McNevin O’GarroJanuary 7, 2013 EnglishPeriod: 9 A Raisin in the Sun Lena, Walter, Ruth, and Beneatha are all members of the family named Youngers. The name derives from Walter Senior, Lena’s husband and Walter Jr. and Beantha’s father. He worked tirelessly in construction, to the point where he finally passed away after such a long period hard work. Along with his death although came a pension worth ten thousand dollars toward the family. All the members of the family have dreams that are deferred throughout the story A Raisin in the Sun.

Walter Jr. is a chauffeur who drives wealthy white people around for pay. With the pension from his father’s death he was striving to create his own liquor store. The ten thousand dollars that came in a check to the younger’s apartment was his catalyst to start of his business. During the story Walter says “Damn my eggs…damn all the eggs that ever was” in this quote Walter is signifying that all the dreams he had aren’t being supported by his wife or his mother so he might as well give up on them.

Also when the check came and Walter’s partner, Willy Harris, stole seven thousand dollars out of the younger’s possession Walter’s dream was deferred. Lena also known as, Mama, in the younger’s household has a dream of a beautiful garden where she can have multiple different gorgeous flowers, growing around, aside from her single plant that she is nurturing in the apartment with barebones necessities. "Well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home.

This plant is close as I ever got to having one. " This quote explains Mama’s dreams towards having a better garden for her to care for her flowers. When the money was stolen, Mama had already put a down payment down on the family’s new home in Clybourne Park. Mama showed a strong powerful disappointment in Walter for not being able to responsibly take care of the family’s money for even a minor period of time. Her dreams toward a luscious garden were deferred right then and there.

Ruth, Walter Jr. ’s wife who has wanted to escape from her rat hole of an apartment for many years, but hasn’t’ raised enough funds to ascertain better living arrangements. She works a job as a maid for wealthier lot of people outside of her apartment. The check coming in, Ruth felt that the money should all have been spent on Lena due to it officially being her property to which Walter disagreed since he could use it to start to his liquor store investment.

After learning of the loss of the money, Ruth was very saddened to think that she was not going to make it out of the apartment before her newborn child would be born. When Walter finally took pride into his family and accepted the offer from the Clybourne Park representative, Mr. Linder, she expressed how happy she was to finally escape from the apartment "All I can say is—if this is my time in life—my time—to say goodbye—to these cracking walls! —and these marching roaches! —and this cramped little closet which ain't now or never was no kitchen! . . then I say it loud and good, Hallelujah! and goodbye misery . . . I don't never want to see your ugly face again! " She personified the apartment as to having an ugly face in which she didn’t want to see again knowing she was moving up to a better place. Beneatha,Walter’s sister, who dreams of getting past the oppressive lifestyle she lives under due to the time period she lives in with oppression on both blacks, and women. Her being both, just set her back double times as much for her dream to become a doctor.

With the money from the check Beneatha had a lot of hope of easily being put through her medical schooling year where she would earn her degree, to which she could become a fully realized doctor. When she learned of the robbery from their family of the ten thousand dollars she felt absolutely dead inside knowing that she would never rise above the oppressive world the existed in. Well – I do – all right? – thank everybody! And forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all! (Pursuing him on her knees across the floor) FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME!

Beneatha at one point yells out for which she doesn’t know what to do with her life when all she done is strive but never attain positive results. After all the families troubles, worries, and problems they decide ultimately to move on into their new home in Clybourne Park and experience life there. Although most of the family member’s dreams are deferred they still manage to prosper in life and look ahead rather than back at what was, but instead into the future of opportunities awaiting them at their new community.