A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry: Mama's Plant

After reading the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, one symbol stood out to me. This was the plant belonging to Mama, a character in the play and the head of the Younger family. The plant is described as the only greenery or vegetation that the family could keep in their home because they had neither space nor a garden. The plant was confined to its pot, just as the Younger family was confined and trapped within their tiny apartment. This sense of restriction, caused by the apartment, also restricted the characters in their actions and success. Walter Lee Younger, Mama’s son, wanted nothing more than make a name for himself in the world and prove himself to his family, yet his inability to do this trapped him within the apartment, which prevented him from seeing a way out. His desperation led him to make a business deal that resulted in the loss of all the money that the family had, as Walter states, “All of it…It’s all gone,” (Hansberry, 129). This loss almost prevented the family from escaping from the entrapments of the apartment. Furthermore, Ruth, Walter’s wife, became pregnant during the play, but she began to consider an abortion just because she did not want her child to have to survive in a cramped and dilapidated apartment. Ruth was described as a woman who would never ever consider an abortion, which makes the emphasis of her decision and desperation even greater.