A RAISIN IN THE SUN BOOK REPORT

A RAISIN IN THE SUN

Lena Younger (Mama) is the matriarch of the family. Her husband has died. The Younger Family consists of Walter Lee and Beneatha. Walter Lee is married to Ruth and works as a chauffeur. They have a young son, Travis, and Ruth suspects she is pregnant again. Beneatha is much younger and aspires to be a doctor. Due to her husband’s death, Mama is waiting for the arrival of her husband’s $10,000 life insurance policy. Mama, Walter Lee, and Ruth and Beneatha each have their own ideas on how to spend the money and are anxiously awaiting to begin their new lives.

Today, Mama is smiling. It is her last day of work. She is now retired. She has been a maid for a rich white couple for many years. She stops at the grocery store to buy apples to make her family an apple pie. As she reaches for fresh fruit she sees there are bruised ones available. She asks the clerk to look in the back for better fruit and he returns with rotten fruit. She asks him, “Am I being charged for the worms?” He just says, “If you don’t want them, then don’t buy them. She leaves to go elsewhere. What happened to the times when people wanted to sell their best produce?

Mama arrives home to the small apartment she shares with her family. They share a hallway bathroom with the neighbors. Her grandson, Travis, sleeps on the couch. Mama wants to move the family from this small apartment to a bigger house in a better neighborhood, a dream she and her husband shared. This would allow the family to stay together and give them more opportunities to better their lives. Walter Lee works as a chauffeur and hates the idea of working for the white man in a job that he feels is so demeaning. He wants to use the insurance money to invest in a liquor store with his friends. Ruth agrees with Mama and thinks a bigger house in a better neighborhood would provide more space for their family and opportunities for their son, Travis. Though she acknowledges her pregnancy, she feels another child would place unnecessary financial burden on the family. Beneatha wants to use the insurance money for her medical education. She feels her family is too caught up in the white man’s world. Everyone having to conform to the white’s man’s society. At this time in her life, she is trying to find her natural self, where she fits in. She is looking for her identity by looking to the past – African past.

Beneatha has 2 boyfriends. George Murchison, a wealthy African- American. The family likes George but Beneatha feels he fits too easily into white society. He is unaware and does not want to be made aware of his African roots. Joseph Asagai, on the other hand, is a Nigerian student who is in love with Beneatha. He is very proud of his African heritage and Beneatha hopes to learn about her African heritage from him.
Walter Lee has made plans with his friend Bobo. Bobo has a family but is also interested in getting out of the ‘rat race’ of working for someone else. He would like to partner with Walter Lee in the liquor store business – own their own business. Bobo knew a man named Willie who claimed he knew how to get their business started. All Willie needed was some ‘seed’ money from both Walter Lee and Bobo and he would put the word out of their interest and set them up. This excited Walter Lee and Bobo and they knew they were on their way out of poverty. All Walter Lee had to do now was talk Mama into giving him the insurance money to invest in his dream which, of course, would benefit the entire family.

Walter was excited when he got home; he tried to tell the family of his plan to open a liquor store. He wanted them to know that with this liquor store they could become rich. However, Ruth was talking about her pregnancy with Mama. Mama was asking Ruth how her appointment was with their family doctor (their family doctor is male). Ruth kept saying, ‘she’ when responding to Mama’s questions. Mama was a bit surprised when she kept referring to ‘she’. Mama was thinking to herself ‘what doctor is she talking about?’ Walter became angry that no one was listening to him and he stormed out of the apartment and went to the bar.

Several days later Mama received a phone call from Walter Lee’s job. He hadn’t been to work in days and if he didn’t come in the next day, he would be fired. Mama went looking for her son and found him in the same bar. He followed her to a nearby diner. There, Mama told Walter Lee that she had put $3,500.00 on the down payment on a new home. She wanted him to put $3000.00 in the bank for Beneatha’s college fund. The remaining $3,500.00 was for him to do with what he wanted. She told him she would never stop trusting him just like she would never stop loving him. She knew he would do the right thing. Walter Lee was very happy. Finally, he

would have his dream. Finally, he would make them all proud of him. Finally, he would make them all rich.

Walter Lee met his friend Bobo and gave him the $6,500.00 to give to Willie, a trusted business partner, someone Bobo knew who would spread the money around Springfield, Chicago to help start up a liquor store business.

Mama told the family about the new home they would be moving to. She tells them the house is in Clybourne Park, an all white neighborhood. They immediately started packing.

Mr. Lindner, from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association pays the Younger family a visit. Mama is not home and Walter Lee and Beneatha talk with Mr. Lindner. Mr. Lindner states he represents their future neighbors. The neighbors are a bit concerned that a family like them is moving to the neighborhood. They do not feel the Younger’s would be happy there, would fit in there. The Association wants to keep peace among all its neighbors. Therefore, Mr. Lindner is prepared to pay Mrs. Younger the amount she paid for the house to NOT move to Clybourne Park. The neighbors all feel that would be the best thing to do for everyone’s sake. What Mr. Lindner is really saying is that he and the neighbors do not want blacks in their neighborhood. He is trying to hide the racism in nice words. Beneatha recognizes the racism immediately. Walter Lee rejects Mr. Lindner’s offer. He leaves his business card, however, in the hopes they would change their mind.

Beneatha decides she doesn’t want to continue her relationship with George. She considers him small minded and too caught up in white society. She gets a marriage proposal from Joseph who wants her to go to medical school and move to Africa with him.

When Mama returns home she is told of Mr. Lindner’s visit. Beneatha tells her Mr. Lindner was the ‘welcoming committee’ of the neighborhood. She is not surprised. She is proud that Walter Lee rejected the offer and continues packing. It is now moving day.

There is much excitement on this day. A new life for all is to begin. Walter Lee is anxiously waiting for Bobo to visit with the good news of their new liquor store business. Bobo does come to visit but brings unexpected bad news. Bobo went to the Springfield train station for Willie’s arrival back with news of their liquor store. He waited, and waited and waited some more. Not only did Willie have all the money that Walter Lee had but also all the money that

Bobo and his wife had. Bobo had to admit to Walter Lee that Willie ran off with all their money.

Walter Lee told his family he lost all the money Mama gave him. He did not go to the bank to deposit Beneatha’s college money. Beneatha was so angry with him. Mama, in her disappointment, starts to unpack and begins talking about how they can fix up the apartment. Ruth, however, feels they can still move and with the 3 of them working they can make the payments. Walter Lee seriously considers Mr. Lindner’s offer to buy the house back. It would at least give them $3,500.00 of the insurance money back. He contacts Mr. Lindner. But as he begins to tell Mr. Lindner that he accepts the offer, he doesn’t like the words he is saying and refuses the offer again. The moving men continue moving boxes. Mama gathers her plant as a reminder of what she is leaving but more so of the new life they are moving to. Yes, it will be difficult moving into a neighborhood where they know they are not wanted but she believes the family will succeed as long as they stick together.