A Raisin In the Sun - Money, Money, Money

"So now it's life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life- now it's money. I guess the world really do change..." - Mama

I think this book was sort of eye opening for a lot of people when it was published. It was for me. I know that there are people out there who never stop to think about the effects money has on the people who have the least of it. The Younger's, for example, have so little of it that they can hardly afford anything. This was most clearly demonstrated when Ruth was going to get an abortion because she didn't think that they could afford another baby. That is one of the saddest things to me. Whenever I think about abortions, I tend to think about young mothers who aren't ready to raise a child and don't want to go through the embarrassment of having to carry one for nine months. However, I never really think about the mothers who simply cannot afford to have a baby. That is something that deeply saddens me. Not only about the poor condition that people are raised in, but it also makes me sad about human dignity in general. I know I'm kind of going off topic here, but what kind of world do we live in that can afford to spend all this money to enhance our lives or make them longer, yet they cannot help those out who cannot simply afford to bring new lives into existence?

Anyways, this reinforced the idea that the family is centered so much around money. That check was the driving force for the plot and allowed all of their dreams to come true. Which raises the question: can money really bring happiness?

A Raisin In the Sun - The Glass Menagerie

"The Younger living room would be a comfortable and well-ordered room if it were not for a number of indestructible contradictions to this state of being..."

This play connected a lot with The Glass Menagerie. The main connection I saw was the integral part that the setting played in both. In each story, the action was centered around an apartment. All the conflicts and struggles each family had took place (for the most part) in the apartment. It was how they hid away from the world and coped with their problems as a single unit. Another similarity is, in each story, there is a mother who drives the plot. Both have set goals that they strive for and they ultimately want the best for their children. Whether that be moving to a new house or finding a husband for her daughter, each mother tries her hardest to do what is right. Finally, there are characters in both plays that desire to overcome obstacles or escape their current situation. Basically all the characters in A Raisin In the Sun want to do their own things but struggle because of a lack of money. Walter wants a liquor store to prove that he is worth something. Mama and Ruth want a nice house of their own. Beneatha wants to make a change in bettering mankind. In The Glass Menagerie, Tom wants to set sails and explore, just like they did in all the adventurous movies he watched. Laura, I think, also wants to escape the confines of her handicap and begin to be the person she always had the potential to be.

A Raisin In the Sun - loneliness

Asagai: (Rather quickly for him) That when it is all over - that you come home with me-

Beneatha: (Staring at him and crossing away with exasperation) Oh-Asagai-at this moment you decide to be romantic!

11. I think that Beneatha is the most lonely character in the play. She is widely set apart from the other young women because she is an African American who is also a feminist. During this time, they did not hold a whole lot of social power. The members in her family and the two men she was involved with basically told her that she was wrong in her feminist ways. I think she is also one of the loneliest members in the family. She is trying to go through college to become a doctor, which is frowned upon by those she is closest to. Also, she is the last one to receive money for her endeavors in the family (even though she never actually receives it because Walter invests the money in the liquor store). Finally, she is lonely because she doesn't think that anyone understands her desire to learn about her heritage. So she is excited about the idea of moving with Asagai to continue on a new journey that will hopefully fill some sort of void in her life.