A Raisin in the Sun Mama Character Dreams

        Loraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in The Sun, features an African-American lower-class family living on the South Side pf Chicago and going through racial struggles during the 1950’s. The Younger family have a lot financially, so they share an old, small apartment with two bedrooms and one bathroom in the building that everyone shares. Each member of the Younger family (Mama, Ruth, Beneatha, Travis, Walter) has dreams that are very different from those of the rest of the family. Mama, who is very proud of what she has, is a very caring and faithful woman who has worked for what little she has. Mama is strong; she holds her family together.

        Throughout the play Mama mentions her dream of buying a nice two-story house, with a big yard for Travis to play in and somewhere to start her own garden. She has dreamt of this for a very long time, ever since her and “Big Walter” got married (Hansberry 44). In several scenes of the play a plant quite a few times, throughout the play Mama continues to tend this little plant very often. Then later the plant starts to symbolize the family’s dreams and their future. As the plant gets very little sunlight in the apartment, it is still living representing the family as they have very little money but manage to make something good out of their life. What Mama is trying to prove to her kids that even if the plant “ain’t never had enough sunshine or nothing” (Hansberry 52) the plant is still alive no matter the circumstances. She wants her kids to realize what they do they instead of focusing on what they don’t, and for them to be thankful for they good life Mama has worked hard to provide for them.

        An important part of the play is that there is a 10,000-dollar insurance check that is supposed to be coming in the mail. The whole family is beyond excited because they’ve never had that much money before, but Mama just doesn’t seem to feel the same about the check as the others do. Of course, Mama would love to fulfill her dream of having that little two-story house with her small garden in the back, but she also sees that life is so much more than money. But Mama’s dreams seem to be a little more complicated than wanting just a house. Mama tries to teach and show her children the importance in life, Mama wants happiness within her family more than anything. After they received the check, Mama makes a down payment on a house in a white neighborhood. She still has money left over, so she trusts Walter to take it to the bank for him and Beneatha, but he does just the opposite. Walter dreams of one day owning a liquor business but he’s never had any money to start investing in it. Walter also feels like no one understands him and his dreams of being a liquor store owner. With the money Mama gave Walter he gave it to his friend who he was partnering with, instead of his friend sticking with the plan he ran off with the money leaving Walter with nothing. Later having to break the news to Mama that there was no money left, Mama felt as if all her dreams just died. Mama put her faith and trust into Walter, but he disappointed her instead. But Mama still manages to have hope in her children and feels as if they should not give up on their dreams.

        Mama plays such an important role in the play, because she shows control of her family. She is very religious and strongly believes in God: other than wanting a house Mama wants her children to understand things the way she does and for them to believe in God. As Beneatha says, “There simply is no blasted God- there is only man and it is he who makes miracles!” (Hansberry 51). Beneatha leaves Mama very shocked and disappointed in her for saying that, she then strikes Beneatha powerfully across the face. When Mama does this she shows control in her family and reminds them that “In [her] mother’s house there is still God” (Hansberry 51).