In “A Raisin in the Sun,” Lorainne Hansberry writes about a hard-working African American family, the Youngers, living in South side Chicago. Mama, Walter, and Beneatha each have their own dreams that they want to pursue. Mama dreams of moving out of their worn-out apartment and moving into a house with a garden and backyard of her own. Mama has a plant that she takes care of that represents an important symbol in the play. The plant represents the hopes of Mama achieving her dream where she can have her own house and a garden. Mama wants a better life for her and her family. Throughout the play we constantly see Mama putting her children’s hopes and aspirations first. Even though Mama has her own hopes and dreams, she wants to make sure her children can live a better life then she did.
Throughout the play we see Mama’s plant representing the Youngers deferred dreams. Mama has always dreamt of owning her own house, but her dreams have always been pushed aside. She takes care of the plant like how she takes care of her family. The plant also signifies Mama’s dreams of owning a garden one day. Mama says “well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home. This plant is close as I ever got to having one” (Hansberry, 53). Since she does not have her own garden, she settles with the plant instead. She takes pride in this plant, just like she hopes to take pride in owning a house in the future.
Mama is constantly caring for her children and wanting them to reach their full potential in life. Mama says to Ruth, “I spec if it wasn’t for you all… I would just put that money away or give it to the church or something” (Hansberry, 69). Mama wants to provide for her children and give them all that she can. If she did not have a family then she would be putting this insurance money away or donating to the church. She makes sacrifices and puts her children’s dreams ahead of her own. Beneatha plans on becoming a doctor which was rare for an African American woman during this time. Walter wants to invest in a liquor store and be able to support his family. Mama plans to use the insurance money to put a down payment on a house and the rest to go towards Beneatha’s education and Walter’s liquor store investment. We can clearly see a trend of Mama being super supportive of her children’s dreams and revolving her life over them. Mama states “I ain’t got nothing, don’t own nothing, ain’t never really as precious to me… There ain’t nothing worth holding on to, money, dreams, nothing else- if it means it’s going to destroy my boy. I paid the man thirty-five hundred dollars down on the house. That leaves sixty-five hundred dollars. Monday morning, I want you to take this money and take three thousand and put it in a savings account for Beneatha’s medical schooling. The rest you put in a checking account-with your name on it” (Hansberry, 107). Mamas’ family is the most important thing to her, and she makes sacrifices to make sure they have the chance to fulfill their dreams. She is willing to give up a substantial portion of the insurance money to help her children have a good future. Even though Mama trusted Walter with the money, he makes a bad decision and ends up losing not only his, but the money that was supposed to go to Beneatha’s education. Mama used another portion of the insurance money to fulfill her goals of owning a house with her family. She will have a garden and a backyard just like she always dreamt of. She wants her family to have opportunities and chances that she never experienced. This was a common occurrence in the time that the scenes were set. African Americans did not get the same opportunities as white people and family was the most important thing to them. Even with her husband’s death Mama wants to make sure her family is set up for a good life and not face any of the hardships that she faced. Ultimately, Mama has a dream of owning her own house, but makes sure her children can fulfill their goals and dedicates her life to her family. She wants the best for her children and tries her best to support their aspirations in any way possible.
Discussion Questions:
- Do you think having children can hold you back from achieving your own dreams? Why or why not?
- Is it important to make sacrifices for your loved ones? Similar to Mama sacrificing her money for her children’s future. Even knowing there’s potential risks that could come along with it?
Works Cited
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Vintage, 1994. Print.
