As the first of the Youngers to wake up in the morning, Ruth assumes the duties of a traditional mother, preparing meals for her family and helping her son get ready for school. Walter’s re-entrance to ask for carfare recalls his imprudent decision to give Travis his money—foreshadowing future poor decision-making around money—and Ruth’s reaction shows that she facilitates Walter’s irresponsibility with money. 9 A Raisin in the Sun STDENT COPY STDY GIDE Act II, Scene One Beneatha prides herself on the progress that she has made towards achieving her dream of becoming a doctor, which is why she resists Mama’s suggestion that God has a role in the fulfillment of her ambition. Ruth, smiling, details an evening she and Walter spent together. Walter’s immediate reference to the coming “check” emphasizes the family’s preoccupation with money. Describe the immediate exchange of words between Walter and his sister Beneatha when she comes into the living room. 0000023950 00000 n How does the emotional distance it creates contribute to the overall tone of the novel? 0000008266 00000 n 0000010888 00000 n Unable to stomach the loss of pride that would come with the denial of his son’s request, Walter shortsightedly gives Travis more money than the family can spare. Ruth’s complaints about her son’s makeshift bedroom also relate directly to the family’s strained finances. 0000010629 00000 n The entire exchange shows that Mama is still the leader of this family. As the strain of pregnancy and poverty on Ruth and Walter’s marriage intensifies over the play, it is at this moment that Ruth sees a glimmer of hope for them. 0000001920 00000 n The cost of acquiring and maintaining the $10,000 policy during Big Walter’s life would have placed a considerable financial burden on the man, although the policy now makes possible the fulfillment of at least some of his family’s dreams. 6. Ask students to rewrite the scene above in first-person point of view from Sam Spade's or Brigid O'Shaughnessy's perspective. This brief exchange between Walter and Ruth shows their diverse values and orientations towards the world. As with past interchanges, we encouraged participants to engage in a f What does the first exchange between Ruth and Walter seem to foreshadow? Why does Walter get so angry with Ruth when she dismisses his scheme with Willy Harris? 0000021393 00000 n
Walter’s comment on “colored” women speaks to his own insecurities regarding his shaky sense of manhood and also hints at the ways that hardship can make people blame each other.
Instant downloads of all 1338 LitChart PDFs See more. Ruth appears to be annoyed with Walter, although she does not openly admit it.
Our "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." She says she does. -Graham S. 0000030286 00000 n
The shared hallway bathroom offers another example of the Youngers’ modest financial situation. On the other hand, Mama takes pride and finds strength in her religious convictions, which she has tried to instill in her children. Although Beneatha defends and takes pride in her quest for a form of personal “expression,” Mama and Ruth can’t help but laugh at Beneatha’s youthful effort to define her identity, which represents an unimaginable luxury to these women of earlier, pre-feminist generations. The issue of money, embodied by the check, again serves as a point of conflict for the family members. Teachers and parents! Travis’ mention of the anticipated check shows that the family’s financial concerns extend to its youngest member.
In particular, Ruth criticizes Walter’s friend Willy Harris and his business schemes, the latest being a liquor store that Harris has asked Walter to invest in. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Nonetheless, the meticulously cleaned room and furnishings still manifest the dignity of the Younger family. Beneatha’s tongue-in-cheek apology for “ever wanting to be anything at all” underlines her pride in her dream and her dismissal of the expectation that women should give up their own dreams and instead just support men. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”
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Ruth’s unexplained fainting ends the scene with a note of tension and uncertainty. Mama betrays herself as a member of an older generation with different thoughts on marriage when she reveals that she tolerated her late husband’s womanizing. The “primary feature” of the room is its atmosphere of having accommodated “the living of too many people for too many years.” Although its furnishings were once chosen “with love and even hope,” an aura of “weariness has . The room’s “tired” furnishings, once chosen with care and pride, highlight the family’s long dissolved dreams for its cramped home. 0000001572 00000 n The money devoted to Beneatha’s hobbies underscores the family members’ financial tug-of-war. Our What is the significance of Lindner talking with Walter rather than with Mama? Struggling with distance learning?
0000030401 00000 n 0000007659 00000 n 5. Travis finds his mother’s refusal to give him the 50 cents that he needs for school extremely frustrating and embarrassing, since it means that he will have to reveal his family’s economic struggles to his teacher and classmates. This “Interchange” discussion took place online in late September and early October 2013.