"A Raisin in the Sun" Response

Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" is a 1950's story about a lower class African American family living in the South side of Chicago. After the passing of the family's husband, Mama receives a $10,000 insurance check. Each member of the family has their own idea of how they want to spend the check. Mama wants to use the money to buy a new house, Walter Lee wants to invest in a liquor store, and Beneatha wants to use the money to pay for medical school. To Mama, the check represents her husband’s lifelong hard work. All of their different ideas for the check are their interpretations of what is best for the family.

In my opinion, Mama’s idea is the only selfless one. Throughout the whole play she’s been selfless and her idea to buy a bigger house for her family is an example of just that. Mama has her late husband’s goals in mind when she decides what to do with the check. Her husband always wanted his family to be able to get out of the poor area of Chicago and live a life that most black families, at that time, could not have. Mama decided to use some of the check to buy a bigger, nicer house to give her family what her deceased husband wanted. Buying that house gave her family more opportunities and a better quality of life.

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