When Dreams Dry

We all have goals we want to fulfill. Some may be difficult and take time, like becoming an astronaut, and some may be as simple as cooking a nice meal for your fiance on Valentine's Day. There are many ways one can come up with a goal. In this case, almost every member of the Youngers family in A Raisin in the Sun has a dream they want realized in life. For this Drama class action project, I made an audio recording of a scene from the play that includes a character I chose to analyze. The character I chose to study was Beneatha - a teenage girl with views different from her family's matriarch, Mama. I cannot give too much detail about her now, but, if you listen to the recording, you'll learn why I find her intriguing. She dreams of becoming a doctor and has trouble fitting into the framework of her grandmother's household. She is stubborn, spirited, and has a lot to learn. I hope you enjoy!

Script
Beneatha is a member of the Youngers family. Her grandmother is both a very religious person and the matriarch of the family, which means she is the head of the household and makes up all of the rules, but Beneatha is reluctant to accept God. With the exception of her brother Travis, the entire family wants to fulfill their dreams. Ruth’s dream is for her and the family to have more money. Walter’s dream is to own a liquor store. Mama’s dream, whose name is Lena, is to move out of the old house she and her family have been living in for a while. Beneatha’s dream is to be a doctor and heal people. Beneatha feels controlled, and not like the person she wants to be, when she listens to her family. She tries to rebel and fight back with actions like saying that God is just an idea that she doesn’t accept. Beneatha goes to school, does her best to get good grades, and wants to go to college. College is one of Beneatha’s goals. Unfortunately, despite getting good grades, her family doesn’t have much money left to spend for her to go to college because Walter used it all to invest in his liquor store business. So, how will she make her dreams come true now?

Mama (Kindly): ‘Course you going to be a doctor, honey, God willing.

Beneatha (Drily): God hasn’t got a thing to do with it.

Mama: Beneatha — that just wasn’t necessary. 

Beneatha: Well — neither is God. I get sick of hearing about God.

Mama: Beneatha!

Beneatha has a few issues that need to be addressed. One of her issues is being disobedient around her family, and another is being unable to control her temper. It is normal to feel a little controlled when you are being told what to do around the house, but Beneatha is very rebellious about it. Her biggest issue above all others is her lack of respect towards her peers. With respect, she can walk on a less aggressive path leading towards her dreams. She is a teenage high schooler, so it is very likely that her angst and sass will wear-off when she is older. Beneatha does have some positive traits, too. She does have an adventurous side and likes to try new things, such as playing the guitar and horseback riding. However, Beneatha does not stick to these activities for long after she tries them. It is a good thing that her passion for healing others does not fade away, at least for now.

Beneatha: I mean it! I’m just tired of hearing about God all the time. What has He got to do with anything? Does He pay tuition?

Mama: You ’bout to get your fresh little jaw slapped!

Ruth: That’s just what she needs, all right!

Beneatha: Why? Why can’t I say what I want to around here, like everybody else?

Mama: It don’t sound nice for a young girl to say things like that — you wasn’t brought up that way. Me and your father went to trouble to get you and Brother to church every Sunday.

Beneatha telling Mama that God is an idea she doesn’t like, while knowing that she is a very religious woman, reveals a large amount of the disrespect she shows her grandmother. The fact she said this, intentionally, to Mama shows she does what she wants and thinks she has the authority to do so. The aftermath of Beneatha’s actions got her slapped in the face and ordered to say she believes in God by Mama.

Beneatha: Mama, you don’t understand. It’s all a matter of ideas, and God is just one idea I don’t accept. It’s not important. I am not going out and be immoral or commit crimes because I don’t believe in God. I don’t even think about it. It’s just that I get tired of Him getting credit for all the things the human race achieves through its own stubborn effort. There simple is no blasted God — there is only man and it is he who makes miracles!

(MAMA absorbs this speech, studies her daughter and rises slowly and crosses to BENEATHA and slaps her powerfully across the face. After, there is only silence and the daughter drops her eyes from her mother’s face, and MAMA is very tall before her) Mama: Now — you say after me, in my mother’s house there is still God. (There is a long pause and BENEATHA stares at the floor wordlessly. MAMA repeats the phrase with precision and cool emotion) In my mother’s house there is still God.

Beneatha: In my mother’s house there is still God. (A long pause)

When Beneatha finally says that she believes in God, it seems she realizes how her actions have consequences. She comes to the realization that, while she’s living under Mama’s roof, she needs to live by mama’s rules. This realization guides her to be more obedient within her family. It seems Beneatha begins to appreciate her grandmother’s love of God, and how it drives her to be loving, protective, and supportive of her family. Beneatha finally sees that. This scene is a great example of how your words and actions affect others.