Literary Elements of A Raisin In The Sun Essay

The play has a very strong view on Feminism in the 1960's. The three characters which are women; Mama, Ruth and beneath show an influence over the men of the family, They are the main supporters of the family, because Walter is too lazy to do anything or care about his family, since all that is important to him is money. Mama is by far the dominant female in the family, since she directly gave Benetha orders to say "there is still a god in my mothers house" and Benetha obeyed her, so that makes Mama dominant over Her. Now Ruth listens to Mama and respects her as the sole leader of the household, because she is the oldest and wisest. The women of Raisin in the sun all are very important because of their roles and personalities.

The importance of children in this play is that of a great influence. Walter, Benetha and Travis are the only "children" of the play and they all play an important role. Walter displays an unselfish characteristic that is overshadowed by unwise decisions in the play in one particular scene, his son Travis asked both parents for money. Walter acts out of pride and little motivation by giving Travis his last pocket change. This symbolizes Walter's willingness to be a good father. In a different situation, Walter wouldn't display his selfish intentions. This behavior can be attributed to working in a degrading, underpaid position and not seeing results. Another reason for the importance of children in the play is that if Mama hadn't told Travis to stay in the apartment when Walter was going to sell out to Lindler, then Walter would not of stood up to Lindner, and he would of sold the house. He didnt do this because he wanted the respect of his children, and to not look like someone who could easily be persuaded into things.

The symbols in A Raisin in the Sun were a very important aspect of the play. The four main symbols were; Mamas plant, Walters' liquor store, Ruths unborn child and the house in Clyborne Park. Mama's plant is the main symbol of the story. The purpose of the plant is to show hope. Mama perpetually tends to her small window plant and returns to it at the conclusion of the play. Because of her love for foliage, the family buys her gardening tools and a gardening hat as a moving gift. It is something genuine that Mama loves and that she can grow and tend to on her own. Its main purpose is to show that you should never give up and always have hope. Walter's liquor store is another symbol in that is a show that you shouldn't waste money on "shady" things and not all people can be trusted. When Willy Harris runs off with Walters money, Walter realizes that he has done wrong and needs to do something to redeem himself. Ruth's unborn child symbolizes the future, and what my stories it could bring. Walter wants her to get an abortion foreshadowing that they might have a bad future. The unborn baby is a symbol in that some looks for the future, while others hide from it. The house in Clybourne Park symbolizes a new beginning, or a fresh start. It shows that everyone in the Younger family needs a fresh start and that they will be willing to do anything for one.

George and Asagai are two very interesting characters in that they are very different in their views but they both like Benetha. George is a rich upper class boy who has little respect for Benetha and his cultural history. George has totally walked away from his race and community with his materialistic attitude and his feelings of supremacy. George rather denounces his race then to accept it and grow on it. George's behavior is a betrayal of his heritage and reveals his insecurities. Asagai, on the other hand, is the proud African man; he is the only character who knows where he is going in life and how to get there. He is not concerned about matters with money or status in society. Asagai is a simple man who encourages Beneatha to explore her heritage. He enlightens Beneatha about her African heritage and tells her she should be proud of her heritage. Beneatha is the only person in her family that has a strong sense of ethnic pride and she's the only one who makes an attempt to learn about her culture. Asagai isn't liked very much by Walter, he prefer that Beneatha marry a rich man instead. Asagai is what Walter will never understand, a man very proud of his heritage. I think that Asagai would be a better husband to Benetha because he is caring, unlike George, who just want to get Benetha in the sack, but Asagai cares about Benethas future and they both share an interest in their heritage.

Each of the characters in Raisin in the Sun each has a particular dream for a better future. Mamas dream is the main dream, because it is the one that goes through. Mama's husband, Walter Lee Sr. passed away and the family came across $10000 in insurance money. Mama uses the money to help her family and does not even think about investing it to make more. She has no value for money, just the happiness of her family. Mama buys a house for the Younger family and gives the remaining money to Walter to disperse for himself after putting a set amount in a bank account for Benethas schooling. The dream that Ruth had was to move into a bigger and better house. Mama only wanted a nice place for her family, not anything else like Mama wanted. But it was a good dream; she thought it would provide them with a safe home and tranquility. Beneathas dream is the one that just sags like a heavy load. Beneatha comes to a realization that that entire she had believed in since her youth appears now to be false. She assumed that by being a doctor, she could cure people of what ails them. She witnessed her brother's insanity after losing the money he was to use for his family and realized that someone she did not know had also stolen the means for her education. Walters dream is to take the insurance money and use it to invest in a Liquor store. Walter wants to become somebody and achieve goals like those that white men do. But he becomes too preoccupied with money and ignores the harm he could cause to his family. He focuses too much on becoming economically successful and forgets about the basics. Instead of going step by step, he takes a giant leap and falls, when Willy Harris runs off with the money that was for Benetha's schooling and the money that Walter obtained.