A Raisin in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry

From the beginning of the play the audience can tell the state of the family. Ruth and Walter fight over silly things and seem indifferent toward each other when they are not. "DAMN MY EGGS---DAMN ALL THE EGGS THAT EVER WAS!"(Hansberry 34) Walter yells at Ruth over scrambled eggs, something that is not a big deal. However, part of the problem is Ruth. She purposefully made scrambled eggs even though Walter said he didn't want them. She goads him into being mean and nasty. On top of everything, Beneatha resents her family because she thinks she is better than them for going to school and aspiring to be a doctor. She talks down to them because they talk about God and refuse to embrace their African heritage. Then when she says she doesn't believe in God, Mama yells at her and says that she has to while she is in the apartment. This is an indirect characterization of Mama as bossy and controlling. This obviously adds to the tension in the house and annoys them, especially Walter as normally he would be the head of the family.