A RAISIN IN THE SUN READING GUIDE
Act I, Scene 1
(1) In what city does the play take place?
The play takes place in Chicago’s south side.
(2) The living room setting seems overtaken by weariness. Name two details that suggest this.
-Crocheted doilies and couch covers hide the worn upholstery.
-Tables or chairs are placed over the frayed carpet.
-Carpet is dull and faded.
One small window allows in the only light in the small apartment.
(3) Two references are made to a check early on in the play, one by Walter and one by Travis. How does
Ruth react to each of these references?
When Walter asks if the check has come yet, Ruth is annoyed with the question and tells him that it is
not supposed to come until the next day. Travis then asks if the check is coming the next day, and
Ruth tells him to get his mind off the money.
(4) According to his mother, why is Travis getting so little sleep?
Travis gets little sleep because Walter is hanging out all night in the living room with his friends, and
the living room is also Travis’s bedroom.
(5) What plan has Walter, Willy Harris and Bobo been figuring out?
They would like to buy a liquor store for $75,000. Each would contribute $10,000 to the down
payment of $30,000.
(6) Why is Walter upset with his wife’s reaction to the plan?
He says that Ruth ignores him and his dreams and pays little attention to what he says.
(7) What does Walter want from Ruth?
He wants her to support him and his dreams, listen to him, encourage him, and make him feel like a
man.
(8) What does Walter mean when he says, “We one group of men tied to a race of women with small
minds?”
He feels that African-American women do little to stand up for and support African-American men.
(9) What is Walter’s job?
He is a chauffeur for a rich white man.
(10) How would you describe the tone that Beneatha uses with her brother?
She is sarcastic and nasty when she speaks to him.
(11) Why is Walter upset with Beneatha’s plan to go to medical school?
He is afraid that his mother will use the $10,000 check to pay for Beneatha’s college tuition, which
would eliminate Walter’s chances for using the money to buy his share of the liquor store.
, (12) What does Beneatha really mean when she says, “forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all”?
She is angry that her brother does not recognize her dreams and feels that he is selfish for denying
her right to want to be a success.
(13) What does Walter tell Beneatha she should do with her life? In reality, he has a deeper, underlying
conflict. What is Walter’s hidden fear?
Walter says that Beneatha should be a nurse or get married. He believes that women shouldn’t do
“men’s” jobs, and being a doctor is overstepping the boundaries of her gender. Walter is afraid that if
the women in his family are able to take care of themselves, they won’t need him. He also feels inferi
or to the women in his life because he must always depend on them for financial and emotional
support. Feeling dependent makes Walter angry, frustrated and less manly.
(14) Where is this check coming from that Mama will receive on Saturday? How much is it worth?
The check is the payment of a life insurance policy for her husband who recently died. It is worth
$10,000.
(15) How does Beneatha feel about the liquor store?
She thinks buying a liquor store is a waste of money. She doesn’t feel that Walter has the ambition or
ability to make a success of such a business and is thankful that her mother will not agree to the plan.
(16) How does Ruth say Mama should spend the money? How does Mama intend to use it? What does
this say about the differences in their characters?
Mama is practical and thrifty. She has lived a life of poverty and sees the money both as a burden and
a blessing. She intends to use some of the money for Beneatha’s tuition and some for a payment on a
house. Ruth is a dreamer who thinks Mama should use the money to take a trip to Europe or South
America. She thinks money is a way out of depression, frustration and obligation.
(17) Beneatha thinks deeply and is frustrated with her life. What does she say she wants to do that makes
her mother and Ruth laugh loudly?
Beneatha says that she needs to express herself. Mama and Ruth believe that there are much more
important things to do, and they feel that Beneatha is immature and silly.
(18) Why does Beneatha really not want to marry George Murchison?
He doesn’t believe in her dream of becoming a doctor. She says that he is shallow and could never
understand what is important to her.
Act I, Scene 2
(1) At the beginning of this scene, the family is cleaning the apartment, and several details further explain
the Youngers’ living conditions. Which detail offers a complete picture of the environment in which
the Youngers live and explain why is does so.
The women are spraying for bugs and cleaning the apartment, but no matter how much they clean,
they’ll never be rid of the bugs because the building in which they live is old and neglected.
(2) Why is Ruth upset when she returns home? Why do you suppose this makes her so unhappy?
She tells the family that she is two months pregnant. This makes her upset because the apartment is
already overcrowded; she is overworked, and there is not enough money to provide for her family
now.
Act I, Scene 1
(1) In what city does the play take place?
The play takes place in Chicago’s south side.
(2) The living room setting seems overtaken by weariness. Name two details that suggest this.
-Crocheted doilies and couch covers hide the worn upholstery.
-Tables or chairs are placed over the frayed carpet.
-Carpet is dull and faded.
One small window allows in the only light in the small apartment.
(3) Two references are made to a check early on in the play, one by Walter and one by Travis. How does
Ruth react to each of these references?
When Walter asks if the check has come yet, Ruth is annoyed with the question and tells him that it is
not supposed to come until the next day. Travis then asks if the check is coming the next day, and
Ruth tells him to get his mind off the money.
(4) According to his mother, why is Travis getting so little sleep?
Travis gets little sleep because Walter is hanging out all night in the living room with his friends, and
the living room is also Travis’s bedroom.
(5) What plan has Walter, Willy Harris and Bobo been figuring out?
They would like to buy a liquor store for $75,000. Each would contribute $10,000 to the down
payment of $30,000.
(6) Why is Walter upset with his wife’s reaction to the plan?
He says that Ruth ignores him and his dreams and pays little attention to what he says.
(7) What does Walter want from Ruth?
He wants her to support him and his dreams, listen to him, encourage him, and make him feel like a
man.
(8) What does Walter mean when he says, “We one group of men tied to a race of women with small
minds?”
He feels that African-American women do little to stand up for and support African-American men.
(9) What is Walter’s job?
He is a chauffeur for a rich white man.
(10) How would you describe the tone that Beneatha uses with her brother?
She is sarcastic and nasty when she speaks to him.
(11) Why is Walter upset with Beneatha’s plan to go to medical school?
He is afraid that his mother will use the $10,000 check to pay for Beneatha’s college tuition, which
would eliminate Walter’s chances for using the money to buy his share of the liquor store.
, (12) What does Beneatha really mean when she says, “forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all”?
She is angry that her brother does not recognize her dreams and feels that he is selfish for denying
her right to want to be a success.
(13) What does Walter tell Beneatha she should do with her life? In reality, he has a deeper, underlying
conflict. What is Walter’s hidden fear?
Walter says that Beneatha should be a nurse or get married. He believes that women shouldn’t do
“men’s” jobs, and being a doctor is overstepping the boundaries of her gender. Walter is afraid that if
the women in his family are able to take care of themselves, they won’t need him. He also feels inferi
or to the women in his life because he must always depend on them for financial and emotional
support. Feeling dependent makes Walter angry, frustrated and less manly.
(14) Where is this check coming from that Mama will receive on Saturday? How much is it worth?
The check is the payment of a life insurance policy for her husband who recently died. It is worth
$10,000.
(15) How does Beneatha feel about the liquor store?
She thinks buying a liquor store is a waste of money. She doesn’t feel that Walter has the ambition or
ability to make a success of such a business and is thankful that her mother will not agree to the plan.
(16) How does Ruth say Mama should spend the money? How does Mama intend to use it? What does
this say about the differences in their characters?
Mama is practical and thrifty. She has lived a life of poverty and sees the money both as a burden and
a blessing. She intends to use some of the money for Beneatha’s tuition and some for a payment on a
house. Ruth is a dreamer who thinks Mama should use the money to take a trip to Europe or South
America. She thinks money is a way out of depression, frustration and obligation.
(17) Beneatha thinks deeply and is frustrated with her life. What does she say she wants to do that makes
her mother and Ruth laugh loudly?
Beneatha says that she needs to express herself. Mama and Ruth believe that there are much more
important things to do, and they feel that Beneatha is immature and silly.
(18) Why does Beneatha really not want to marry George Murchison?
He doesn’t believe in her dream of becoming a doctor. She says that he is shallow and could never
understand what is important to her.
Act I, Scene 2
(1) At the beginning of this scene, the family is cleaning the apartment, and several details further explain
the Youngers’ living conditions. Which detail offers a complete picture of the environment in which
the Youngers live and explain why is does so.
The women are spraying for bugs and cleaning the apartment, but no matter how much they clean,
they’ll never be rid of the bugs because the building in which they live is old and neglected.
(2) Why is Ruth upset when she returns home? Why do you suppose this makes her so unhappy?
She tells the family that she is two months pregnant. This makes her upset because the apartment is
already overcrowded; she is overworked, and there is not enough money to provide for her family
now.
