A Raisin in the Sun Review: Act One

When I start off poems or movies, I am always worried that I will not be able to follow the characters. Right off the bat, I understood each person in this play, as Hansberry displayed their personalities within the first couple lines of meeting them.

The setting that was set, which was the most important literary element in my opinion, displayed a run-down, beat-up family that was struggling. The entire page of stage directions helped create this. The line 'too many people over too many years - and they are tired' helped me understand the setting. Everything was worn and the family was at the point of not caring anymore. They have done all they can over the years and, although they haven't given up, they are losing interest in things. Another description was about the single window, and how the family would enjoy sunlight through 'this little window'. This may have been foreshadowing - they need to search for the good because there is very little. This line also reiterates that thought that they are in a gloomy, depressing setting.

There was a brief scene in which Ruth refuses to give Travis money but Walter does. This summed up the characters for me. Ruth is more conservative and more resourceful. She is more likely to think about her family and the current situation than one individual or one event. Walter is the dreamer. He hands out money like he has an unlimited supply, yet he must return and ask the women in the family for bus fare. He may wish that if he acted like he was rich, he will become rich. Money is defiantly on his mind.

It was interesting to see how each person reacted after the insurance check came in the mail. This also described their personalities, Mama in particular. She puzzled me by the way she reacted when opening the mail. I wonder if this was sadness that she was reaping someone else's hard work, or a depression of the fact she has money instead of a loved one. Walter bursts in the room and questions the money, disregarding how everyone in the family is doing. Travis, based on his question, may have been brought up thinking that having money will lead to happiness due to his questions. Ruth seemed conservative again - she was anxious about the money but realized that it wasn't hers so she kept her mind on straight.

At the end of the first act, Mama confronts Walter about not being the man that his father was. This brief scene about Ruth's pregnancy created another conflict. At the end of the first scene, I felt the issue in this story was that Walter was not the man he wanted to be and perhaps felt like he was letting everyone else down. For so long, he thought that if he had money, all of his problems would be gone, but his focus on money has taken his mind of his character, something that is worth more than cold hard cash.

Wikipedia, A Raisin in the Sun