The Role of Mama in A Raisin in the Sun Essay Sample

“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy” (Kalu). In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, Mama lives by this quote by doing a little every day to get her family back on track. After her husband’s unexpected death, she is determined to give her family a better life; one that he would want them to have. With a significant life insurance check in hand, Mama makes the first down payment on a much needed home. After much pestering and nagging from her son Walter, she lets him take the rest of the money, only for it to be never seen again. Because she is fearful for her family and cares about their ultimate happiness, Mama gives in and enables her family to make decisions she may not agree with initially.

After losing her husband, Mama is frightened of losing any other piece of her family. With tensions from the money, their increasingly dire living conditions, and an impending abortion, the marriage between Ruth and Walter seems to be getting worse day by day. After a particularly harsh fight, Mama knows that any sense of morality and faith in each other in this house is coming to an end. She pours out her concerns to her son: “ I—I just seen my family falling apart today … just falling to pieces in front of my eyes … We couldn’t of gone on like we was today. We was going backwards ’stead of forwards—talking’bout killing babies and wishing each other was dead …” (2.1.94). Mama admits that her family is “falling to pieces”; the money has ruined Walter as a person, and there are less and less reasons to keep going like this. She then mentions discussions of “killing babies”. This is frightening for Mama, who is witnessing the collapse of moral values in her beloved household. Her family is turning into a mess of immoral and irresponsible adults, and for someone like her, that is more terrifying than anything. Mama’s stark reaction to the problems that her family is going through reveals that she is fearful for them and their future. After she realizes how far gone her family is, she knows she has to do something about it. Walter keeps nagging her about the money, and she can clearly sense he cannot stand the life he has now. The money has turned him into a man she can barely recognize as her son, and she knows there is only one way out. Out of concession, she instructs him: “Monday morning I want you to take this money and take three thousand dollars and put it in a savings account for Beneatha’s medical schooling. The rest you put in a checking account—with your name on it” (2.2.106-107). After telling him to put aside some money for Beneatha, she lets him put it somewhere with “[his] name”. Here, she emphasizes that at this point the money is his; he can spend it however he wants. After fighting for weeks with him to keep the money out of some scheme, she lets go of everything, knowing exactly what will happen to the money. However, her fears get the better of her; the only way Walter will be a good man again is if he gets what he wants. Out of total paranoia for what could happen, Mama lets go of all her suspicions and desires to let Walter control what his dad had worked so hard to achieve. Through Mama’s ability to recognize what Walter could do and prevent it by handing him the money, Lorraine Hansberry reveals that fear can force people to make choices they would never otherwise agree to.

Despite some hostile interactions between Mama and her family, she truly cares about them and wants them to be happy in the end. When Beneatha gets in a relationship with a wealthy guy named George Murchison, Mama is very excited, often more than Beneatha herself. She thinks the man is a good guy, and she hopes his wealth will help bring her family a better life. However, Beneatha feels otherwise; Murchison does not respect her choices, and he is not a good fit for her. When Mama sees Beneatha sitting glumly after a date, she is confused: “Hello, what you sitting like that for? … Did you have a nice time? … No? What's the matter?” (2.2.97) Because Mama cares for Beneatha’s well-being, she immediately responds to a sight of her distress. When Mama asks “what’s the matter”, she reveals that she wants to know what is happening instead of coming to her own judgement right away. Though Mama sees an entirely different picture of the story, she doesn’t shut out her daughter’s viewpoints; she is willing to understand what Beneatha might think of her boyfriend. Through her ability to understand her daughter’s stress and anxiety and express concern for it, Mama reveals she cares about her family and wants them to be happy. Eventually, Beneatha reveals what was making her relationship so hard; George just was not a fit for her as a person. Though Mama has her doubts, she eventually realizes that Beneatha is right; a man’s wealth cannot make up for significant character faults. Mama admits to her daughter: “Well—I guess you better not waste your time with no fools.” (2.2.98). After a while, Mama realizes that her daughter will never be happy with George Murchison, so she lets her take another path. She admits that she should not “waste [her] time” with people who will never fulfill her dreams. Even though Mama wants the money that Murchison can provide, she knows that it is far more important that her daughter is happy, Beneatha will only grow more miserable if she spends more time with George, and Mama does not want this for her family. She then admits that Beneatha will not get anything out of being with “fools”. Though Mama once viewed Murchison as a good man who would give them a better life, she now views him through a much more negative lens. Mama cares about her family’s happiness; because of this, she is willing to drop her dream of moving up through marriage when she realizes it would make her daughter miserable. Through Mama’s ability to recognize Beneatha’s pain and let go of her own hopes because of it, Lorraine Hansberry reveals that when people care for others’ well being and happiness, they will enable decisions they would otherwise never agree to.