The Facts of the Play

A Raisin in the Sun

About the Script
Author: Lorraine Hansberry
Language: English
Play Structure: Three Acts, Six Scenes
Cast Breakdown: Seven Men, Three Women, One Boy
Approximate Running Time: 3 hours
Genre: Drama
Publisher: Samuel French, Inc. ; $75 per performance

Exegesis

Graft (p. 15)
The acquisition of gain (as money) in dishonest or questionable ways; also : illegal or unfair gain
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graft

Herero woman (p. 21)
"The Herero are one of Namibia's main tribes and the women are easily recognizable by their distinctive Victorian look influenced by early German missionaries."










http://goafrica.about.com/od/namibiaatravelguide/ig/Namibia--Southern-Africa/Herero-Woman--Namibia.htm

Unobtrusively (p. 20)
not obtrusive : not blatant, arresting, or aggressive : inconspicuous
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unobtrusively

Furtively (p.25)
a : done by stealth, surreptitious: expressive of stealth: sly
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/furtively

Nigeria, 1900-1960 (p.35)
"The rival claims of Nigeria's various regions become most evident after World War II when Britain is attempting to find a structure to meet African demands for political power. By 1951 the country has been divided into Northern, Eastern and Western regions, each with its own house of assembly. In addition there is a separate house of chiefs for the Northern province, to reflect the strong tradition there of tribal authority. And there is an overall legislative council for the whole of Nigeria.
In 1954 a new constitution (the third in eight years) establishes the Federation of Nigeria and adds the Federal Territory of Lagos."
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad41

Forlornly (p.35)
being in poor condition: miserable, wretched; nearly hopeless
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forlornly

Nigerian Robes for Women (p.38)


























http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/attire.html

Opegede(p.38)
There are different kinds of musical instruments such as Ganga, Ngwere, Opu, Oletu, Opegede and Iwe Ganga (small drum).
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChatAfriK/message/21278

Ocomogosiay (p.51)
chant that “welcomes the hunters back to the village." Thanks for using ChaCha
http://www.chacha.com/question/what-is-the-definition-of-ocomogosiay

Pearl Bailey (p.51)
African-American actress and singer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Bailey

Garbo Routine (p. 67)
George wants Beneatha to be more quiet and submissive. He implies in his speech that men do not like aggressive, independent, liberated women, and that if she ever hopes to get married and have a family, she is going to have to "drop the Garbo routine," meaning she will have to stop studying and thinking so much, and start acting "like a [submissive] woman."
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/A-Raisin-in-the-Sun-Character-Analyses-Walter-Lee-Younger-Brother-.id-150,pageNum-26.html

Retrogression (p. 92)
regression; return to a former and less complex level of development or organization
http://east.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retrogression


Fable with Plot Summary
Fable
The play opens with Ruth already awake, preparing stuff for the day. Ruth tries to wakes up Travis, her son, so he can use the shared restroom. They live in this tiny apartment in the Southside of Chicago. Then Ruth wakes Walter Lee, her husband. He’s irritated that the restroom isn’t ready for him to use. He asks about the insurance money Mama, his mother, will be receiving. Ruth says, “Stop talking about that money.” As he eats breakfast, he continues to nag Ruth about the money and how she should try to convince Mama to give him the money to invest into the liquor store that he wants with his friends. Beneatha, Walter Lee’s sister, wakes up and come into the living room as well. Walter Lee argues with Beneatha about the money. He doesn’t think it’s fair that she’ll get money for medical school when he can’t have money for his liquor store dream. Travis comes in and Walter Lee goes to the restroom to get ready for work. Beneatha goes back to the room she shares with Mama. Travis asks for fifty cents that he needs for school. Ruth denies him and makes him eat breakfast. Walter Lee comes back, and Travis tells him, “She won’t let me have fifty cents for school.” Walter Lee asks, “Why?” and Ruth tells him the same response for Travis, that they don’t have it. Walter Lee gives Travis the money and hugs Travis as he looks back at Ruth. When Travis leaves, he tells Ruth that Travis is his son. They continue to discuss things, then Walter must leave for work. He gets money from Ruth’s purse. Mama comes in from the shared bedroom and talks with Ruth. Beneatha comes in, and they all talk. Beneatha has two suitors after her. One, Murchinson, is rich, but too shallow for her. The other, Asagai, is from Nigeria, and she likes him, but cannot commit. Ruth and Mama get on to Beneatha about being a flit from different things she wants to learn and about the boys. Ruth then talks to Mama about the idea that Walter Lee has, but Mama will not support it. They talk about Walter Sr. and how good of a man he was. He was hard working and loved his children. At the end of the scene Mama finds out Ruth is pregnant.
Walter Lee comes home and Ruth is out doing stuff. Mama is home. He tries to talk with her. Ruth comes home. Walter Lee goes into the bedroom he shares with Ruth. Ruth slips calling the doctor she has seen a ‘she’ rather than the usual family doctor, who is a man. Mama notices. Walter Lee comes from the bedroom, saying he’s going out. Mama says they need to talk. Walter says, “No, I’m going out!” He says that Ruth has done nothing for him and he needs some man time. All this talking happens when Ruth leaves to her bedroom, Mama tells Walter Lee Ruth was going to abort the baby. He says, “No, she wouldn’t.” Ruth comes from the bedroom and says, “Yes, I would. I made a down payment on the procedure. This is what’s best for the family.” Walter leaves.
Beneatha is seen by Asagai, he gives her a gift of robes from his homeland and they talk about how they miss each other. Later she goes out with, Murchinson, and he’s not nice to her, but gets back all of his meanness in the form of drunken Walter Lee. [Walter came home earlier.]
The check comes in on Saturday. Mama goes out. Stuff happens at the house, Mama comes back around the same time as Travis. Mama tells everyone, especially Travis, she put a down payment on a home for the family. She gives half of what’s left to Beneatha for school and the other half to Walter Lee to invest. Walter Lee is sent to the bank to deposit the money.
A representative, Lindner, from Clybourne Park, where Mama got the house, comes to visit and pay them off to move out of the white neighborhood. They say no.
Walter Lee is visited by Bobo who tells him the third guy who was going to invest with them, took both Walter Lee’s money and his money and ran. Walter Lee calls back the Clybourne guy and is going to take the money from him to replace the stolen money. Everyone is upset about that. Walter Lee then tells the man, infront of everyone, that they are happy to be moving to the house and he just wanted to let the guy know. So, they will not be bought out of this white neighborhood.
The movers come. They all move to the new house with high hopes. Mama takes the little, scraggly plant with them.

Plot Summary
A Raisin in the Sun portrays a few weeks in the life of the Youngers, an African-American family living on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s. When the play opens, the Youngers are about to receive an insurance check for $10,000. This money comes from the deceased Mr. Younger’s life insurance policy. Each of the adult members of the family has an idea as to what he or she would like to do with this money. The matriarch of the family, Mama, wants to buy a house to fulfill a dream she shared with her husband. Mama’s son, Walter Lee, would rather use the money to invest in a liquor store with his friends. He believes that the investment will solve the family’s financial problems forever. Walter’s wife, Ruth, agrees with Mama, however, and hopes that she and Walter can provide more space and opportunity for their son, Travis. Finally, Beneatha, Walter’s sister and Mama’s daughter, wants to use the money for her medical school tuition. She also wishes that her family members were not so interested in joining the white world. Beneatha instead tries to find her identity by looking back to the past and to Africa.

As the play progresses, the Youngers clash over their competing dreams. Ruth discovers that she is pregnant but fears that if she has the child, she will put more financial pressure on her family members. When Walter says nothing to Ruth’s admission that she is considering abortion, Mama puts a down payment on a house for the whole family. She believes that a bigger, brighter dwelling will help them all. This house is in Clybourne Park, an entirely white neighborhood. When the Youngers’ future neighbors find out that the Youngers are moving in, they send Mr. Lindner, from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, to offer the Youngers money in return for staying away. The Youngers refuse the deal, even after Walter loses the rest of the money ($6,500) to his friend Willy Harris, who persuades Walter to invest in the liquor store and then runs off with his cash.

In the meantime, Beneatha rejects her suitor, George Murchison, whom she believes to be shallow and blind to the problems of race. Subsequently, she receives a marriage proposal from her Nigerian boyfriend, Joseph Asagai, who wants Beneatha to get a medical degree and move to Africa with him (Beneatha does not make her choice before the end of the play). The Youngers eventually move out of the apartment, fulfilling the family’s long-held dream. Their future seems uncertain and slightly dangerous, but they are optimistic and determined to live a better life. They believe that they can succeed if they stick together as a family and resolve to defer their dreams no longer

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/raisin/summary.html

Characters (in order of appearance)
1. Ruth Younger (F): Ruth is a 30ish woman of slightly worn beauty. She looks as if so much more of life has happened to her than should have. She is strong and willing to do what she she feels is best for the family.
2. Travis Younger (M): Travis is the young son of Ruth and Walter Lee. He is around 9-10 years old. As children do, he does not fully grasp the situation his family is in.
3. Walter Lee Younger [Brother] (M): Walter Lee is a 30ish man who feels like life has beat him down. He feels powerless and as if nothing will ever go right for him. Walter Lee wants the insurance check to get out of his lifelong sense of helplessness and gain a manhood he's never felt.
4. Beneatha Younger (F): Beneatha is Walter Lee's younger sister. She is in her early 20s and curious about life. She recognizes her place in life, and tries everything to defy it. Bennie attends college and tries many things, such as guitar lessons.
5. Lena Younger (Mama) (F): Lena is the mother of Walter Lee and Beneatha. She is in her middle to late 60s. She is the head of the household and the glue of the family. Like Ruth, Lena will do anything for the family. She also makes the decision to use most of the insurance money to put a down payment on a house for the family.
6. Joseph Asagai (M): Asagai is in his early 20s and from the Nigerian tribe of Yuroba. He is one of Beneatha's suitors. He is genuinely interested in Bennie as a person and values her opinions.
7. George Murchison (M): George is in his early 20s and the second suitor. He is lost in the ideas of what's appropriate and popular for this time. He does not appreciate Beneatha's individuality and point of view.
8. Bobo (M): Bobo is one of the two other men that plan on investing in the liquor store with Walter Lee.
9. Karl Lindner (M): Mr. Lindner is the elected representative from Clybourne Park. He is sent to the Youngers' current home to offer them payment to not move into this all-white neighborhood.
10. Two Moving Men (M): These two men enter at the end of the play to help the Youngers move into their new home.

Characters and Casting


I think A Raisin in the Sun holds to some strict casting ideas. I do not believe that the Youngers should be casted any other race than African American. The whole play is based on trials of this particular black family. Although there were other races in America that were equally demeaned and chastised, the vernacular, character names, and Africa interests used define the overall cast. Besides, most of America's history deals with the white/black conflict through slavery and imperialism through the British, which offers a more powerful basis for casting strictly African American actors in the leading roles. Beneatha struggles with the desire to know her African roots and the idea of acting white to be successful. George and Asagai are the personification of that struggle, which defines them as being casted African American. Mr. Lindner has to be Caucasian, because he represents the new breed of racism. He is the white man who understands that blacks have hard times. He's willing to give them a chance, but within their own circumstances. As long as the blacks stay within their own community, within what is already theirs, he, and those he represents, are more than happy to let the blacks succeed. The hardships faced by the African American people during this particular period in time are difficult to compare to other races who live in America.