1. A Raisin in the Sun Themes and Symbols

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For Mama, her little plant is a joke in the family, but to her, it represents that possibility of sunlight and happiness one day. Mama’s plant is the American Dream; a house of her own with a yard of her own, where her grandchildren can grow up having more than she had. It also represents the hope that she has for her family to come together.

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Beneatha’s hair reflects her struggle with her identity. As a woman with dreams to become a doctor, she is truly stepping out of her “place” as a woman in the 1950s. When Asagai teases her about "mutilating" her hair, Beneatha sees a change that can bring her closer to understanding who she is, to define herself, and to set herself apart from what she sees as an African culture that has been forced to assimilate to American society.

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The life insurance money represents all of the Younger family's hopes and dreams. Walter’s dream of financial independence; Mama’s dream of owning something real; Beneatha’s dream of medical school; and Ruth’s dream of a family where her children can grow and flourish. However, the money is also representative of a loss: the death of Big Walter, who will never realize his own dreams.