Friday, July 16, 2010
A Raisin in the Sun Act One July 19-25
Act One establishes relationships and conflicts. Which character do you believe struggles the most? In what way does this character struggle? Which character do you think is most entitled to part of the insurance money? Discuss. Which character is least entitled to the money? Why? Do you think that Walter and Ruth have a solid marriage? Discuss.
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I believe that in the play Walter is the character that struggles the most. Walter is like an lion pacing back and forth in a zoo behind iron bars, he knows that beyond the bars of racism and prejudice his jungle kingdom of wealth and happiness await him but there is no way to escape his eternal captivity and so he is left to dream of what could be. The other characters I believe hold Walter back from what he can truly be, the ever present “ruler” of the family Mama is always there to show him that she is in control and I believe it is Mama that won’t allow Walter to become a man. Though it is not their fault, I believe Ruth, Travis, and Beneatha hinder Walter from reaching his full potential because he is look to as the provider for the family and all his time and effort is spent keeping them alive and supporting them and he has no time to think of ways to better himself. These are some the internal and external conflicts that Walter has to deal with which make him one of the characters with the most hardships.
ReplyDeleteTo me I believe that Mama is the person who is most entitled to the insurance money because in the end it was her husband, and after he died she became the head of the household. Since it is Mama’s house and since it was her husband that died and gave the money to her it is her right to distribute the money to her children anyway she wishes. The person that I think is less entitled to the money is Beneatha. Beneatha wants the money to go to school and become a doctor, even though this is a great use for the money we see that Beneatha is very unsure of what she wants to do with her life. For example we see Beneatha doing many different things but not staying with them to completely master them and so I can only assume that she will to the same with medical school it will just be a phase that she goes through and once it gets old she will just toss it to the side and all the money will be wasted. Due to these reasons I believe that Mama is the most entitled to the money and Beneatha is the least entitled to the money.
I believe that Walter and Ruth have a good marriage that is on the brink of destruction. There is a love in their marriage not a kissy mush love but a real strong true love where they look out and protect each other and they make sure the other is supported and can have a life to live. Slowly but surely throughout the play we see this seemingly unbreakable type of love start to wear down and bend. Walter with his dreams of a better life in the future and Ruth with her realistic views of the here and the now is what slowly starts to tear them apart from each other. Walter want to live with wealth and glory which he believe he can achieve against all odds while Ruth sees though his wandering imagination and knows that that life is nearly impossible and she must be the one to keep the family grounded. Although they have their differences in the end we see that they truly do care for one another and are willing to do anything for one another, for example even though Ruth knows it is not right to kill her unborn baby and it pains her to even think of the idea, she would sacrifice it so that her husband and her family can live a decent life without another mouth to feed. And so there marriage is a strong marriage that is on the verge of catastrophe and I believe that if their marriage was pushed anymore than what it is already that it would certainly break.
“A Raisin in the Sun” is a literary work based on the hopes and ideals of fulfilling dreams; though it is visible that these dreams do not come easy for the Younger family. The Younger family was not blessed with financial success, but makes do with what they can receive. This family is full of dreamers where each character has one of their own. In my opinion, all of the characters are faced with immense struggles though I see Ruth as being the character that struggles the most. Ruth is a hard worker who faces many problems domestically, emotionally, and financially. She is a young woman though has been aged tremendously due to her years overbearing work and worry for her family. Ruth can never seem to catch the slightest hint of a break and has to deal with the pressures of taking care of everyone else and never has time to consider herself. When she is faced with the pressures of the inevitable fact of bringing a new child into the world her struggles seem to multiply. Ruth does not feel she is financially capable to raise a child and therefore considers the possibility of an abortion, which ultimately breaks her heart as well as her family members. Ruth is a strong and solemn woman who bears the weight of her family’s mistakes and finds herself caught in a place where troubles seem to take over. Mama is the character I believe is most entitled to the insurance money. Mama has dealt with many trials throughout her life and it is her time to fulfill her own dream. Mama wants to use the money for a down payment on a house so that her and her family can move up in the world. Mama has nurtured her family and sacrificed for them for years. One of the biggest reason’s I think Mama deserves the money is because her dream is for her family; her whole life has been about pleasing her family. Mama is another character I believe struggles a great load in this story. She is disheartened by the actions of her family members such as Ruth considering terminating the pregnancy, Walter’s desire to invest his father’s hard earned money into a liquor store, and Beneatha’s “un- Christian” ways of thinking. Mama has dealt with so much disappointment and loss so I believe it is her time to do something for herself. I am torn between the two characters I think are the least entitled to the insurance money and they are Walter and Beneatha. Walter is a character with dreams of rising above the heartache of prejudice and making money for his family. Walter feels it is his responsibility to take care of his family financially and realizes his job as a chauffeur is not getting him to that point. Walter has to deal with the disappointment of not being able to provide substantially for his family and this circumstance does indeed take a huge toil on Walter. Walter acts foolish because of his disappointment with himself and selfishly invests over 6000 dollars in opening a liquor store after he was told not to do so numerous times by his mother. Walter even invests Bennie’s money for school into his own dream and tragically loses it all in the end. Walter is least entitled to the money because he let his dreams make him act in a foolish manner where he found himself entangled in lies, disappointment, and unfortunately nothing in the end. Beneatha is another character I do believe is the least entitled to the insurance money because she is so unsure of herself and her future. In the play Beneatha spent a lot of time questioning her future and herself. She explored many different aspects of life one being her African descent. Beneatha’s lack of understanding about herself is what leads me to believe that investing money in to something Beneatha was questionable about would ultimately be a waste.
ReplyDelete. Ruth and Walter’s marriage does not appear to be one that is firm. Walter I believe is a big part of this. He let selfishness and his obsessive behavior about money get in the way of what was all he really needed in life after all and that is the love of his family, especially his wife. Ruth and Walter’s relationship is at a very weak point though Ruth has hopes of rekindling that old flame
ReplyDeleteGood explanations, Katelyn!
ReplyDeleteI believe the character that struggles the most is Ruth. She seems to have the most sense out of the whole family and trying to make things right while others might just seem to ignore it or like Walter will go drink it off. She seems to be one of the main ones around the house because she will have to take care of her mama when she dies and as well as the kids. She has to put up with Walter who doesn't seem to know how to control himself and knows what's best. I think mama was the most entitled to the money. She is the main person of the house hold and the oldest. Given it to someone younger they would not spend the money wisely like Walter. I think he is the least entitled to the money because he would be the one to spend the money on something useless and not carefully. He drinks and gets drunk so that already shows how he is. I think Walter and Ruth do not have a solid relationship. Walter never seems to care while Ruth is always being hard on him even though Walter should pay more attention and be more responsible. He doesn't seem to know what to do when there's a problem. Their differences bring them apart a lot as well when they're both stubborn and can't work out something together. Ruth tries to be patient but it's hard for her when Walter is the way he is, uncontrolable.
ReplyDeleteGood ideas, Angela. You make a lot of sense!
ReplyDelete