Many of the characters hold a strong symbolic meaning, and Walter Lee Younger is no exception. He is the symbol of hope and ambition, dreams and desires, passion and fury. When taken at face value, all of those characteristics are applied towards his own success and the well-being of the family.
What is the symbolism of a raisin in the sun?
A Raisin in the Sun Meaning
In the poem, one response to the question of what happens to a dream deferred is to say, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” The play’s title points towards the themes of endurance and perseverance in the chase of the American Dream.
What does Beneatha symbolize?
Her new, radical afro represents her embracing of her heritage. Beneatha’s cutting of her hair is a very powerful social statement, as she symbolically declares that natural is beautiful, prefiguring the 1960s cultural credo that black is beautiful.
What does Walter Lee Younger represent?
Walter Lee represents the dilemma of African American males who inherited the pride and hopes of the civil rights movement but who are thwarted in their achievement of full manhood in the eyes of society.
What does Ruth symbolize in a raisin in the sun?
In this regard, Ruth is symbolically aligned with Mama, with whom she shares a vision of providing the family with better living conditions. While Walter wants to use the insurance money for his business, and Beneatha needs it for her schooling, Ruth advocates strongly for moving the family out of the South Side slums.
What does Mama plant symbolize?
The most overt symbol in the play, Mama’s plant represents both Mama’s care and her dream for her family. In her first appearance onstage, she moves directly toward the plant to take care of it.
What does Travis represent in raisin in the sun?
By far the youngest member of his family (stage directions describe him as ten or eleven years old), Travis represents the future of the Younger family. Hansberry drops some not-too-subtle symbolism on us when we hear that one of Travis’s favorite pastimes is playing with rats.
What does Beneatha’s hair symbolize in a raisin in the sun?
Beneatha’s natural hair symbolizes her pride in her African heritage and her desire to explore her African roots.
What does Bonita’s hair most likely symbolize?
It symbolizes pride in her heritage and culture.
What does the 10 000 check symbolize in a raisin in the sun?
The life insurance check that Mama receives after the death of her husband represents hope, as each member of the family sees it as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make their dreams come true. However, the money doesn’t solve as many problems as they imagined.
What is Ruth Younger motivated by?
In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Ruth is motivated by her family. Ruth’s objective is to protect her family and she does this in multiple occasions in this play, and it shows her selflessness and her determination and her work ethic.
What is Ruth Younger dream?
Ruth’s dream is similar to Mama’s. She wants to build a happy family and believes one step toward this goal is to own a bigger and better place to live. Ruth’s dream is also deferred by a lack of money, which forces her and Walter to live in a crowded apartment where their son, Travis, must sleep on a sofa.
What does Beneatha believe in?
She explains that, in her view, curing people is a real way of providing miracles for others. For Beneatha, a politically progressive and pragmatic thinker, helping people is the most important thing a person can do in the world.
What does Asagai represent to Beneatha?
Asagai represents a Black identity based on independence won through struggle. Towards the end of the play, Asagai replies to Beneatha who says he will die a martyr in Nigeria and not accomplish much more.
What does Mrs Johnson symbolize in A Raisin in the Sun?
Johnson is implying that, if the Youngers find trouble in their neighborhood, then they’re only getting what they deserve. Essentially, Mrs. Johnson represents the feelings of resentment that some blacks felt when others started to climb the socio-economic ladder.
What type of character is Beneatha?
Beneatha is an attractive college student who provides a young, independent, feminist perspective, and her desire to become a doctor demonstrates her great ambition. Throughout the play, she searches for her identity. She dates two very different men: Joseph Asagai and George Murchison.
What do the eggs symbolize in A Raisin in the Sun?
The eggs represent his hope, dreams, and ambitions. The egg is an idea newly forming in his mind, but it never turns out the way that he wants. Also, it symbolizes Walter’s children. He always wants the best for Travis, who is young and fragile and new, like the egg.
What does the liquor store symbolize in A Raisin in the Sun?
In other words, the liquor store represents a chance at upward mobility. Walter’s desire to own his own business and achieve upward mobility is linked to his desire to rescue his masculine pride. Throughout the play Walter expresses his sense of being emasculated and unable to live up to his father’s legacy.
What is the irony in A Raisin in the Sun?
Lesson Summary
Lindner from the welcoming committee visits to inform the Youngers that they are not welcome. Dramatic irony is when the audience has insight that the character does not have, like when Bobo walks in the door and everyone but Walter Lee is aware that his own investment has gone poorly.
Why is Asagai important to the story?
Asagai is helpful and concerned about the welfare of others. He volunteers to assist in the move to Clybourne Park and offers much-needed consolation and good advice to Beneatha when she is at her lowest.
What is the significance of Travis gift to Mama?
Travis intended his present to be a symbol of Lena’s new “rich woman’s” status, for he has seen wealthy women in magazines wearing similar hats. Ironically, though, Travis’ gift serves more to make Mama look like a field hand than a wealthy woman, ready to go out and inspect her spacious garden.