Final over A Raisin in the Sun - Essay Example

Question One “A Raisin in the Sun” is about the Younger family, an African-American family living in a meager apartment in Chicago. As poor as many were during the 1950s, the Youngers still upheld a sense of pride and family honor. The family awaits an insurance check that is to be made out to Lena Younger, for her husband’s death. Though Lena’s children and her daughter-in-law encourage Lena to spend the money on herself, Lena wants to spend it on something that can benefit the family, so she purchases a house.

Life begins to brighten for the Younger family, until a series of events causes their lives to slowly spiral downward. When Ruth, Lena’s daughter-in-law, becomes pregnant, things take an uncomfortable turn for Ruth and her husband, Walter, who is Lena’s son. Both Ruth and Walter are aware that they do not have enough money to raise another child; Walter attempts to bring up abortion as an option for Ruth. However, Ruth, being the strong-of-heart woman that she is, decides to keep the child, realizing that it is already a living, breathing being.

Eventually, Walter comes around and accepts his responsibility as a father. Unfortunately, when things are beginning to look up again, Walter loses what remained from the insurance check when he gives it to a friend for a business investment, instead of setting it aside for food and household needs. His friend runs off with the money, leaving Walter with nothing, and therefore leaving the rest of the Younger family with nothing. Though she showed strength throughout the play, Lena loses hope when she realizes that the check has been taken, leaving them with nothing, although her children are insisting that they can just work a little harder to bring more money in.

Lena becomes more hopeful at the thought that her family willsoon be living in a real home, thus being away from the tricks and crimes of a run-down street in Chicago. This dream is based, though, when the “welcoming committee” from the Youngers’ new, predominantly white neighborhood arrives and tries to buy them out of moving into the new neighborhood. At first, the family tells the white man off; however, in light of their fresh money problems, they consider taking the money offered and staying in their apartment.

However, Walter, understanding the importance of his family’s dreams, opts against taking the money, vows to work harder, and insists that the family moves into their new house, giving them a brighter future. Question Five In “A Raisin in the Sun”, Ruth and Beneatha are two women that, while sharing some similarities, can be found at opposite ends of the spectrum from each other in regard to personalities, priorities, and ideals. Ruth, while only being a mother to one child, with another on the way, acts as a mother to everyone living in the apartment.

She has everyone’s best interests at heart and she worries continuously about all of them. She often disregards her own needs to make sure that her family is safe and comfortable. Beneatha, however, is more concerned with only herself and what she needs. Her biggest focus is on getting her degree as a doctor and taking her education into the real working world. The troubles that everyone else is going through is above and beyond her concern and care. Ruth is also more warm and loving towards her family, as well as to the few others that show up throughout the play.

There may be moments in which she is upset or sarcastic, but she quickly overcomes these emotions to help her family or to make sure that they have eaten before they leave the apartment. Beneatha, on the other hand, is cold and constantly on the brink of a verbal outburst. She seldom seemed happy, and everyone seemed to be more nuisances to her than people she was actually willing to tolerate. The similarities between the two women are few and far between. The major similarity was their concern over money, though these concerns were for different reasons.

They each wanted better lives for themselves and their family, and they were both willing to do everything that they could to guarantee that the family would never have to go without. Both women also had the habit of keeping to themselves unless someone required them to be around. The plot really showed the characteristics of the two women. The aspects that truly defined them - strength, love, compassion, and irritability - showed more than ever as things began to go downhill for their family.

Instead of finding other ways to react to the situations, their traits would only intensify. In some instances, such as those involving Ruth, the traits would be welcomed changes; in regard to Beneatha, these changes were looked upon with rolling eyes and sighs of impatience.