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Helly Shah
Professor Kohler
ENG 102
13 April 2021
A Raisin in the Sun
The obstacles to fulfilling a desire dream can change a person’s mental and emotional
state. The play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry explains how the members of the
younger family adjust when facing the difficulties of reaching an aspiration that was once
thought to be unattainable. The Younger’s have demonstrated courage in pursuing their own
dreams, which have enriched not only themselves but also the family. Mama and Walter are the
two most influential characters in the play. Lena Younger, also known as “Mama,” is a devout
Christian who demonstrates her religion in the play. Walter Lee Younger, his mother’s only son,
is the man of the family whose stubbornness has blinded him to potential consequences. He is
obnoxious and only talks of himself, while Mama is firm and disciplined. They’re both important
characters in the play. Both altered or influenced the storyline as well as the characters’ emotions
and thoughts. When the main characters Mama and Walter’s dream collide, there is a huge clash.
Lorraine Hansberry demonstrates the importance of family as we journey with Mama and Walter
in endless pursuit of their respective dreams.
Mama and Walter both have their own dreams which they want to fulfill. Mama is
collectively thinking about money; she’s planning to put most of the money away to move from
ghetto into a good neighborhood house. Mama has many reasons for choosing to purchase a new
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house. Mama has a dream of owning her own garden. Firstly, it was also a dream for her late
husband to have a home where their children are raised.
Mama says, “I remember just as well the day me and Big Walter moved in here…We
was going to set away, little by little, don’t you know, and buy that little place out in
Morgan Park, We had even picked out the house. [Chuckling a little.] Looks right
dumpy today. But Lord, child, you should know all the dreams I had ‘bout buying that
house and fixing it up and making a little garden in the back” (Hansberry 799).
Mama desires to purchase a house due to her early memories of Big Walter. Secondly, Mama
wants to buy a house to secure a more comfortable standard of living for the whole Younger
family. She hopes that by purchasing the house, her family will be able to move from their small
apartment on Chicago’s south side to a more spacious and luxurious home with a backyard
