Conflict in an American family The play A Raisin in the Sun illustrates three main conflicts in the younger family life; they are internal, social, and interpersonal. The conflicts in the story give insight as to who the characters are and what they really want out of life. Conflict is one of the underlying themes in the play, which was written by Lorraine Hansberry, it helps to tell the story and explain the situation that the Younger family is in. The characters in this story were African American, but they could have been from any ethnic group because the problems that they have to face apply to us all. Ossie Davis said it best when he said the it didnt really have to be about Negroes at all (Davis, 184).The Younger family is constantly at each others throats about one thing or another. The one item that nobody can really agree on is the insurance check from Big Walters death. The Younger family lives in a small apartment and has very little in the way of money. The check that Lena Younger is about to get will be a fortune for them. Each character has their own dreams and the money seems to be the way to make those dreams real. Walter Younger is very outspoken with what he wants to do with the money. Walter wants to use it to open up a liquor store so that he can finally start to support himself and his family. Walter Lee thinks that the money can buy him social status in a white mans world (Cheney, 56). The one problem Walter has however is that his mother does not like liquor, which was typical of most southern black woman (56), and she thinks that Walter has a lot of growing up to do. Beneatha, who is Walters younger sister, has bigger plans for the money; plans that here mother agrees with wholeheartedly. Her lifes ambition up to this point is to become a doctor Im going to be a doctor (Hansberry 1.1 1024-1025). Beneatha feels that by becoming a doctor she will have a new life (Cheney, 58). However like everything else in thi...
