CHARACTERS
Describe Ruth
Ruth has had a disappointing and hard life; it says that she wears this look on her face
What do all the characters have in common?
They are all African-American
Describe the Younger home.
The apartment is old run down
What does Travis want that his mama won't give him? Does he get it? How?
He needs 50 cents. He does get it from his dad
How does Mama feel about Walter's business deal?
She does not agree with it
Describe Travis
10 years old, needs 50 cents, goes to school
What is the most important theme of this play?
That family is always important
How is the furniture in the Younger's home described?
They are old and worn down just like their apartment
What is everyone in the family concerned with? When is it supposed to come?
Check; it is to come on Saturday
How much money does the family get?
$10,000
Describe Walter
Thinks life is about money, grumpy, mad, wants to buy a liquor store, married to Ruth, and his son is Travis
What are Walter and Mama's definitions/views of life?
Mama - life is freedom; Walter - life is money
What is the time (year) of the play?
Sometime between WWII and the present
What kind of business deal does Walter want to enter into with his friends?
He wants to open a liquor store
Why does Mama say Ruth should call in and say she has the flu?
This is something that white people understand
Describe Mama
thinks life is about freedom, happy, goes to church, Walter, and Beneatha's mom and Travis' grandmother
How do they react when Mama gets the check? Be specific and explain.
Mama is scared - unsure if the amount is correct; Travis is excited as is Ruth and Beneatha
Where is the play located?
Chicago's South side
What kind of bathroom does the family use?
Community bathroom - they share it with two floors of the apartment building!
What does Walter argue is the problem with African American women/wives?
They don't support their husbands, and they are small minded
Describe Beneatha
Independent, wants top become a nurse, Walter's sister, goes to college
How does Ruth describe life? How does this reflect society and how it relates to the Younger family at the time?
A barrel of disappointments; this is what many African American's felt about life - they had hopes and dreams, but they were crushed by society
What time (day) is the beginning of the play?
sometime in the morning
How did they get the money?
The death of Mama's husband, Walter and Beneatha's father - "Big Walter"
What does Mama want to do with the money?
Put some away for Beneatha's schooling and the rest as a down payment on a home