Characters Representing Major Ideas and Themes

A Raisin In the Sun by Lorraine Handovers, the Younger family Is faced with many big issues and themes that affect African Americans in the 1 ass’s. These overlying themes appear in the form of individuals In the play, even for those characters that play only minor roles. George Morison, Wily Harris, and Mr.. Liners each represent different obstacles that the Youngster’s must overcome in order to follow their dreams and trust what is in their hearts.
This is Handlebars way of telling her readers to not be afraid to follow their dreams, even If there are obstacles In your path, because If they don’t then they will be worse off than ever before. George Morison is the living example of assimilation culture and it’s destructive tendencies toward your native culture and heritage. He dresses like whites, acts like whites, and puts more value on money than on thoughts and culture. Beneath witnesses this transformation occurring in her brother, and it angers her.
She feels pressured by society to assimilate. George has merged with the American White Majority Ideals and has no difficulty in doing so, which deeply rubles Beneath, who believes that if you lose your heritage, you in turn lose yourself. George gets incredibly aggravated whenever Beneath mentions how she feels on the topic of Assimilation, and finally George can’t listen any longer to her and snaps, “Let’s face it, baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy- eased spirituals and some grass huts! (Handovers, 81) Beneath is trying to find herself by rediscovering her culture, while George Is separating himself from his as much as possible. This huge difference between the two Is the mall reason behind Beneath slice of him and love of Sagas, who fully embraces his culture. He helps her overcome modern society’s expectations and dance to her own drumbeat, therefore giving her a way to find herself. The pressure to assimilate into society and become “acceptable” to others is shown in Beneath, but has already won over George.

Even though Wily Harris never even steps onto the stage, his dark presence hangs over the family, as he took the $6,500 that was left of Big Walter’s money. He did the taking, and left the Younger “token”, representing people who exploit others who are desperate and helpless. Wily and others like him take advantage of people like the Younger who have no experience or way of getting help if they fall into a bad situation, but will trust someone to help them out because they are desperate enough to try to achieve their dreams anyway. In stealing the money, Wily Harris destroys Walter’s last hope for a good future.
Walter explains after he hears the bad news of the stolen money how he thinks the world works and what he has concluded from the experience: “Life is just like it is. Who gets and who don’t get… Mama, you know it’s all divided up… Between the takers and the “token”… Mom of us always getting token…. I’ll say one thing for old Wily Harris. He’s taught me something. He’s taught me to keep my eye on what counts in this world. Yeah- Thanks, Wily! ” (Handovers, 141) By this point, Walter has realized that his dream Is not going to happen, and Wily has left him devastated.
But amidst all these distraught what really counts, not money, not social status, but love, his family, his wife, and his son. The kind of love that made big Walter work to death for his family. This realization pulls him together, and finally becomes a man and gives Mama and Ruth their dream of owning a house. It seems that people like Wily Harris gravitate to people in poor circumstances with big dreams and little experience. Walter overcomes this disastrous event, but the memory that he could have done better in business and made something of himself will probably haunt him forever.
Mr.. Liners is Just one man, but he represents thousands of people, the white majority, and their intense prejudice against blacks and other minorities. Prejudice and racism was still everywhere in the sass’s, even though slavery was gone. The views that people like Mr.. Liners harbor are keeping the Younger and other minority groups oppressed and unable to rise up to their full potential. Liners expresses his frustration with the Younger after Walter refuses his offer for the first time, “What do you are going to gain by moving into a neighborhood where you Just aren’t wanted… People can get awful worked up when they feel that their whole way of life and everything they’ve ever worked for is threatened. “(Handovers, 199) Liners says the one thing that the white majority has been thinking. He tells the Younger very simply that they are not wanted. This kind of hostility has nothing to do with any f these peoples personalities, Jobs, or morals, it is solely because they are not white and therefore are deemed not good enough to be with whites.
The family overcomes this prejudice by asking Mr.. Liners back. Walter tells him that they will move into the house, and they will be good neighbors, therefore giving the Whites the first punch if they want to take it, as he will do nothing to them, because he states that the family has a right to live there Just as much as anyone else. Prejudice affected the Younger through the voice of one man, but through the minds of many. But they anally overcome their fear of it and move into the house at Closure Park.
Throughout this play, Handovers is constantly using symbolism, and not only does she do it through objects, but through people as well. She shows us how all of these complicated issues are gathered together in one tiny apartment and how this can destroy dreams Just by stepping into the room that is the sass’s. By using characters like George, Wily, and Mr.. Liners, we get a real sense of what people are willing to do to achieve their goals, be accepted, and keep things how they have always been. The Younger overcome each of these with their love and their dreams.