Raisin In The Sun" Investors Reveale

Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun debuted on Broadway in 1959, and its cast—almost entirely comprised of Black actors—was considered a risky investment at the time. The story of a Black family's experiences in south Chicago as they attempt to improve their financial situation explores themes of racial injustice, housing discrimination, and assimilation. The play was well-received, winning popular and critical acclaim, and is considered to have changed American theatre forever.

Walter Lee Younger's liquor store investment

In Lorraine Hansberry's play, 'A Raisin in the Sun', Walter Lee Younger is frustrated with his life. He is a chauffeur, a job he finds exhausting and emasculating. He is desperate to provide for his family and achieve financial security, but his current job is inadequate for his survival. He is also struggling with his identity as a man and a provider, and he longs to be a successful businessman.

Walter sees an opportunity to change his life when his mother, Lena, receives an insurance payout following the death of her husband. Walter wants to use the money to invest in a liquor store with his friends, Willy Harris and Bobo. He believes that the store will bring him the financial security he craves and that it will allow him to achieve his dream of becoming a business owner. He also sees it as a chance to rescue his pride and sense of masculinity, which have been damaged by his job as a chauffeur.

Walter's desire to invest in the liquor store is driven by his ambition and his love for his family. He wants to give his son, Travis, a better life and is willing to make sacrifices for him. However, his decision to invest in the store is also influenced by his pride and greed, which ultimately lead to his unhappiness.

Unfortunately for Walter, his investment in the liquor store does not go to plan. He entrusts Willy with the insurance money, but Willy runs off with the cash, leaving Walter in a state of despair and financial ruin. Despite this setback, Walter eventually comes to a realisation about what truly matters in life. He decides that his family's dignity and pride are worth more than money, and he refuses to sell the house that his mother bought with her insurance payout.

Beneatha's medical school tuition

Beneatha's desire to become a doctor is complicated by her struggle to maintain a balance between being an educated African-American woman and honouring her culture and family. She is influenced by two different men who are potential love interests: George Murchison, a wealthy and educated man who represents the "fully assimilated black man", and Joseph Asagai, a Yoruba student from Nigeria who teaches Beneatha about her African heritage.

When Walter loses the insurance money in a failed business venture, Beneatha is distraught, feeling that her dreams of becoming a doctor are now out of reach. She is scolded by Joseph for her materialism, and eventually accepts his viewpoint that things will improve with effort. She agrees to consider his proposal of marriage and his invitation to move with him to Nigeria to practice medicine.

Ruth's abortion contemplation

In Lorraine Hansberry's play, "A Raisin in the Sun", Ruth Younger is the wife of Walter Lee Younger and mother to their son, Travis. The play, set in 1950s Chicago, revolves around the Youngers, an African-American family, and their experiences following the death of the family patriarch, Mr. Younger.

At the beginning of the play, Ruth discovers she is pregnant. However, she fears that having another child will only worsen the family's financial struggles and crowded living conditions. Ruth shares a bedroom with her husband, while her son sleeps on the living room couch. Ruth's contemplation of abortion stems from her desire to provide a better life for her family and ensure their ability to achieve their dreams.

Ruth's contemplation of abortion highlights the generational differences between her, her mother-in-law, Mama, and her sister-in-law, Beneatha. When Ruth expresses her concerns about the pregnancy, Mama, the matriarch of the family, responds with "grandmotherly enthusiasm," while Beneatha worries about the financial strain of another child. Mama implores her son, Walter, to convince Ruth to keep the baby, appealing to his sense of masculinity and family duty. However, Walter is unable to do so, as he is dejected by his mother's refusal to support his own dreams of investing in a liquor store.

Ruth's contemplation of abortion also reflects the social and economic pressures faced by women, particularly African-American women, during this time period. Abortion was illegal in the 1950s, but Ruth considers it as a solution to her family's financial struggles, showcasing the desperate measures women felt compelled to take.

Ultimately, Ruth's decision-making process underscores the complex dynamics within the Younger family and the broader social issues of the time, including racism, poverty, and gender roles.

Mama's house purchase

In "A Raisin in the Sun", Mama (Lena) Younger wants to use the $10,000 life insurance payout, received following the death of her husband, to buy a house for the family. She and her late husband had dreamed of owning their own home and had only ever intended to live in their small, run-down, two-bedroom apartment temporarily.

Mama's motivation for buying a house is twofold. Firstly, she wants to secure a more comfortable standard of living for her family. Secondly, she sees the purchase of a house as an investment in her family's future. She believes that moving to a bigger, brighter dwelling will help bring the family together at a time when they are falling apart and going backwards.

Mama's dream of buying a house is not easily realised, however. She discovers that the real estate available to Black families is inconveniently located and overpriced. She eventually decides to buy a house in Clybourne Park, an all-white neighbourhood, because the houses there are cheaper. This decision is not intended as an act of resistance against racial segregation, but it is one nonetheless.

The family's future in Clybourne Park is uncertain. The community association of the neighbourhood does not want the Youngers to move in and sends Karl Lindner, from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, to offer the family money to stay away. Despite the risks, the Youngers decide to go through with the move to honour the legacy of Mama's late husband and to preserve their sense of pride.

The family's move to Clybourne Park

The family dynamics are strained as they clash over their differing dreams and values. Walter feels a sense of entitlement to the money and plans to invest it in a liquor store with his acquaintances, Willy and Bobo. However, Mama wants to buy a house, and Beneatha has to remind Walter that it is ultimately Mama's decision. Eventually, Mama puts a down payment on a house in Clybourne Park, an all-white neighbourhood, as it is much cheaper than a house in a black neighbourhood. This decision sets off a chain of events that brings the family's dreams into sharp focus.

The white community in Clybourne Park is less than welcoming to the Youngers. Karl Lindner, a white representative of the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, visits the family and offers to buy them out, vaguely threatening consequences if they go ahead with the move. The Youngers refuse the deal, despite the potential financial setback, demonstrating their pride and determination to stick together as a family.

The move to Clybourne Park highlights the racial tensions and housing discrimination of the time. The Youngers' decision to move to an all-white neighbourhood was inspired by Hansberry's own experiences as a child when her father purchased a home in a predominantly white neighbourhood, leading to a three-year legal battle and hostility from their white neighbours.

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