A Raisin in the Sun: Character Dreams and the American Dream

Lena (Mama): The Dream of Family Well-Being

Lena is the strong, traditional matriarch of the Younger family. Her dream is for her family: that they will be safe, emotionally and physically well, principled, and happy.

The dream matters to Lena because she lived through the difficult era in which many Black Americans left the South and moved North to make better lives for themselves. At that time, they were concerned with more basic human needs — food, shelter, safety, employment, and dignity. Consequently, she wants fundamental well-being for her family, even as they pursue dreams that reach beyond hers.

Lena's dream faces both internal and external obstacles. Internal obstacles include Walter Lee's consuming ambition, his loss of two-thirds of her husband's life insurance proceeds through a foolish deal, Beneatha's restless sampling of many interests and her rejection of God, the tension between the two siblings, and Ruth's agonizing plan to abort her expected child. Externally, Lena's dream faces the problem of racial prejudice, embodied by Mr. Lindner — the white neighborhood representative who attempts to prevent the Younger family from moving into his community.

Despite these many threats, Lena's dream remains largely intact by the play's end. Walter has reclaimed his dignity, Beneatha is growing calmer through her connection with Asagai, the two siblings are getting along, Ruth abandons the idea of abortion, and the family proceeds with their move to the new home in the white neighborhood — even after losing two-thirds of the insurance proceeds.