Thinking about the future and having a dream to look forward is in human nature. Typically, these dreams provide a means for developing into the well-rounded and accomplished individuals that we all strive to be. The characters in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Handlebars, each seek to attain their own individual dream, but by the end put their individual dreams aside to pursue a collective dream which that they recognize is vital for their unity and survival as a family.
Going from Walter’s puts aside his greed of money, and Beneath lack of faith in god, all coming down to Lens’s strong motherly character that leads the family to realizing what the important things are in fife and sways away from the fact that money isn’t needed for happiness, but to also chase their dreams.. Daniel Petri, director of the film, and critics elaborate further to help support the main argument presented in the play. Walter’s greed for money, led to great tension between the family.
Shortly after the family finds out Walter Lee has lost his father’s life insurance money and plans to take the bribe from Linden to not move into their new home Beneath, angry at the situation, says Walter Lee “is no brother of mine’ (Handlebars, 499). Daniel Petri portrays Lena as a very strong woman in this reticular scene. Lena, though equally disappointed in Walter Lee, responds by saying, “Child when do you think it is time to love somebody the most? When they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then you anti done learning because that anti the time at all.
It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in whistle ’cause the world done whipped him so”. In the Film, Lena is portrayed as a harder woman than in the original play. Her determination is abiding, although her tone is angry most of the time. She is depicted as being strong yet affectionate. This scene contributes to the idea f the family realizing how important they need each other. The fact that Walter got a “whooping” by life, it acts as a wake up of how his greed for money led to the family losing one of the most important things substantial for the family.
It seems that Handlebars tries to convey to the readers the importance of money to greed for money, not only by Walter, but by the rest of the family as well. Walter is driven to spend his fathers insurance money without keeping any calculated risks in mind, in hopes of making more money. However, Beneath tends to show a greed for money as well and so goes Ruth. The family is so focused on money that Mama Lena is the first to condemn her children greed for money. She says,”Mama: “Oh?So now it’s life. Money is Life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life?now its money. Uses the world really do change… ” This scene happens when Mama asks Walter why he always talks about money. Walter Responds: “No?it was always money, Mama. We just didn’t know about it” (Handlebars, 462). Walter replies saying “money is life”, and explains to her that success is now defined by how much money one has, which reveals the economic struggles that they re facing. Throughout the play, Mamas views are at odds with Walter and Beneath views. As for Walter, money seems to be the answer to all his struggles. The characters in the play connect money to discussions of race.
Mama demands that all family members must take pride in their dreams and tries to point out to Walter that money isn’t life.. Mama’s dream being to own a house with a garden and yard where Travis can play, which leads to the most obvious symbol in the play for Mama, which is her plant that represents both her care and dream for her family. Mama’s care for the plant is similar to re care for her children, unconditional and everlasting in spite of the far from perfect environment to grow in. The plant symbolizes her dream to own a house, and notably, to have a garden and a yard. T seems that Petri also includes this scene where Walter claims that money is life, to help contribute to Walter’s obvious greed of money and to convey to readers that this was not only a major part of the play but in the movie as well. Petri includes this scene because he recognizes that the concept of chasing ones dreams was of most importance to Handlebars, as she derived the title of the play from the memo by Longs Hughes, “What happens to a dream deferred. ” Margaret B. Wilkinson, a critic quotes a part of the poem that says, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun or does it explode? And goes on to say, “Lorraine Handlebars answered by fashioning a play about the struggles and frustrations of a working-class Black family living in Chicago South side ghetto during the sass. Crowded in a cramped, roach-infested kitchenette, this family of laborers wages a constant battle to survive and to maintain hope for a better future” (“A Raisin in the Sun”: Anniversary of an American Classic). A Raisin in he Sun is a direct portrait of her personal life struggles as she portrays them through character script in her play. Petri also does a good job by portraying those struggles through a visual aspect in the film.
However, towards the end, the family brushes the fact that they lost the money aside, and realize the importance of family and family is where you can find true happiness. Within the Younger their family, God is the center and heart of the family. Beneath struggles to believe what Mama implanted in the family, that God is the root of all miracles and instead is overwhelmed by the fact that she struggles, as ell as all colored folks, to defeat segregation.. “Beneath: Mama, you don’t understand. It’s all a matter of ideas, and God is just one idea I don’t accept. It’s not important.
I am not going out and be immoral or commit crimes because don’t believe in God. I don’t even think about it. It’s just that get tired of Him getting credit for all the things the human race achieves through its own stubborn effort. There simply is no blasted God-there is only man and it is he who makes miracles! “(Handlebars, 450). Lena then stresses that she will not tolerate any ideas like that in her house, or as long as she is around. Petri signifies this scene in her movie, as a very dramatic moment. The tension and anger by Lena towards Beneath for the way she speaks about god.
It contributes to Lens’s morals of being a person of faith and emphasizing and contributing to the idea of her not being money hungry as opposed to her children. Beneath is dealing with an internal struggle against discrimination and the segregation she and her race have to go through and seems to take it out on god by neglecting his existence. One critic, Impair Barack, a poet and playwright, described the plays themes as, actually afflictive of the essence of black people’s striving and the will to defeat segregation, discrimination and national oppression” (Chicago Public Library).
Critics argue that Segregation looms in the background of “A Raisin in the Sun. ” It is a silent, almost-invisible menace until its restrictions are challenged. Then it reveals itself as a smiling, soft-spoken white man with a briefcase. This is the external conflict the Younger family must eventually face as they attempt to move upward and outward in society, but the greater part of the film examines rifts within the Younger household itself. Each member of the family has his or her own values and aspirations that arise in part from their differences.
Characters clash over still- controversial topics such as atheism and abortion, making the film strikingly relevant over half a century later (Conrad, Vivid depiction of social and ideological rifts within an African- American household). Walter’s greed for money leads him to be oblivious to Mama Lens’s true intentions. Mama talks to Walter about her fears of the family falling apart. This is the reason she bought the house and she wants him to understand. Walter doesn’t understand and gets angry. Petri and Handlebars both do a good job and portraying Walter’s greed of money led to him being oblivious to the important things. What you need me to say you done right for? You the head of this family. You run our lives like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what you need for me to say it was all right for? So you butchered up a dream of mine – you – who always talking ’bout your children ‘s dreams… “(Handlebars, 473). Walters is so obsessive over money that he yells greed for money leads him to yell at is mom for spending a large portion of the money and not giving him all of it. He is unaware of what his mom is doing is for the family.
He thinks that having money will make the family happy, although realistically the family doesn’t need anymore than what they have to be happy. An online critic states, “Someone once said, “pride is a dangerous thing” and this film beautifully illustrates the consequences of pride. ” (Bonsais, Powerful Performances). One of the play critics, Margaret B. Wilkinson, says, ‘ ‘Walter, frustrated by his dead-end chauffeurs job. Wants to invest in a liquor store as way out of their economic and psychological trap…
When Mama realizes how deeply her decision has hurt her son, she entrusts him with the remaining money with a portion to be placed in a savings account for his sister’s college education and the rest for Walter to do as he wishes” (“A Raisin in the Sun”: Anniversary of an American Classic). Throughout the series of the play, the characters realize that the most important dream for them as a family is to own their own house, as it would help them achieve their collective dream. This grants for an analysis of dreams, while also ensuring hat the one dream of having a house is focused on with sufficient concern.
It becomes clear to us readers that as the play progresses, the characters portray their dreams and what ideas they were derived from, and their main focus was to defeat segregationists expresses his dream to Travis about his future life when he has achieved that dream: ‘You wouldn’t understand yet, son, but your daddy’s goanna make a transaction… A business transaction that’s going to change Our lives… That’s how come one day when you ’bout seventeen years old I’ll come home… I’ll pull the car up on the driveway… Just plain black Chrysler, I think, with white walls?no?black tires… He gardener will be clipping away at the hedges and he’ll say, “Good evening, Mr.. Younger. ” And I’ll say, “Hello, Jefferson, how are you this evening? ‘ (Handlebars, 480). Walters dream expresses a combination of the conversations he has heard while working as a chauffeur and also his own impact of the kind of houses people reside in and the automobiles they own, showing that he painted the future vividly. Note how Walter mentioned that the black Chrysler will have white tires but immediately corrected himself and said black tires.
This is an indication of internal conflict within Walter and his discomfort with the concept of segregation. Therefore he prefers the black tires as he wants to embrace his own skin color in any means possible. However, in the film, Daniel Petri seems to leave this scene out and focuses more on Walter’s extreme greed for money and how his greed led to the family losing the money needed for his sister’s school and as well as other expenses. One online film critic stated, “It’s an important lesson, a deep lesson, that men of today (including myself) need to remind themselves of from time to time.
There is a pride within all men. It can be stubborn, it can be arrogant and it can be so full of dreams that it can lead to bitter heartbreak. But it is there, burning in all men and it’s our most treasured asset” (Sneeze, An Underrated American Classic) Margaret Wilkinson, comments on the fact that this scene was left out of the 1 961 film, she says, “The money represents his chance to board his generation’s train to the North. Without the Walter/Travis scene, however, the text lacks the subtle class and sexist implications of the American Dream that Walter seeks” (“A Raisin in the Sun”: Anniversary of an
American Classic). The absence of this scene leaves out an important idea that Handlebars tries to convey to the viewers.. In conclusion, the main argument in the “A Raisin in the Sun” was about putting their individual dreams to the side, and focusing on a collective dream together. The film produced by Daniel Petri depicts the same argument as well, however, she leaves out certain scenes in the play from the movie to help convey a stronger message to the readers. Critical readers analyze the story as very influential as it leads to many issues that occur in modern day families today.
