A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry
In literature, as in life, a character may search for a better way of life. Show how two characters from A Raisin in the Sun are searching for a better way of life. Explain what each character is hoping to gain through this search and discuss the ways in which each character attempts to bring about a change in his or her life.
Although each of the major characters has their own search for their personal betterment, two of the most important of these quests are that of Walter and that of Beneatha. The siblings have their own goals in life and their own methods of pursuit; however, they each also have their own methods of attaining these goals.
Walter's goal, at it's most basic level, is to obtain a new personal level of wealth. With this wealth, he can provide a higher quality of life for his family, including better living conditions, the ability for his wife to work less, and a college education for his son. Walter attempts to gain his fortune by entering into a business partnership to start up a liquor store. Initially interested in the seemingly vast reward from the business, Walter waited until he received money left over from his father's insurance check after his mother purchased her new home. Ironically, the check that was supposed to be a panacea for his problems is taken by the very man who he trusted to invest it. The long awaited key to a better life actually ended up almost bankrupting his dreams. In the end, however, he realizes that it is more important to be the patriarchal figure of the household than to chase money that is unlikely to ever come into his possession.
On the other hand, Beneatha is actively pursuing her constantly changing fancies, with the most important being that of becoming a doctor. She is enrolled in college and very well educated. Unlike her consistency in pursuit of education, she has a capricious nature toward almost every other aspect of her life: musical lessons, equestrian memberships, and men, with the emphasis being on the latter. Another goal of Beneatha is to discover her heritage and remove the "little mirage that [she] thinks is the future," but the two men in her life are pulling her to opposite sides of the issue (Hansberry 134). George supports the assimilationist view while Asagai calls her to return to her traditional African roots. In the end, the most consistent thing in her life, her schooling, becomes sidelined as she begins to consider the possibility of moving to Africa with Asagai.
Unlike the personality of Walter, Beneatha's character is easily influenced by others in the story and subject to many passing fancies. Ultimately, however, both of the characters end up changing their goals.
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