Symbols In A Raisin In The Sun
Dreams and aspirations differ depending on the person – one might aspire to become a dancer; another might want to own his or her own business one day. These dreams act as goals for us to reach for and to work towards, but they are not always fully achieved. The play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, details the life of an African-American family in 1957. At this time, people still harbored an abundance of racial prejudice, and this shows throughout the play. While the author describes the daily life of each family member, she also touches upon each of the character's dreams and aspirations for the future. These dreams are shown through the character's actions and speech, as well as through the use of symbols. Some of the essential symbols include Mama's plant, Beneatha's new hairstyle, and Walter's liquor store plans, all of which correlate to the corresponding character's dreams.
To begin, Mama's plant represents her caring nature and also supplements her dream of owning a real house with a backyard and a garden where her family can prosper. The plant, like Mama's dream, has been cast aside as she focused on raising her son, Walter, and supporting her family. The plant is first portrayed in the first few scenes of the play as Mama, 'brings in a feeble little plant growing doggedly in a small pot on the windowsill' (Hansberry 39). This shows the connection between Mama's dream and the plant, as her dream is weak due to being put aside, but the plant persists and is still alive, much like Mama's dream. Mama's care for the plant never wavers, as it has survived throughout Walter's life, showing Mama's caring nature. The plant also represents Mama's gardening passion through careful precision in the way that she takes care of it. Mama's real dream is to own a house with a garden for her family to live in, and the plant shows the potential and hopes that Mama has that this dream might come true.
Furthermore, Beneatha's new hairstyle represents her connection to her African heritage, while also touching on her dream of becoming a doctor and saving her race from ignorance. Beneatha's hairstyle does not correlate to her dream to be a doctor as much, but it significantly impacts the second part of her dream by showing her culture and being herself. This is shown when she reveals her roughly chopped, natural hair, much to the shock of Ruth, her mother, and Walter (Hansberry 78). While her family had a pessimistic reaction to her new hair, Beneatha owned her decision and likened herself to a true African woman. This helped her find herself and her identity within the confines of a racist America where everyone strived to conform to society's ideas of fashion. Asagi, Beneatha's college friend, encourages her to find herself through this hairstyle and truly be one with herself. This small act of independence allows her to connect with her roots and simultaneously saves her race from ignorance by showing them that they too can be themselves and still thrive in American society at this time.
Finally, Walter's liquor store plans symbolize his stubbornness as well as his dream of providing stability for his family. Walter's stubbornness shines through when it comes to the liquor store, however, as he refuses to listen to any of their concerns about the risks of his plan, and continues to do what he thinks is best. He continues to believe that, 'money is life' (Hansberry 63) showing the persistence of his belief that the only thing that will help his family become successful in the eyes of whites is money. Because of this, the liquor store plans mean everything to Walter, so much so that he is willing to risk the sum of his father's life insurance money on it. When his family, namely Ruth and Mama, come to him with concerns about the plans, he dismisses them, believing that he knows what is best for the family, even if it ended up ruining them.
In conclusion, Mama's plant, Beneatha's new hairstyle, and Walter's liquor store plans are essential symbols that help develop each character's dream throughout the play. These symbols allow the reader to gain a deeper understanding of each character's dream and offer insight into their personalities - Mama's plant showing her caring nature, Beneatha's new hairstyle showing her cultural roots, and Walter's liquor store plans showing his stubbornness. Each of these traits allows the reader to relate to the characters, engaging them, and urging them to continue reading the play.
