American dream” while Beneatha’s was deferred, but only after they thought about their dream and chose what was best for their family. Lena achieved her goal, although Beneatha wasn’t as fortunate with her dream. Beneatha is a young college student, who is gullible to new things. She is caring but also has…

Words 532 - Pages 3

A Raisin In The Sun Literary Criticism

struggling through the rough times and had to overcome those struggles. For A Raisin in the Sun, I chose the historical theory to help me analyze acts one and two. The author wrote the play about her life and in her times there were many hardships that came with being black. First, Ruth Younger does more than what most women would do in 1950’s – she spoke out and wanted change against the norms that everyone had been following…

Words 929 - Pages 4

research paper to raisin in the sun

the content of their character.” “I have a dream that one day little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with white boys and white girls are walk together as sisters and brothers.” Martin Luther King Jr. In the play “A Raisin In A Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry is essentially about dreams, including the American…

Words 3137 - Pages 13

A Raisin In The Sun Analysis

Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is a play depicting the life of a typical black family living in Chicago during the 1950s. The title of this play comes from the poem by Langston Hughes “Harlem” which Hansberry placed in the preface of her play. The first line of the poem “Harlem” asks about a dream deferred and goes on to describe what might happen to that dream. The characters in Hansberry’s play reflect some of these descriptions as their dreams are set aside. A Raisin in the Sun shows the Younger…

Words 850 - Pages 4