A Raisin in the Sun Act I Scene I

                As Act I, Scene I of A Raisin in the Sun begins, Lorraine Hansberry immediately establishes the fact through employment of the stage directions and setting descriptions that the apartment in which the Younger family lives is less than desirable. As the rugged and worn condition of the furniture and appliances within the small confines of the cramped living quarters materializes within the reader’s mind, the reader quickly begins to understand that each character has been forced to make many adjustments to the negative aspects of their environment. For example, because the unimpressive apartment was not originally built to house five individuals, ten-year-old Travis must sleep on a nightly basis on a make-down bed; furthermore, without a yard to entertain himself in, Travis must play with his friends on the unsafe sidewalks of Chicago’s Southside, where he and his companions must seek enjoyment in unusual activities such as chasing rats. Ruth is certainly discontent with her surroundings as well, for she spends a great deal of time fretting about raising a child in such mediocre conditions. Unsurprisingly, Walter and Beneatha also dislike their small apartment, for the lack of space and grandeur of the apartment seems to reflect the limitations of their own dreams and ambitions, something which they both resent very strongly. However, the character whose compensations for the negative aspects of her environment compelled me the most was Mama.

                While Mama would surely love to provide a higher quality abode for her family, the fact that she feels a much stronger emotional connection to the home than the rest of the family is evident; after all, she and her husband, Big Walter, had purchased the apartment decades ago after getting married, and she has made all of her family memories within the walls of the apartment since that time. Mama certainly appears to be more content and appreciative of her environment than any other character, but, nevertheless, even she is revealed to experience some disappointment on account of their subpar living conditions. With this is mind, I found it very interesting that throughout the first act, Mama is described as constantly tending to and fidgeting with a single, pathetic-looking plant resting on the windowsill. After nursing the plant for a good deal of time, Mama explains to Ruth, “Well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home. This plant is close as I ever got to having one” (Hansberry, 53). With this quote, I came to find that Mama’s tenderness towards her withering plant is highly symbolic of her life and deferred dreams. Indirect characterization has already proven Mama to be a woman who lives a fairly understated lifestyle and whose primary concern is simply for the happiness and success of her family members. Although Mama always fostered a desire to own her own home with Big Walter at which she could tend a garden, she accepted the sacrifice of this dream in order to take care of her family with whatever means possible. However, the fact that Mama has clung to this solitary plant for such an extent of time represents the fact that she never truly parted ways with this inner dream and desire, nor did her passion for the garden dissolve over time. Despite this, rather than allow her deferred dreams to transform into bitter and raw emotions, she simply nurtures the plant with love and accepts its mediocre condition. I also believe that Mama’s care for the plant is symbolic of her utmost concern for the well-being of her family members. Even when her children appear to be deteriorating from the inside out due to the adjustments that they have been forced to make due to their environment, she continues to love and provide for them with patience and few demands, just as she loyally cares for her plant without demanding beauty of it. As the play progresses, I will be interested to see if Mama will be able to suppress her own dreams while channeling all her effort into assisting her loved ones in attaining their own.