Blog 1-A Raisin In The Sun

    In the play A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, the characters can be divided into those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. Although, only a few scenes into the first act, characters have been distinguished into these certain categories, while some of the other groups I have not been able to associate a character(s) with. For example, Mama has had her share of disappointments and hopes never fulfilled. She even goes on to talk about what could have been: the house in Morgan Park and the garden. " '...all the dreams I had about buying that house and fixing it up and making me a little garden in the back-didn't none of it happen,' "(Hansberry,452). This idea of dreams being shoved to the side, and thus, never being fulfilled is much like Dreams Deferred by Langston Hughes. Just as Hughes states at the end of his poem, these types of aspirations put off are likely to destruct and go away. In the same way, Mama killed her dreams by never chasing them.
    On another note, a character who makes things happen is thus far, most obviously, Beneatha. Bennie longs to be a doctor, which at the time is uncommon for women of color, and she is not enthusiastically supported by her brother. Having strong spirit, however, she doesn't hear other's doubts as a means to reconsider her goals. Rather, she keeps on her path of education with the goal of becoming a doctor which shows her strong will and determination. She even says, " 'I am going to be a doctor and everybody around here better understand that,' "(Hansberry,456)! Hansberry's use of characterization reveal Bennie's personality traits which are also similar to her brother's persistence.