Power and Authority in A Raisin in the Sun Essay

As I have written about over the last few months: A Raisin in the Sun is a play of many themes. Besides the central idea of the blacks trying to get out of the ghetto, it has many side plots. One of the most predominant of these side-plots is the role and effects of power and authority. In general, most people strive for power and control, whether they can handle it or not. Humans don’t like to be subservient to one another. The same idea applies in the play as well. Power and authority are always changing hands. Let’s look at this from the perspective of the main character, Walter. In the beginning of the play, we see Walter being bossed around by his wife and mother. They are always telling him what to do and how to do it. Walter puts†¦show more content†¦Walter is in for a big surprise. When his mother finds out about his plans, she rains on his parade. She decides to exercise her authority as the holder of the check. She’s going to fulfill her dream instead; buy a house, with a garden, for her family. Walter still thinks he’s going to get the money. Finally the check comes. Walter and his prospective partner, Willy Harris, get very excited. He finally has his chance to take the control he feels he deserves. Then the bombshell news of Ruth’s pregnancy and imminent abortion comes, Walter is thrown off balance. To try and settle matters, Mama goes out and buys the house. This only further infuriates Walter. Not only does his mother make a complete power-grab by buying the house; she bought it in a cracker neighborhood! Walter storms out and is almost ready to kill someone over it. He feels he has lost his only shot at power. Walter comes back home screaming at his whole family, they don’t support him, especially his mother. He accuses her of not supporting his dream. Because of this new depression, Walter starts to get himself wasted every day. He hasn’t been showing up to work, and faces the prospect o f losing his job. Mama, realizing the potentially catastrophic effect this can have on her family, must intervene. She gives her son the one thing he has always wanted, power. She gives him the remaining $6,500 to use as he wishes (except for the $3,000 to Beneatha’s continuedShow MoreRelatedLorraine Hansberry s A Raisin1288 Words   |  6 PagesLorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun can be deliberated as a milestone in American art because it speaks on so many concerns vital during the 1950s in the United States. The 1950s are commonly ridiculed as an era of complacency and conformity, embodied by the growth of money-making culture and suburbia. Underneath the economic victory that followed America in the years after World War II brewed a rising racial tension. 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