Rasin in the Sun

Raisins, nature’s candy, are from by drying grapes. The play depicts the feelings and thoughts of the people 50’s and 60’s. Their feelings are different from what we see today in our lives. The Younger family had to deal with poverty and racism. Not having enough money and always being put down because of the color of their skin held them back from having a lot of self-respect and dignity. Not everything, including life, is as sweet as candy when dry. The Younger’s financial problem left them exposed, like a grape in the hot sun. This tested their relationships, responsibility and the importance of their dreams.

A dream could be something you had in the night that seemed so real, or a dream could be your fantasy, where everything is going your way. The last type of dream is something that has more of a deep sense and plays an important role in your life. It’s the same type of dream the Younger family had; everyone with his or her own hopes and dreams. Walter had his chance to be big and important with his liquor store; Beneatha wanted to become the opposite of an asimillist, a doctor; and Ruth and her wanted to move out of the rattrap of a life and home and become something bigger and more significant. The person I saw that had the foremost wishes was Mama. All she wanted was to see her family happy and to be happy herself for once. She wanted the family to stop suffering and “never moving forwards.” Mama wanted Travis to have his own room, and by this she sacrificed her own personal room, sharing one with Beneatha in the new house. She was sick and tired of this anguish the family received. Her dream was to see her family stop having distress and be in a higher class and to be basically being happy. In the beginning of the play Mama anticipated the insurance money coming. She hadn’t decided right away on what to do but she had the basic idea. From the time she didn’t have money to a little bit after, Mama began to really see what her family was put through. Before the money came, the family began to have their own dreams, and Mama listened. They varied, of course, but they had one primary meaning: to get out of the rut they were in and head somewhere big. Once Mama got the money, it took a little time, but she had her mind set, she went and bought a house. She felt it would be the one thing, which would benefit everyone in the household. She ignored the racial lines that would normally have prevented black people from even thinking of moving to that type of an area. She pursued her dream, her dream house. Once the “welcoming committee” showed up, Mama was luckily not there. She understood that difficulty would lie ahead, but she didn’t care. Not much would stop her from her dream, not even losing the money, the essential life force of her dream. Walter’s incompetence isn’t a big enough hurdle to prevent her from continuing her dream. She would sacrifice for her family, like working and not spend as much money. In the end of the story everything worked out fine. I think this was because she stuck so severely to it and tried her hardest not to let go of her dream. Letting go of her dream would be like giving up on life. Her dream was definitely a positive force for everyone; all she wanted to do was to make everyone happy. Walter was disappointed at times because Mama denied him the money he needed so badly, but he didn’t see things the way Mama did. Just like mama says, “…we as going to move….”(p. 121) Mama was the one who saw past all the little things that would hold her back from completing her dream. But that’s the thing she did the most and the best, held on the dreams and made them come true.

Their sadness of unfulfilled dreams, compounded with the burden of Ruth's pregnancy, began to take a toll on the Younger’s relationship. When Walter says, "Who even cares about you?"(p 67) The two of them realize at that time that their relationship has dwindled to nothing but nagging and rude comments. Walter may be sorry for having said that to his wife because