A Bright Future or No Future At All?

I was surprised to discover that the ending of the play, A Raisin in the Sun, left the audience in suspense. Even after Walter Lee's big mistake of giving his money to Willy Harris for the liquor store, the family decides to move. The Younger family decides that they will not live in their small portion of a house no more. Ruth's pregnancy surprise sparked Mama's interest into buying a bigger home. Ruth's son, Travis sleeps on the couch because there is no bed for him, so where will the new baby sleep? Mama's decision to pick a house in an all white neighborhood during these racial times, was a risky thing to do. Ruth and Walter were taken by surprise by the news. 

After almost not moving because of the huge money offer for the house in the white neighborhood, the family decided to move. Since racism was high in the 1950s, the audience is left with their imaginations. One does not know if they will survive in the white neighborhood, but they are taking that risk. What would happen to young Travis? Will he be tortured and tormented in the new neighborhood? How long will the Youngers live if they stay there? I believe it is how one perceives it. 
 
A new beginning or death?

There is no clear ending, but would the play be ruined if it were to continue?

What's Next?

                A Raisin in the Sun has an optimistic ending. All seems to go well, and despite their struggles, the Youngers are finally getting a new start to life. Even though Walter has squandered Mama’s insurance money on a ploy to open a liquor store, the family will still be able to make the rent for a more expensive home. This should be manageable with four working adults in the house. This life is not ideal but the Youngers will do anything to get out of that old apartment.

Unfortunately, the problems that will face the family are not internal. It is clearly seen at the end of the play that a healthy family balance has been restored, but will the family be able to sustain the inevitable attacks by their white neighbors. The audience learns about the bombing of black families who dared to move into white neighborhoods in the first act. We hope that the Youngers will not have that fate, yet the danger of a bomb is always looming in the distance.

I am very curious to know what happens to the family once they move in. Do they successfully integrate into the white community? Are they tormented ruthlessly by their neighbors? Are they able to pay the rent and continue living in the house?

Drinking Problem?

It seems that Walter Lee has a drinking problem, but is this what causes him to risk all of the family's money on a shaky deal for a liquor store?  Walter drinks much more when he is not given the  money that he wants, and he comes home night after night drunk and without a care in the world if his family sees him loosing his mind.  Is the drinking causing him to go insane about the money? Does Walter also have a gambling problem since this is not the first time he has tried to spend lots of money to go into a business?  I think that Walter does have a problem with drinking and with handling money correctly, but this does not change the fact that he chose to use all of the insurance money on a liquor store instead of the house that can be a new start for him.  Walter was very wrong in his actions, and he needs to learn how to handle this much stress that he is under at this moment.  Also, his family notices his problems when he reacts towards finding out he lost the money, but why don't they realize that he might have an actual problem?  Are they too caught up in the moment of moving and disciplining him about this to try an help him later on?  If Walter has a drinking problem and a problem with money, then does this mean that this would happen again sometime in the future?

Show me the money

     A raisin in the sun the family receives news of the life insurance check holding $10,000. As for what this means Walter lee, son of Mama, wants to complete his dream and in the process must use money to invest. Walter lee finds a business deal with a man named Harrison.  The family of this story lives in a run down apartment that has little sunshine.  As for the ideal of the family all them want a new house.  The predominate population of the neighbor hood is white civilians that in this time were racist.  Walter lee deciding to fulfill his dream invest $6,500 in a small liquor business with Harrison and Bobo. Harrison ends up taking the money and leaving meaning the family has no money left.  This incident with Walter lee has destroyed the families hopes.  Only to assume that the family will always hate Walter lee for this mistake, how will the family resolve this issue?  The money offer by the neighborhood to pay away the black residents has been increased, but the accepting of this cash offer will leave the family in the apartment with a new born on the way. The personal choices made by Walter lee have affected the whole family from Benetha's medical school payments to the birth of Walter lee's second child with Ruth.          


In the playwright

Mama's Plant

One of the most apparent symbols seen throughout the play is Mama’s plant. Her care and dreams for her family are represented by the nutrient-deprived plant. The plant is initially seen when Mama makes her first appearance onstage. As proof, “She crosses through the room, goes to the window, opens it, and brings in a feeble little plant growing doggedly in a small pot on the windowsill. She feels the dirt and puts it back out” (Hansberry 39). Because the plant is immediately introduced, it is clearly a significant part of Mama’s life. She repeatedly confesses that the plant never gets enough light or water; however, she still takes pride in it and makes sure that it remains alive. In a similar way, Mama takes care of her whole family with unconditional love, despite the lacking environment for growth. Mama has a longtime dream of owning a house and having a garden in the backyard. Once she moves the plant to her new house, it no longer represents a dream that she hopes to one day fulfill, but it now represents what a lot of hard work and dedication can accomplish. Mama does what is best for her family for the duration of the play, and in the end she can finally be content knowing that her family has finally grown. 

What happens now?

So what now? The play has ended and the characters have moved on, but is the story really over? At the end of A Raisin in The Sun Walter finally proves himself to be a man, and despite the lack of money, he decides to move his family into their new house. The play ended on a happy note leaving the Youngers full of hope and optimism that can be felt by the audience, but honestly how practical was their decision? After six generations the Youngers were finally given the chance to move into their own place and have a house that belongs to only them. This was a momentous occasion that can easily be marred by their current financial issues along with the neighbors in their new community. The way the play ends gives the audience a sense that the Youngers will be fine and live happily in their house, but what if this is not the case? Even with four working adults to compensate for their impoverishment, the Youngers still have to deal with the fact that they are a black family living among a community of whites who do not wish for them to be there. The ending of A Raisin in The Sun is heartwarming and uplifting, but is it all a facade hiding the harsh reality of life? 

Does anyone else feel that what happens to the Youngers after the play might not live up to the suggested happy ending?

Father and son

Cormac McCarthy wrote The Road for his son on his leafy patio at the Menger hotel, little did McCarthy know this story would be his finest work (The wall street journey).  As the story progresses the reader can develop an attachment to the characters from the connection the two hold, while the boy would mess up the man would stay calm.  The man and boy as read sharing soda pop and eating apples, although it is an insignificant fact it shows that the two are happy together.  This relationship between the two character relates to how McCarthy feels towards his son. The death of the man in the road was to be expected by the reader as for he has been coughing up blood all though the journey.  The man dies in the end of the story leaving the boy to encounter another man that is willing to help, why would the author of this story end keep the mans life in such bad health id if the character represents him?  The author of the story explains that he wrote this book for his son to show his love (Oprah Winfrey show). Why does McCarthy die in the end to leave his son with the vast amounts a cannibals out in the world?  This death in the story is necessary for one reason and that is to show that McCarthy will die for his son in the end for the sons life. This is a representation of the memories that the two have of each other that the boy will remember for the rest of his life in this world.