week 11 "A Raisin in the Sun" movie

"A Raisin in the Sun"

This movie was a great movie.  Although I had already watched it a couple of times throughout high school and in college, it never lost its meaning.  The setting begins with a family of five living in a small two bedroom apartment.  The father is Walter Lee Young he is a driver for a rich white man in town.  This is not at all what he thought his life would be like, and he has big dreams.  He wants to open up a liquor store and he is convinced that the insurance money his mother (Lena Younger) is getting is going to solve all his problems.  His wife Ruth Younger is a very strong woman.  She has just found out she is pregnant and has decided upon abortion.  She knows that it is already hard enough raising their son Travis and fears they can not handle the financial burden of caring for another.  Ruth loves her husband very much and is trying to deal with the struggle of letting him be the man of the house, she prays he can make the right choices.  Beneatha Younger is the sister of Walter and also has big plans for her life.  She is hoping that the insurance money will pay for her college.  She is very much about African culture even though she really does not understand it.  She fights to make more of herself than the previous generation.  She is kind of caught up in herself and struggles between two men.  One who is rich and has completely conformed to white ways and another who wants her to move to Africa with him.  Mama is caught in the middle of everything.  She is the glue which holds the family together.  She feels empathy for Ruth and tries to console her.  Mama decides to use the insurance money to buy a house in an all white neighborhood.  She only wants the best for her family.  Although she knows that society frowns upon them living there she wants to be happy. Mr. Lindner arrives at the Youngers’ apartment from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association. He offers the Youngers a deal to reconsider moving into his (all-white) neighborhood. All the while Walter has been given the remaining amount of the money to use wisely and save some for Beneatha's college tuition.  He loses all the money when one of the men runs off with it all.  Even though he mad such a huge mistake, mama still leaves the decisions in his hands.  It is up to him to decide if they will move into the house or take the money.  In the end Walter does the right thing and grows up a little.  They all move into the wonderful house and their is a feeling of happiness.  Ruth finally feels at ease and they decide to have the baby.  Everyone realizes what Mama was trying to do, she wanted to keep the family together.