Literary Criticism
Historical Criticism
1. When was the work written? When was it published? How was it received by the critics and the public? Why?
A Raisin in the Sun was written by Lorraine Hansberry during the 1950s and it was published during 1959. The critics believe that the story “examines such serious generational and racial issues as assimilation and the conflicts between idealism, the pursuit of the American dream, and pride in one’s racial and cultural heritage”, and for the first time, African American’s life are being brought out and focused on in a literary form. The public knows that this is what was happening during this time and that it was how African Americans were living their lives. The different problems in the story that the characters encountered were similar to how people in real life were facing. For certain individuals of the general public, the story would be more familiar, because they probably faced similar issues in the play or know people that were going through hardships, just like Walter’s family.
2. What does the work’s reception reveal about the standards of taste and value during the time it was published and reviewed?
The work’s reception revealed that that was how the society was in the 1950s during the time it was published and reviewed. There were racial issues, which were also intertwined with the American dream that most people of the middle and lower class were pursuing. The play also shows the struggle the family is going through and how they were looked down by society. Furthermore, it shows that almost all African Americans families at this time face economic difficulties. Walter expresses his feeling of being inferior in the society to his Mama when he said that “sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool, quiet looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking bout things…sitting there turning deals worth millions of dollars…” Most African American families face the same problem, which is also what Walter’s family is facing; they want to be able to say “we done give up one baby to poverty.”
3. What social attitudes and cultural practices related to the action of the work were prevalent during the time of work was written and published?
The work shows that African Americans were bitter about facing society, because they are often discriminated against. During this time, there were also segregations, which contributed to the social attitudes of these people since it was prevalent at the time when the work was written and published. The work itself was written around the time of the Civil Rights Movement, which adds to the story’s setting and emphasizes on the social attitudes and cultural practices. In the story, Beneatha’s character focused mostly on social attitudes and cultural practices. When Asagai is saying that assimilationism is so popular in United States, Beneatha feels offended and replied saying that she is not one, which means that she is willing to stand up and fight for her own culture.
4. What kinds of power relations does the work describe, reflect, or embody?
Power relations within the playwright are the relationships between: Walter and Beneatha, Ruth and Walter, and Mama and the other characters of the
play.It is obvious that between Walter and Beneatha, the relationship is one of rivalry and anger. Walter resents the fact that Mama has to decide how to split the money between him and Beneatha when he would prefer to take the money for himself, feeling that investing the money in his liquor store would be more worth it than investing it in Beneatha becoming a doctor. He looks down on Beneatha’s goal of being a doctor, stating to her, “Ain’t many girls to decide to be a doctor,” or “Who the tell told you to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people- then go be a nurse like other women- or just get married and be quiet...” Although Walter does not hate Beneatha or completely feels that she cannot succeed as a doctor, he does not want to have the problem of having Mama decide who to give money to. He also feels underestimated many times throughout the story about being a true man, feeling like he cannot provide for his family. Hence he looks down on other women to make sure he still has the sense of superiority as a man of the
family.
Between Ruth and Walter, Walter tends to look down upon Ruth’s dreams, not realizing the troubles that she is going through since he is too busy with his own situation. She admits to Walter as well, “Honey...life don’t have to be like this. I mean sometimes people can do things so that things are better....You remember how we used to talk when Travis was born... about the way we were going to live... the kind of house... Well it’s all starting to slip away from us...” In this scene, Ruth is trying to tell Walter that although she loves him she cannot stand the way they are living anymore. She truly wants to move out of the house and wants Walter to understand that she too works hard for the family and she needs him to understand her and why she wants to use the money to buy a new house. Walter seems to not understand her throughout the story, frustrated with his own desires in making means to provide for the family and being that “American man” with the “American dream” or starting small and ending big.
5. How do the power relations reflected in the literary work manifest themselves in the cultural practices and social institutions prevalent during the time the work was written and published?
The relations between Walter and Ruth/Beneatha truly show the cultural practices and social institutions during the time the work was written. Walter evidently does not appreciate the dreams and goals of Beneatha, putting her down consistently and telling her to “...be a nurse like other women...” because he thinks too highly of his own goals in being the man of the family and providing. He wants to remain the man and seem like the superior figure in the household, making the money through the liquor store and providing for Ruth and Travis. He acts similarly to Ruth as well when he underestimates her high desire for wanting to move houses and use Mama’s money to do so. He does not pay much attention to Ruth’s feelings throughout the story since he is too focused on his own problems of opening the liquor store or how to acquire more money. These power relations show how men of the time the work was written underestimated the dreams and hopes of women since they felt that the women should remain supportive of them and nothing more. Walter is not used to the new era of women acquiring more civil rights and having jobs that can be superior to the men’s own jobs, such as
Beneatha being a doctor. The relations show the transition of men trying to accommodate the fact that women were gaining more rights and higher ranks
whereas women are trying to push past the criticism they get from men.
6. What other types of historical documents, cultural artifacts, or social institutions might be analyzed in conjunction with particular literary work? How might a close reading of such a nonliterary “text” illuminate those literary works?
Documents where records are kept in the percentage of how many women have what kind of jobs would be in conjunction with this particular literary work. These records would show how women’s ranks rose throughout the years through their greater accessibility to jobs, such as jobs of being a doctor. Beneatha for example wanted to be a doctor; hence through these records, we could easily see how many women of her time wanted to be doctors, how many women years before her time were doctors, and how many women are doctors years ahead of her time. These comparisons would show how the story is related to the time the work was written and why exactly the characters act the way they do, such as Walter seeming sexist or Beneatha being passionate of being a reformed women.
7. To what extent can we understand the past as it is reflected in the literary work? To what extent does the work reflect differences from ideas and values of its time?
We understand the past to a large extent as it is reflected in “Raisin in the Sun.” We understand three main points: men had a hard time getting used to women gaining more rights, women had a hard time going through with those rights, and the struggles that African Americans also went through with financially and their identity. Walter could not get used to the fact that Beneatha wants to be a doctor and will be equal to him in terms of possibly making more money or having a higher rank than him in society. For women, Beneatha is seen as having a hard time trying to find her African identity and struggling to gain money for tuition to go to school to be a doctor. For Beneatha as well, we see that she is trying to gain more knowledge about Africa through Asagai, wanting to not lose that part of herself.
The work reflects that the ideas and values of the time were women trying to be reformed and go out with their new rights, such as being able to acquire more education like Beneatha is or trying to go against men that oppose them such as Walter.
Marxist Criticism
1. What social forces and institutions are represented in the work? How are these forces portrayed? What is the author’s attitude towards them?
The main social force portrayed in “A Raisin in the Sun” is racism. The story takes place in Chicago between World War II and the present, a time period in which African Americans were fighting for their Civil Rights. The dream the family has of moving into a house is crushed by the white community’s inability to accept a black family. Mr. Lindner offers the family compensation to encourage them not to move into Clybourne Park because the white residents don’t feel comfortable accepting them. “I don’t understand why you people are reacting this way. What do you think you are going to gain by moving into a neighborhood where you just aren’t wanted and where some elements—well—people can get awful worked up when they feel that their whole way of life and everything they’ve ever worked for is threatened.” The family’s main dream together finally becomes a reality when Mama puts the down payment on the house, (Ruth is especially excited), but racism drives their dream down. Throughout the play, the presence of racism and racial judgments affect the characters. When Beneatha takes off her Nigerian headdress and reveals that she has cut her hair and is no longer straightening it, even her own family is taken aback and upset with her. The African American community during the time period of the play is one that isn’t really even sure about embracing their African roots and a lot of its members, especially Mrs. Johnson simply think that the circumstances aren’t going to change. While Beneatha is in many ways ignorant and simply trying to become an individual, her thoughts on assimilation and accepting the racial and gender roles of society reflects the Younger family’s fight. “The Younger’s is too much for me! You sure one proud-acting bunch of colored folks. Well—I always thinks like Booker T. Washington said that time—‘Education has spoiled many a good plow hand’” This quote from Mrs. Johnson shows the acceptance of the situation that holds down the Younger family’s dreams. She believes that black people shouldn’t bother reaching for something higher, but the Younger’s choose to fight Mr. Lindner and move on with their dreams anyways.
The next social force portrayed is gender roles. While Walter is trying to become the man of the family and provide for them by investing in the liquor store, Beneatha is trying to improve for herself, getting educated and aiming not to become a nurse, but a doctor. When Mama gives Walter the remaining money, (the $3,500 for Beneatha’s education and the $3,500 for him,) he snaps out of his depression and feels good again, as if he is fulfilling his role as the man of the family. Ruth is the practical character, trying to make sacrifices, (even almost aborting her baby,) for the good of her family, but Walter sees this as holding him down from providing for his family. “That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs. Man say: I got to take hold of this world here baby! And a woman will say: Eat your eggs and go to work. Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby! And his woman say-Your eggs is getting cold!” The author clearly disagrees with the social forces portrayed in the book. From a biographical standpoint, Lorraine Hansberry is an African American woman who got an education and lived in Chicago, where the story takes place, so she had special insight on these social forces and clearly opposed them.
2/3. What political economic/economic elements appear in the work? How important are they in determining or influencing the lives of the characters?
The family is very poor. To emphasize this, the opening scene of the play depicts Walter and Ruth’s son Travis asking for fifty cents for school and Ruth refusing him, saying they don’t have fifty cents. Walter gives Travis more money than he needs, telling him to take a taxi to school or buy some candy. Walter thrives on the idea that he can provide for his family economically. When the check for the ten thousand dollars in insurance money comes in the mail for Mama, Ruth and Travis are extremely excited. Mama says that they’re not the type of people who get so excited over money, but Ruth says “We ain’t never had none before—OPEN IT!” Travis tells Mama that she’s rich, and when Walter comes home, he simply asks if the check came yet. Mama scolds him for not first saying hello. Walter tells her that this money is very important to him because he wants so many things, but for Mama the ten thousand dollars seems to be a compensation payment for the loss of her husband. She realizes that no amount of money can replace things like the people you love, but Walter can’t see this. He is blinded by his want for money and being a man. Mama says,” Somebody would’ve thought my children done all but starved to death the way they talk about money here lately.” Beneatha also values money too much. She longs to be independent, but she can’t fund her dreams on her own and she still lives at home, relying on her mother and still very immature. She tells her mother that she’s tired of hearing
about God, because “God doesn’t pay tuition,” offending Mama, who is very religious. Mama slaps Beneatha, telling her that as long as she lives under her
Mother’s roof, there is a God. Beneatha’s primary focus is herself and the furthering of her own dreams, and she knows money is the only way to do this.
Ruth wants a bigger house because she is pregnant once again and has no room for the baby. Beneatha says, “Where’s the baby going to sleep, on the roof?” Money for Ruth is a symbol of a better life for her family. Unlike Beneatha and Walter, she tries to be selfless and never outright asks Mama for the money to buy the house.
In the political economic sense, Walter is affected by racism in his yearning for money. “Mama – sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool-quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking ‘bout things…sitting there turning deals worth millions of dollars…sometimes I see
guys don’t look much older than me.” Walter says this to show his anger about how young white men have so many more economic opportunities than he does simply because of their race, and this fuels Walter’s want for a better job and a better life for his family. He hates his work as a chauffeur because he feels like a slave working for another man, a belief that Walter shares with his late father.
4. To what extent are the lives of the characters influenced or determined by social, political, and economic forces? To what extent are they aware of these forces?
The lives of the characters are extremely influenced by these forces. The main theme of the entire story comes out of the fact that the family is able to stand up and overcome these obstacles to move into Claybourne Park. All of the central themes, including the idea of dreams and plans in the midst of poverty are connected to and influenced by these social, political and economic forces. The characters are aware of this. Walter falls into a sort of depression over the fact that he can’t invest in the liquor store and provide for his family without Mama’s consent. Mama asks him why he talks so much about money, and he says “Because [money] is life, Mama!” Mama disagrees with this, saying that there was a time when freedom was life, but she understands how society has changed its priorities. When he has the money, he finally feels better and begins to mend his relationship with Ruth. Beneatha is very aware of the social forces of the time period. Though she oftentimes is portrayed as naïve and blindly following any activist movement, she refuses to comply with the restrictions that society set on her. In Act II, Scene II, she is returning home from a date with George, and wants to have an intellectual conversation. He says,” I know [you love to talk] and I don’t mind it sometimes…I want you to cut it out, see – The moody stuff, I mean. I don’t like it. You’re a nice-looking girl…all over. That’s all you need, honey, forget the atmosphere. Guys aren’t going to go for the atmosphere – they’re going to go for what they see. Be glad for that. Drop the Garbo routine. It doesn’t go with you. As for myself, I want a nice simple, sophisticated girl… not a poet – O.K.?” The italicized text actually says that he gropes her as he says this. Beneatha can see many times the way that women are treated in society, the way everyone expects her to be a nurse rather than a doctor, and the idea that women don’t need to be educated. Asagai calls her “Alaiyo” a nickname meaning “one for whom bread is not enough.” She strives for something greater for her future. Mama, Ruth and Travis all know the effects of these social forces as well. When Mr. Lindner offers them money to stay out of the white neighborhood, this becomes clear.
1. When was the work written? When was it published? How was it received by the critics and the public? Why?
A Raisin in the Sun was written by Lorraine Hansberry during the 1950s and it was published during 1959. The critics believe that the story “examines such serious generational and racial issues as assimilation and the conflicts between idealism, the pursuit of the American dream, and pride in one’s racial and cultural heritage”, and for the first time, African American’s life are being brought out and focused on in a literary form. The public knows that this is what was happening during this time and that it was how African Americans were living their lives. The different problems in the story that the characters encountered were similar to how people in real life were facing. For certain individuals of the general public, the story would be more familiar, because they probably faced similar issues in the play or know people that were going through hardships, just like Walter’s family.
2. What does the work’s reception reveal about the standards of taste and value during the time it was published and reviewed?
The work’s reception revealed that that was how the society was in the 1950s during the time it was published and reviewed. There were racial issues, which were also intertwined with the American dream that most people of the middle and lower class were pursuing. The play also shows the struggle the family is going through and how they were looked down by society. Furthermore, it shows that almost all African Americans families at this time face economic difficulties. Walter expresses his feeling of being inferior in the society to his Mama when he said that “sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool, quiet looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking bout things…sitting there turning deals worth millions of dollars…” Most African American families face the same problem, which is also what Walter’s family is facing; they want to be able to say “we done give up one baby to poverty.”
3. What social attitudes and cultural practices related to the action of the work were prevalent during the time of work was written and published?
The work shows that African Americans were bitter about facing society, because they are often discriminated against. During this time, there were also segregations, which contributed to the social attitudes of these people since it was prevalent at the time when the work was written and published. The work itself was written around the time of the Civil Rights Movement, which adds to the story’s setting and emphasizes on the social attitudes and cultural practices. In the story, Beneatha’s character focused mostly on social attitudes and cultural practices. When Asagai is saying that assimilationism is so popular in United States, Beneatha feels offended and replied saying that she is not one, which means that she is willing to stand up and fight for her own culture.
4. What kinds of power relations does the work describe, reflect, or embody?
Power relations within the playwright are the relationships between: Walter and Beneatha, Ruth and Walter, and Mama and the other characters of the
play.It is obvious that between Walter and Beneatha, the relationship is one of rivalry and anger. Walter resents the fact that Mama has to decide how to split the money between him and Beneatha when he would prefer to take the money for himself, feeling that investing the money in his liquor store would be more worth it than investing it in Beneatha becoming a doctor. He looks down on Beneatha’s goal of being a doctor, stating to her, “Ain’t many girls to decide to be a doctor,” or “Who the tell told you to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people- then go be a nurse like other women- or just get married and be quiet...” Although Walter does not hate Beneatha or completely feels that she cannot succeed as a doctor, he does not want to have the problem of having Mama decide who to give money to. He also feels underestimated many times throughout the story about being a true man, feeling like he cannot provide for his family. Hence he looks down on other women to make sure he still has the sense of superiority as a man of the
family.
Between Ruth and Walter, Walter tends to look down upon Ruth’s dreams, not realizing the troubles that she is going through since he is too busy with his own situation. She admits to Walter as well, “Honey...life don’t have to be like this. I mean sometimes people can do things so that things are better....You remember how we used to talk when Travis was born... about the way we were going to live... the kind of house... Well it’s all starting to slip away from us...” In this scene, Ruth is trying to tell Walter that although she loves him she cannot stand the way they are living anymore. She truly wants to move out of the house and wants Walter to understand that she too works hard for the family and she needs him to understand her and why she wants to use the money to buy a new house. Walter seems to not understand her throughout the story, frustrated with his own desires in making means to provide for the family and being that “American man” with the “American dream” or starting small and ending big.
5. How do the power relations reflected in the literary work manifest themselves in the cultural practices and social institutions prevalent during the time the work was written and published?
The relations between Walter and Ruth/Beneatha truly show the cultural practices and social institutions during the time the work was written. Walter evidently does not appreciate the dreams and goals of Beneatha, putting her down consistently and telling her to “...be a nurse like other women...” because he thinks too highly of his own goals in being the man of the family and providing. He wants to remain the man and seem like the superior figure in the household, making the money through the liquor store and providing for Ruth and Travis. He acts similarly to Ruth as well when he underestimates her high desire for wanting to move houses and use Mama’s money to do so. He does not pay much attention to Ruth’s feelings throughout the story since he is too focused on his own problems of opening the liquor store or how to acquire more money. These power relations show how men of the time the work was written underestimated the dreams and hopes of women since they felt that the women should remain supportive of them and nothing more. Walter is not used to the new era of women acquiring more civil rights and having jobs that can be superior to the men’s own jobs, such as
Beneatha being a doctor. The relations show the transition of men trying to accommodate the fact that women were gaining more rights and higher ranks
whereas women are trying to push past the criticism they get from men.
6. What other types of historical documents, cultural artifacts, or social institutions might be analyzed in conjunction with particular literary work? How might a close reading of such a nonliterary “text” illuminate those literary works?
Documents where records are kept in the percentage of how many women have what kind of jobs would be in conjunction with this particular literary work. These records would show how women’s ranks rose throughout the years through their greater accessibility to jobs, such as jobs of being a doctor. Beneatha for example wanted to be a doctor; hence through these records, we could easily see how many women of her time wanted to be doctors, how many women years before her time were doctors, and how many women are doctors years ahead of her time. These comparisons would show how the story is related to the time the work was written and why exactly the characters act the way they do, such as Walter seeming sexist or Beneatha being passionate of being a reformed women.
7. To what extent can we understand the past as it is reflected in the literary work? To what extent does the work reflect differences from ideas and values of its time?
We understand the past to a large extent as it is reflected in “Raisin in the Sun.” We understand three main points: men had a hard time getting used to women gaining more rights, women had a hard time going through with those rights, and the struggles that African Americans also went through with financially and their identity. Walter could not get used to the fact that Beneatha wants to be a doctor and will be equal to him in terms of possibly making more money or having a higher rank than him in society. For women, Beneatha is seen as having a hard time trying to find her African identity and struggling to gain money for tuition to go to school to be a doctor. For Beneatha as well, we see that she is trying to gain more knowledge about Africa through Asagai, wanting to not lose that part of herself.
The work reflects that the ideas and values of the time were women trying to be reformed and go out with their new rights, such as being able to acquire more education like Beneatha is or trying to go against men that oppose them such as Walter.
Marxist Criticism
1. What social forces and institutions are represented in the work? How are these forces portrayed? What is the author’s attitude towards them?
The main social force portrayed in “A Raisin in the Sun” is racism. The story takes place in Chicago between World War II and the present, a time period in which African Americans were fighting for their Civil Rights. The dream the family has of moving into a house is crushed by the white community’s inability to accept a black family. Mr. Lindner offers the family compensation to encourage them not to move into Clybourne Park because the white residents don’t feel comfortable accepting them. “I don’t understand why you people are reacting this way. What do you think you are going to gain by moving into a neighborhood where you just aren’t wanted and where some elements—well—people can get awful worked up when they feel that their whole way of life and everything they’ve ever worked for is threatened.” The family’s main dream together finally becomes a reality when Mama puts the down payment on the house, (Ruth is especially excited), but racism drives their dream down. Throughout the play, the presence of racism and racial judgments affect the characters. When Beneatha takes off her Nigerian headdress and reveals that she has cut her hair and is no longer straightening it, even her own family is taken aback and upset with her. The African American community during the time period of the play is one that isn’t really even sure about embracing their African roots and a lot of its members, especially Mrs. Johnson simply think that the circumstances aren’t going to change. While Beneatha is in many ways ignorant and simply trying to become an individual, her thoughts on assimilation and accepting the racial and gender roles of society reflects the Younger family’s fight. “The Younger’s is too much for me! You sure one proud-acting bunch of colored folks. Well—I always thinks like Booker T. Washington said that time—‘Education has spoiled many a good plow hand’” This quote from Mrs. Johnson shows the acceptance of the situation that holds down the Younger family’s dreams. She believes that black people shouldn’t bother reaching for something higher, but the Younger’s choose to fight Mr. Lindner and move on with their dreams anyways.
The next social force portrayed is gender roles. While Walter is trying to become the man of the family and provide for them by investing in the liquor store, Beneatha is trying to improve for herself, getting educated and aiming not to become a nurse, but a doctor. When Mama gives Walter the remaining money, (the $3,500 for Beneatha’s education and the $3,500 for him,) he snaps out of his depression and feels good again, as if he is fulfilling his role as the man of the family. Ruth is the practical character, trying to make sacrifices, (even almost aborting her baby,) for the good of her family, but Walter sees this as holding him down from providing for his family. “That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs. Man say: I got to take hold of this world here baby! And a woman will say: Eat your eggs and go to work. Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby! And his woman say-Your eggs is getting cold!” The author clearly disagrees with the social forces portrayed in the book. From a biographical standpoint, Lorraine Hansberry is an African American woman who got an education and lived in Chicago, where the story takes place, so she had special insight on these social forces and clearly opposed them.
2/3. What political economic/economic elements appear in the work? How important are they in determining or influencing the lives of the characters?
The family is very poor. To emphasize this, the opening scene of the play depicts Walter and Ruth’s son Travis asking for fifty cents for school and Ruth refusing him, saying they don’t have fifty cents. Walter gives Travis more money than he needs, telling him to take a taxi to school or buy some candy. Walter thrives on the idea that he can provide for his family economically. When the check for the ten thousand dollars in insurance money comes in the mail for Mama, Ruth and Travis are extremely excited. Mama says that they’re not the type of people who get so excited over money, but Ruth says “We ain’t never had none before—OPEN IT!” Travis tells Mama that she’s rich, and when Walter comes home, he simply asks if the check came yet. Mama scolds him for not first saying hello. Walter tells her that this money is very important to him because he wants so many things, but for Mama the ten thousand dollars seems to be a compensation payment for the loss of her husband. She realizes that no amount of money can replace things like the people you love, but Walter can’t see this. He is blinded by his want for money and being a man. Mama says,” Somebody would’ve thought my children done all but starved to death the way they talk about money here lately.” Beneatha also values money too much. She longs to be independent, but she can’t fund her dreams on her own and she still lives at home, relying on her mother and still very immature. She tells her mother that she’s tired of hearing
about God, because “God doesn’t pay tuition,” offending Mama, who is very religious. Mama slaps Beneatha, telling her that as long as she lives under her
Mother’s roof, there is a God. Beneatha’s primary focus is herself and the furthering of her own dreams, and she knows money is the only way to do this.
Ruth wants a bigger house because she is pregnant once again and has no room for the baby. Beneatha says, “Where’s the baby going to sleep, on the roof?” Money for Ruth is a symbol of a better life for her family. Unlike Beneatha and Walter, she tries to be selfless and never outright asks Mama for the money to buy the house.
In the political economic sense, Walter is affected by racism in his yearning for money. “Mama – sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool-quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking ‘bout things…sitting there turning deals worth millions of dollars…sometimes I see
guys don’t look much older than me.” Walter says this to show his anger about how young white men have so many more economic opportunities than he does simply because of their race, and this fuels Walter’s want for a better job and a better life for his family. He hates his work as a chauffeur because he feels like a slave working for another man, a belief that Walter shares with his late father.
4. To what extent are the lives of the characters influenced or determined by social, political, and economic forces? To what extent are they aware of these forces?
The lives of the characters are extremely influenced by these forces. The main theme of the entire story comes out of the fact that the family is able to stand up and overcome these obstacles to move into Claybourne Park. All of the central themes, including the idea of dreams and plans in the midst of poverty are connected to and influenced by these social, political and economic forces. The characters are aware of this. Walter falls into a sort of depression over the fact that he can’t invest in the liquor store and provide for his family without Mama’s consent. Mama asks him why he talks so much about money, and he says “Because [money] is life, Mama!” Mama disagrees with this, saying that there was a time when freedom was life, but she understands how society has changed its priorities. When he has the money, he finally feels better and begins to mend his relationship with Ruth. Beneatha is very aware of the social forces of the time period. Though she oftentimes is portrayed as naïve and blindly following any activist movement, she refuses to comply with the restrictions that society set on her. In Act II, Scene II, she is returning home from a date with George, and wants to have an intellectual conversation. He says,” I know [you love to talk] and I don’t mind it sometimes…I want you to cut it out, see – The moody stuff, I mean. I don’t like it. You’re a nice-looking girl…all over. That’s all you need, honey, forget the atmosphere. Guys aren’t going to go for the atmosphere – they’re going to go for what they see. Be glad for that. Drop the Garbo routine. It doesn’t go with you. As for myself, I want a nice simple, sophisticated girl… not a poet – O.K.?” The italicized text actually says that he gropes her as he says this. Beneatha can see many times the way that women are treated in society, the way everyone expects her to be a nurse rather than a doctor, and the idea that women don’t need to be educated. Asagai calls her “Alaiyo” a nickname meaning “one for whom bread is not enough.” She strives for something greater for her future. Mama, Ruth and Travis all know the effects of these social forces as well. When Mr. Lindner offers them money to stay out of the white neighborhood, this becomes clear.