What is the significance of traviss sleeping place

Walter then leaves for his job as a chauffeur—he has to ask Ruth for money to get to work because the money he gave Travis was his car fare. Mama enters and goes directly to a small plant that she keeps just outside the kitchen window. She thinks that if Mama gives him some of the money he might regain his happiness and confidence, which are two things Ruth feels she can no longer provide for Walter.

Mama, though, feels morally repulsed by the idea of getting into the liquor business. Instead, she wants to move to a house with a lawn on which Travis can play. Owning a house had always been a dream she had shared with her husband, and now that he is gone she nurtures this dream even more powerfully. Mama and Ruth begin to tease Beneatha about the many activities that she tries and quits, including her latest attempt to learn how to play the guitar.

They discuss the man that Beneatha has been dating, George Murchison. Beneatha argues that God does not seem to help her or the family. Mama, outraged at such a pronouncement, asserts that she is head of the household and that there will be no such thoughts expressed in her home.

Beneatha recants and leaves for school, and Mama goes to the window to tend her plant. Ruth and Mama talk about Walter and Beneatha, and Ruth suddenly faints. All of the characters in A Raisin in the Sun have unfulfilled dreams. These dreams mostly involve money. Although the Younger family seems alienated from white middle-class culture, they harbor the same materialistic dreams as the rest of American society. In the s, the stereotypical American dream was to have a house with a yard, a big car, and a happy family.

The Youngers also seem to want to live this dream, though their struggle to attain any semblance of it is dramatically different from the struggle a similar suburban family might encounter, because the Youngers are not a stereotypical middle-class family.

Rather, they live in a world in which being middle class is also a dream. She tries to give the plant enough light and water not only to grow but also to flourish and become beautiful, just as she attempts to provide for her family with meager yet consistent financial support.

Why did Hansberry introduce a character such as George? Why does Beneatha thank Mama? Why do you think Mama changes her opinion? Why do the Youngers dislike Mrs. How does Hansberry use Mrs.

How do the stage directions in this scene help the reader? What is different for an audience seeing the play? What does Mrs. How does this scene further develop the complications that arose in the previous scene? What does Beneatha mean by the following statement? What conflict is demonstrated here? Why does Mama give Walter the remaining money? How does this relate to the themes of the play?

What does the money symbolize for Walter? Act 2, Scene 3 1. Why would Hansberry choose to have Ruth singing at the beginning of this scene? Why is Ruth happy about having gone to the movies and having held hands with Walter? What is the significance of Lindner talking with Walter rather than with Mama? What is Lindner implying when he says the following line? What do we learn about Lindner? Explain the following allusion. Why does Walter ask Lindner the following question?

What is its significance? Why does Mama go to fix her plant? Comparing this to previous instances where the plant is mentioned, what do you think the plant symbolizes? Why do the other Youngers give Mama a present? Act 3, Scene 1 1. What does Asagai mean by the following statement? Why does Beneatha insult Walter? What theme does this statement touch on? Why does Mama react the way she does to Walter? Why does Hansberry have Walter revert to dialect when talking about taking money from Mr.

Why does Mama react the way she does to Beneatha? What theme does this touch reflect? Why does Mama keep Travis in the room? Why does Walter change his mind? Related documents. A Raisin in the Sun: Assignment 7a. SAYS - Cloudfront. Act II, Scene 1 1 What is the setting at the beginning of this scene.

A lot of progress had been made by this point in American history, but as A Raisin in the Sun shows, there was still a long, long way to go. The s was a sort of turning point in America, the decade that brought the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. During much of the s, the South was segregated by racist Jim Crow laws.

And, as we point out in our entry on the Southside, many African Americans faced unofficial racial barriers in the North.

The racial tensions of the time period definitely fuel the conflicts of the play. Beneatha's character, in particular, is grounded in the time period, as she deals with very timely socio-political issues. In a way, though, she is totally ahead of her time. We have no doubt that if Beneatha was still in the US around in the s she would definitely be marching with Dr.

Beneatha is also head of her time with the idea that African Americans should be more in touch their African roots. This became a major movement among black Americans later on in the '60s. With the character of Beneatha, Hansberry predicted and possibly helped to spark some major movements in American history.

Want to learn more about the historical context around this play? Check out these Shmoop US History learning guides:. Interested in studying another play about an African-American family set in the s?

If so, check out Shmoop's learning guide on August's Wilson's Fences. Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide.