A Raisin in the Sun portrays
a few weeks in the life of the Youngers, an African-American family
living on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s.
When the play opens, the Youngers are about to receive an insurance check
for $10,000. This money comes from the deceased
Mr. Younger’s life insurance policy. Each of the adult members of
the family has an idea as to what he or she would like to do with
this money. The matriarch of the family, Mama, wants to buy a house
to fulfill a dream she shared with her husband. Mama’s son, Walter
Lee, would rather use the money to invest in a liquor store with
his friends. He believes that the investment will solve the family’s
financial problems forever. Walter’s wife, Ruth, agrees with Mama,
however, and hopes that she and Walter can provide more space and
opportunity for their son, Travis. Finally, Beneatha, Walter’s sister
and Mama’s daughter, wants to use the money for her medical school
tuition. She also wishes that her family members were not so interested
in joining the white world. Beneatha instead tries to find her identity
by looking back to the past and to Africa.
As the play progresses, the Youngers clash over their
competing dreams. Ruth discovers that she is pregnant but fears
that if she has the child, she will put more financial pressure
on her family members. When Walter says nothing to Ruth’s admission
that she is considering abortion, Mama puts a down payment on a
house for the whole family. She believes that a bigger, brighter
dwelling will help them all. This house is in Clybourne Park, an
entirely white neighborhood. When the Youngers’ future neighbors
find out that the Youngers are moving in, they send Mr. Lindner,
from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, to offer the Youngers
money in return for staying away. The Youngers refuse the deal,
even after Walter loses the rest of the money ($6,500)
to his friend Willy Harris, who persuades Walter to invest in the
liquor store and then runs off with his cash.
In the meantime, Beneatha rejects her suitor, George Murchison, whom
she believes to be shallow and blind to the problems of race. Subsequently,
she receives a marriage proposal from her Nigerian boyfriend, Joseph
Asagai, who wants Beneatha to get a medical degree and move to Africa
with him (Beneatha does not make her choice before the end of the
play). The Youngers eventually move out of the apartment, fulfilling
the family’s long-held dream. Their future seems uncertain and slightly
dangerous, but they are optimistic and determined to live a better
life. They believe that they can succeed if they stick together
as a family and resolve to defer their dreams no longer.
