A Raisin in the Sun: Notes

“What happens to a dream deferred/ Does it dry up like a raisin in

the sun?”- Harlem, Langston Hughes.

Summary: A play that follows a black lower class family in the south side of Chicago
somewhere between World War 2 and the present. The play explores dreams deferred due
to racial and socioeconomic restraints.

Act 1:

⭑ We are introduced to the family, the Youngers. They each have an intense
relationship with each other. The play opens up in the morning, as the family
prepares to leave for the day, tension rises due to the morning grumpiness
experienced by the family. We feel a sense of routine, both tiring and complicated,
but nonetheless, normal.
⭑ The topic of money comes up immediately, which emphasizes the importance it
holds in each character’s life. Rich people never have to think about money.
⭑ There is a life insurance check of $10,000 that they expect to receive after the
passing of Mama’s husband. Each character has different dreams for it. Walter
wants to use it for a liquor store, Beneatha wants to put herself through medical
school. Mama wants to use it to buy a new house to better support her family,
honoring her husband.
⭑ Beneatha is a modern thinking independent young woman, who’s ideals differ from
her families. I think that the Poem, Harlem, is most applicable to people like her.
⭑ Walter, on the other hand, is criticized by Mama for being too obsessed with money,
which fits in perfectly with the community of people in a similar situation to him.
⭑ Ruth faints at the end of the scene. She is so exhausted and caught up with the daily
routine of life, that she really doesn’t have time to dream. She is a raisin in the sun.
At this point in the play, it seems like the only thing she wants is a break.
⭑ Later, Ruth finds out that she’s pregnant. I think it's interesting how the topic of an
abortion is explored here, because Mama, being heavily devout, is against Ruth
having an abortion, but the economic implications of raising another child are
serious for the Youngers. I think morals and economics intersect in this way.
⭑ The two men in Beneatha’s life, one being an African man interested in introducing
her to exploring her heritage, the other, a Black man who has made it in American
life. Connection to the Land of the Lotus Eaters, by Robert S Duncanson, a painter
 whose experience of the African diaspora was influenced by his unique mobile
upbringing and depicted in his paintings.
⭑ Mama lectures Walter about familial responsibility upon arrival of the insurance
check, but Walter remains unfaltering about his intentions with the money. Ruth
reveals she has made an abortion appointment, upsetting Mama as she sees it as an
omen for the family’s future.

Aristocratic Poetic Element: Character

I chose character to define this act mainly because we are introduced to each character
and what they dream about, as well as their constraints, relationships, and conflicts.

Act 2:

⭑ Beneatha wears an African garb and listens to traditional African music, when
Walter enters drunk and teases her. George arrives to take her out on a date,
mocking her further. She calls him an assimilationist, shaming him for becoming lost
from his heritage, defining their relationship further. Mama enters, supporting
Beneatha’s decision. It is clear that she emphasizes family and heritage over money
and status.
⭑ Walter and Ruth argue about his future and the liquor store, when Mama reveals
she will use the money to purchase a house in a white neighborhood. Walter
expresses his disappointment calmly, showing his emasculation.
⭑ Mrs. Johnson, their neighbor, warns the family about moving to the white
neighborhood, citing instances of black on white violence in a condescending but
warning way.
⭑ Mama, feeling bad for Walter, who has skipped work for 3 days because of his
depressive and hopeless mood, decides to allocate the remaining insurance money
to Walter, instructing him to give half of it to Beneatha to put her through medical
school, and the rest to use as he sees fit. He is grateful for the money.
⭑ Later on, everyone is cheerful and feeling hopeful for their new future. Ruth decides
to keep the baby. The family waits for the moving men to arrive, when a
representative from the white neighborhood shows up, offering them money in
exchange for not moving into their neighborhood. Walter tells the man that they
will stick with their decision.
⭑ Then, Walter finds out that one of his business partners has run away with the
money. The family is devastated, because their individual dreams were crushed.

Aristocratic Poetic Element: Plot

I chose the plot for this act because the events that occur affect the characters in the most
important way (receiving the check, losing the money).

Act 3:

⭑ In the beginning of this act, Ruth converses with Beneatha, and Beneatha is clearly
depressed by the loss of their money. She begins speaking pessimistically about her
future, questioning if all of the work she has done was even worth it. Her boyfriend
Asagai shows up and listens to her as well. He encourages her not to give up when
she expresses disappointment about living as a Black person in America, and he
invites her to become a doctor in Africa. She is moved by his proposal.
⭑ Walter makes the decision to call the white representative of the town they were
going to move into and accept the offer of buying them out of the neighborhood. He
feels that it was the only decision that he could make in order to properly support
his family. Both Beneatha and Mama are disappointed and disgusted with his
decision because they feel like he is giving in to the segregationist powers of the
white neighborhood, but Ruth is conflicted, understanding and exhausted with the
need for money.
⭑ Mama talks to Walter, making him realize the deeper meaning behind his decision.
She doesn’t want Walter’s son, Travis, to grow up in a house where they make
decisions and let go of their dignity for the sake of money. Walter begins to shift his
opinion.
⭑ When the representative from the white neighborhood shows up, Walter suddenly
stands up to him in front of the whole family and refuses the money, affirming his
decision to move into the new house. This is a crucial point in the play, as Walter
finally believes in his heritage and family as the number 1 forefront in his life.
⭑ The play ends with the family preparing to move into their new home. Mama takes
her plant and leaves the room. I think that this is a symbol of the new and growing
life for the Youngers and how their new life is going to blossom with the nurturing
spirits of those in the family.

Aristocratic Poetic Element: Character

I chose character for this act because many of the characters undergo changes in their
opinions and attitudes due to the effects of the events in the last act. They realize the
importance of family, heritage, and their dignity as they navigate this new stage in their life.

Intl. Canon 2: Death and The Maiden

Synopsis: A woman in Chile is married to a government worker, just after they escape a
dictatorship. Under the dictatorship, she was tortured by a man who she never met face to
face. She meets a man and then kidnaps him after suspecting him to be her former captor.

Relations:
⭑ They both explore themes of trying to escape oppression
⭑ They both explore racial and political conflict
⭑ Themes of realization of identity and its own unique meaning for each person