Summary/main events

Walter and his son, Travis

A Raisin in the Sun is a play that was written by Lorraine Hansberry in 1959. It portrays an African-American family called the Youngers living in Chicago around the 1950s. In the family, there is the father Walter Lee, Walter’s wife Ruth, Walters and Ruth’s child Travis, Ruth’s sister Beneatha, and Walter’s mother Mama. The opening scene of this play was very significant because it gives us the first look at the way Walter lives his life. He is greedy but cares about what his family and others think of him. In this scene Travis asks for fifty cents from his mother for school and she says they don't have it. Then Walter comes into the scene and gives his son a dollar so his so keeps a positive reputation with his son. He doesn't want his son to think he is poor or don't have the money. Then the Youngers receive a $10,000 insurance check from Walter’s recently deceased father because of his life insurance policy. There is much conflict between the family members (mainly between Walter and Mama) over what to use the money for. Walter wants to use the money to buy a liquor store with his friends and Mama wants to buy their own house since that is what her husband wanted. Beneatha also wants to use some of the money so she can get a medical school tuition. The entire book is based around this and the struggles of the family deciding what to do with the money. They all want different things and nobody knows what to do. Mama wants to buy a house, Benetha wants to pay for schooling to follow her dream of becoming a doctor and Walter wants to open a liquor store with Bobo and a man named Willy Harris. Mama doesn't like Willy Harris one bit but Walter is convinced that Willy is the only one who understands him. Mama's intentions were correct about Willy. When walter was given the money he invested all of the money with Willy Harris after Mama took her cut out for the house and Willy ran off with all of the money. They then were left with an ultimatum. The family could either take money from the all white neighborhood and make a profit on the house or they could be proud and move in and take the discrimination. A man named Mr. Linder was appointed to come out and talk to them about the situation, he said they would buy the house back from them and then some. They refused and moved into the house regardless. This showed Walters change of heart throughout the book realizing the true values to a man compared to where he was in the beginning of the play. Moving into this house caused problems for example, they were almost broke moving in but they didn't care it was a sense of pride. Benetha would have to choose between finishing her degree and really working for it or giving up on it. As well as if she wants to go with Asagai to Africa to help her people but that would also probably cost her own life as well. Mama got her dream and is happy that her family is becoming the people she wants them to be now. In the end you are left with an open book you can interpret what you want, a very fitting ending to the craziness that occurred throughout the play.