Plot+Summary


 * A Raising in the Sun Plot Summary**



The play starts off with the introduction to the poverty of Chicago's ghetto during the 1950s and to the Younger family's poor apartment and living arrangements. When the play begins we are told that Lena Younger will be recieving an insurance check for $10,000 because of her husband's death. Each family member has his/her own ideas of how the money should be spent. Lena wants to retire from domestic work and use some of the money to buy a house just like she had always dreamed of. Walter Lee wants to use the money to invest in a liquor store because he thinks that the business will get rid of the family's financial problems forever. Ruth would like Lena to buy the house because she too has always dreamt of a nice home to live in. Beneatha wishes that the money be put towards her education.

As the play goes on the family begins to have many problems with each other because of their own ideas of what should be done with the money. When Ruth discovers that she is two months pregnant and thinking about having an abortion because she doesn't want to bring another mouth to feed into the family Lena goes out and buys a beautiful little house in Clybourne Park, an all white neighberhood. When Walter gets the news of the new house he becomes angry because he doesn't want his mother to spend her money that way. Then Mr. Lindner comes into the play as a representative of the Clybourne Park Association offering the Youngers to buy their house as long as they don't move in. Eventually Lena gives Walter the remaning $6,500 to look after. Instead of following the directions his mother told him to put $300 in an account for Beneatha to go to school and the rest in an account with his name he gives the money to his friend Willy, who he plans on going into the liquour business with and Willy evetually steals the money and runs away. With all this going on Beneatha rejects Geroge Murchinson because of his lack of mind and interest into what matters for her and recieves a marriage proposal from Asagai and an offer to return to Nigeria with him.

Walter feels that by selling the house to Mr. Lindner he will solve their problems but in the end he becomes a man and realizes that they need the house. Mrs. Younger makes a point of returning to work and we never find out what Beneatha chooses to do. Even though the family is at a troublesome state they seem to be happy with the move and ready to work hard for their future goals.



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