A Raisin In The Sun

A Raisin In The Sun is an American play that was written by Lorraine Hansberry in 1959. It is about a poor African American family in Chicago who receives $10,000 in inheritance money. The family has to decide how to spend the money.

 Characters 

Walter - He is the main character of the play and the father.  He is a cab driver who has the dream of being a bartender who is rich and successful.  He takes most of the $10,000 to invest it in a bar.  He realizes that he was scammed and he lost all of the money (which angered Mama).  He was offered thousands of dollars to move out of the neighborhood (because African Americans living in a white neighborhood lowered the value of the houses).  Throughout the play, he considers the offer, but at the end he says no.  Walter, at the end of the play, may have lost a lot of money, but he keeps his dignity and learns a big lesson.

Travis - Walter's 10 or 11-year-old son who admires his father.  He represents the theme of innocence.

Ruth - Walter's wife and emotional support of the family.  While Walter has his dreams and fantasies about being rich and successful, Ruth brings him back to reality.

Mama - The grandmother (wife of the grandfather).  She is very old fashioned and religious.  She is a strong-willed woman.

Beneatha - Beneatha is the sister of Walter.  She tries to be an independent person by trying to learn more about African cultures, rather than conforming to the style of living that Americans have been accustomed to.

 Other websites 
Listen to the play online
Read analysis of play  by Alex Alonso

Category:Chicago in fiction
Category:American plays
Category:1959 works
Category:1950s plays