A Raisin in the Sun (Blog 5)
By: Lorraine Hansberry

The characters of this play can be divided into three specific categories: those who make things happen, those who watch what happens, and those who are left wondering what happened.  I believe that Walter Younger serves as a perfect example of a character that makes things happen.  As the protagonist of the play, all of Walter's actions and words affect his family.  When Walter loses all of the money to Willy, his sullen mood affects the whole family.  He leaves everyone in a state of hopelessness, as they all believe they will never truly find happiness in their lives.  Mama is an ideal example of one who watches what happens.  Mama serves as an important character by offering good advice to her family.  Aside from this, she does not really ever take major actions in situations.  She buys a house, but she does nothing to convince her son that it is the best family decision when he becomes angry over the issue.  She is almost afraid to stand up to her children and defend herself.  A character that is always left wondering what happened is Travis.  Although he is only 10, Travis' parents make no effort to keep him informed about family matters.  Whenever a serious conversation is brought up, they send their son outside.  "'You go outside and play now, baby'" (471).  Ruth says this to Travis when Mama receives the $10,000 check.  This statement goes to show that Ruth and Walter do not try to inform their son about what is going on in the family.  Travis always seems confused when he hears his parents and relatives talking, and this proves that he is consistently kept out of the loop.  Overall, Hansberry successfully divides up her characters into categories based on how involved each character is with the progression of actions.