In A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, a family torn apart by years, by skin color, by crushed hopes and dreams, and a family torn apart by too many years without change. Is there anything that can fix this? This is the conflict I cannot help but focus on, since it seems central to all the other conflicts that are taking place. A broken family under a lot of pressure, waiting for a check to come in the mail. The check is a very important symbol here because every person is convinced that it can fix their individual problems. However, the catch is that they believe it can only fix one person's problems. It can go the Beneatha for schooling, to Walter to invest in business, or to Ruth, Mama and Travis for a new home.
There is more to life though than money, and it is Mama who understands this the best. She says, "Oh- So now it's life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life- now it's money. I guess the world really do change..." (Hansberry 475). The money symbolizes a "temporary" solution to a big problem, a problem bigger than any monetary value can fix. Even when the check comes in, it is not going to fix the family's underlying brokenness. It may fix a problem or even two, but money does not bring happiness like a true family does. And right now, since no one seems able to communicate, the Youngers are struggling to be a true family.
Will they recognize that there is some serious change that needs to take place, or will they continue to believe that money can solve all problems? As the plot unfolds, the answer is sure to be found.
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