A Raisin in the Sun

Act II, Scene 1 takes place later the same day. Ruth is ironing, and Beneatha enters in the Nigerian dress, announcing, “Enough of this assimilationist junk!” (67). Beneatha puts on a record and dances to the Nigerian tune that plays. Her eyes take on a faraway look as she sings along in Yoruba for an intrigued Ruth. Walter enters, drunk, and joins Beneatha, his eyes also seeing something far away. Walter shouts about Ethiopia, miming a spear with which he attacks his enemies. The siblings lose themselves in the moment as George Murchison enters. 

Walter greets George as “Black Brother!” (70), which George rejects. Ruth comments, “He’s had a little to drink…I don’t know what her excuse is” (71). George tells Beneatha to change her clothes, stating, “Look honey, we’re going to the theatre—we’re not going to be in it” (71). Beneatha accuses him of being “ashamed of his heritage” (71), announcing, “I hate assimilationist Negroes!” (71). For Ruth, George clarifies that “assimilationist” is “just a college girl’s way of calling people Uncle Toms” (72). Beneatha interrupts, “It means someone who is willing to give up his own culture and submerge himself completely in the dominant, and in this case oppressive culture!” (72).

George mocks Beneatha’s pride in African culture, claiming, “Let’s face it, baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy-assed spirituals and some grass huts!” (72). Beneatha becomes enraged, defending the culture that “was the first to smelt iron” (72) and “performing surgical operations when the English were still tattooing themselves with blue dragons” (72). Ruth pushes her into her bedroom. While Beneatha changes her clothes, Ruth makes conversation with George. Walter lies to George, claiming that he has been to New York. He makes fun of George’s shoes, then brings up George’s father. Walter suggests that the three of them should meet and discuss Walter’s investment ideas. George agrees but noncommittally, which hurts Walter’s feelings. Walter mocks George’s education, claiming that it teaches “sociology and psychology” but not “how to be a man” or “how to take over and run the world” (76). George dismisses Walter as bitter, but Walter claims that he is a volcano ready to explode. 

Beneatha reenters in different clothing. George compliments her and they exit. As they leave, George refers to Walter as Prometheus. Walter asks Ruth who Prometheus is, but she doesn’t know. He turns his angst on Ruth, telling her not to nag him about where he was or how much money he spent. She tries to calm him down, but he refuses. Ruth offers hot milk or coffee, and Walter asks, “Why you always trying to give me something to eat?” (79). Ruth responds, “What else can I give you, Walter Lee Younger?” (79). Walter asks her how they got to a place where they speak to each other with anger all the time. Ruth suggests that life can be better than it is. 

Mama enters, interrupting. Ruth asks where Mama went, and she replies, “I went down town to tend to some business that I had to tend to” (81). Walter presses her, but Mama refuses to elaborate. Travis returns home late, and Ruth sends him to his room. As Ruth scolds Travis, Mama calls him over and tells him that she bought a house with the insurance money and that Travis will inherit it one day. 

Walter is furious, but Ruth is thrilled. The house has three bedrooms and a yard for Mama’s garden. When Mama tells them that the house is in Clybourne Park, Ruth’s enthusiasm fades, and Walter becomes upset. Clybourne Park is a white neighborhood. Ruth tries to regain her excitement, saying goodbye to the old apartment and asking Mama if the house has “a whole lot of sunlight” (86). Mama confirms that it does. Ruth leaves, telling Travis that she is letting him off the hook for being late because she no longer feels like punishing him. 

Alone with Walter, Mama asks for his understanding. She says, “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” (87). Bitterly, Walter spits, “You run our lives like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what you need for me to say it was all right for? So you butchered up a dream of mine—you—who always talking ‘bout your children’s dreams” (87). He exits, leaving Mama alone. 

Scene 2 begins on a Friday, a few weeks later. The apartment is packed up. Beneatha and George return from a date. He tries to kiss her, but she steps back. She wants to continue their conversation, but George becomes annoyed, saying, “I want you to cut it out, see—the moody stuff, I mean. I don’t like it. You’re a nice-looking girl…all over. That’s all you need, honey, forget the atmosphere. Guys aren’t going for the atmosphere—they’re going to go for what they see” (88). He asserts that she goes to school and reads “to learn facts—to get grades—to pass the course—to get a degree” (89). Beneatha says, “I see” (89) and tells him good night, dismissing him. On his way out, he greets Mama. After he leaves, Beneatha confesses to Mama that George “is a fool” (90), and Mama tells her, “Well—I guess you better not waste your time with no fools” (90). Beneatha thanks her mother for listening and understanding and exits.

Ruth enters, and the phone rings. It’s Walter’s employer. Although Ruth tells her that Walter is sick, the employer tells Ruth that if Walter doesn’t go to work tomorrow, he’s fired. While Ruth is on the phone, Walter comes to the doorway of the bedroom. Ruth is surprised to learn that Walter hasn’t been to work in three days and asks where he has been. Walter tells his wife and mother that for two days he borrowed a car and drove, and that today he couldn’t get the car so he walked. Then he went to the Green Hat to drink and listen to music, which is where he is planning to go now. 

Ruth leaves the room, and Mama asks her dead husband, “Oh, Big Walter, is this the harvest of our days?” (93).She tells her depressed son, “I say I been wrong, son. That I been doing to you what the rest of the world been doing to you” (93). Mama tells Walter that of the $10,000 dollars, she paid $3,500 as a down payment on the house. She tells him to put $3,000 in a savings account for Beneatha’s medical school and the rest in a checking account under his name. She adds, “It ain’t much, but it’s all I got in the world and I’m putting it in your hands. I’m telling you to be the head of this family from now on like you supposed to be” (94). Moved, Walter asks if she trusts him that much. Mama says, “I ain’t never stop trusting you. Like I ain’t never stop loving you” (94). Walter takes the money and leaves.

Scene 3 occurs a week later. Ruth is packing the house. Beneatha enters with a guitar case. Excitedly, Ruth shows Beneatha the curtains she bought for the new house. Ruth mentions that Walter has changed, and even took her to the movies last night and held her hand. Walter enters, displaying his newfound good mood. He puts a record on the record player and dances with Ruth until she joins in. Teasingly, Beneatha calls them “old-fashioned Negroes” (98), which stops Walter short. He chides Beneatha for talking about race all the time, asserting, “Girl, I do believe you are the first person in the history of the entire human race to successfully brainwash yourself” (98). Walter jokes, imagining Beneatha about to operate on someone but “before she starts to slice him, saying…‘By the way, what are your views on civil rights down there?’” (98). Beneatha laughs him off, and the doorbell rings.

Beneatha opens the door, “somewhat surprised to see a quiet-looking middle-aged white man in a business suit holding his hat and a briefcase in his hand and consulting a small piece of paper” (99). The man asks for Mrs. Lena Younger. Beneatha invites him in, informing him that Mama is not home. Walter, as the “Man of the House” (99), tells the man, “I’m Mrs. Younger’s son. I look after most of her business matters” (99). The man introduces himself as Karl Lindner, a representative from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association. Walter offers Lindner hospitality and a beverage, but he declines, uncomfortable. Lindner tells the Youngers that he is the chairman of the New Neighbors Orientation Committee and that his job is to “go around to the new people who move into the neighborhood and sort of give them the lowdown on the way we do things out in Clybourne Park” (101). Beneatha is immediately suspicious of Lindner’s motivations. Lindner points out that there have been “incidents which have happened in various parts of the city when colored people have moved into certain areas” (102) and adds that the people of Clybourne Park “deplore that kind of thing” and “are trying to do something about it” (103).

Lindner asserts that “most of the trouble exists because people just don’t sit down and talk to each other” (102). He suggests that “there is always somebody who is out to take the advantage of people who don’t always understand” (103). And although he emphasizes that the people of Clybourne Park are not racist, they believe “rightly or wrongly, […] that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities” (104). Walter is stunned as Lindner offers, on behalf of the association, to buy their new house “at a financial gain” to the family “through the collective effort of our people” (104). Walter orders Lindner to leave, and Lindner responds with surprise at the Youngers’ anger. He apologizes that “it went like this” (105) and leaves his business card. As he exits, Lindner tells Walter, “You just can’t force people to change their hearts, son” (106). Walter “pushes the door with stinging hatred” (106), and the three are silent. 

Mama returns cheerfully with Travis, and Beneatha tells Mama that she had a visitor from the Clybourne Park Welcoming Committee. The three giggle “devilishly” (106) as they sarcastically tell Mama that “the one thing they don’t have, that they are just dying to have out there is a fine family of colored people” (107).

Mama understands their sarcasm and asks, “Did he threaten us?” (107). Beneatha and Ruth explain Lindner’s offer, and Beneatha asks, “What do they think we going to do—eat ‘em?” (107). Ruth replies, “No, honey, marry ‘em” (107). Upset, Mama goes to tend her plant. Beneatha asks if she’s going to take “that raggedy-looking old thing” (108) to the new house, and Mama responds, “It expresses me” (108). 

Suddenly, Walter embraces Mama tightly. Walter begins to sing, and the three of them present Mama with a package: “the first present of her life without its being Christmas” (110). Mama opens the box, revealing “a brand-new sparkling set of garden tools” (110). Travis adds a hatbox containing a “very elaborate, wide gardening hat” (110), which causes Ruth, Walter, and Beneatha to chuckle. Although Beneatha laughs that the hat looks like it belongs to Scarlett O’Hara, Mama affirms, “Bless your heart—this is the prettiest hat I ever owned” (111). She urges the rest of the family to finish packing. The doorbell rings, and Walter freezes and tells the others that he is expecting someone. Ruth asks why he isn’t opening the door, and Walter responds, “‘Cause sometimes it hard to let the future begin” (112). 

Singing again, he flings open the door to reveal Bobo, “a very slight little man in a not too prosperous business suit and with haunted frightened eyes and hat pulled down tightly, brim up, around his forehead” (112). Walter asks Bobo where Willy is, and Bobo says, “He ain’t with me” (113). As Walter invites Bobo inside, Ruth “stands stiffly and quietly in back of them, as though somehow she senses death, her eyes fixed on her husband” (113). 

Scared, Bobo hesitates as Walter demands to know what happened. Bobo tells Walter that he and Willy planned to take Walter’s investment “down to Springfield and spread some money ‘round so’s we wouldn’t have to wait so long for the liquor license” (114), but Willy, who was supposed to meet Bobo at the train station, didn’t show up. Willy disappeared with both Walter’s and Bobo’s money. Disbelieving, Walter becomes frantic, sobbing, “Man…I trusted you…Man, I put my life in your hands…Man…that money is made out of my father’s flesh” (116). Mama interjects, and Walter admits that he not only lost the extra $3,500, but also the $3,000 he was meant to put aside for Beneatha’s tuition. Horrified, Mama describes watching her husband work hard, “grow thin and old before he was forty…working and working and working like somebody’s old horse…killing himself” (117) for money that Walter lost in a day. Mama doubles over as she prays for strength.