Lorraine Hansberry
Right from the beginning, Hansberry bombards the reader/spectator (choose reader or the Multiple Choice Monster will eat you in your sleep) with reminders that the Younger family is currently trapped in the lower reaches of society as most black families were after World War II. In order to establish completely the lower social status of the Youngers which sets the scene for several conflicts, Hansberry frequently employs the vernacular and colloquialisms and cliches which I have come to associate with lower-class African Americans after viewing dozens of episodes of Good Times and The Jeffersons.
"Movin' on up"
During the first scene of Act I, the family awaits a large check from the insurance company after Lena's husband's death. However, the fate of this check divides the family; Walter wants the money to go toward an investment on a liquor store, Beneatha (a most unfortunate name) would want any money Mama didn't keep to go to her education, and Ruth wants a new house. Whatever future a member desired, all had in common one goal: use the money to attain a life in a higher status. Mama illustrates the dichotomy between wealth and the family's current situation partly marked by a lack of education by declaring, "Now don't you start, child. It's too early in the morning to be talking about money. It ain't Christian" (Hansberry, 41). Despite certain middle-class white teens who use "ain't" ironically, informal and nonstandard language like "ain't" generally indicates social class by indicating a lower level of education: something only money can achieve. By nominating the social standing of the Younger family as a central aspect of the play, Hansberry lays the groundwork for the major conflicts in which characters will be attempting to find a better life through money.
Additionally, the older generation relies rather heavily on cliches, or dead metaphors. While Beneatha fights for her own intellectual prowess against God, Mama and Ruth use antiquated metaphors to describe Beneatha's unrestrained audacity. Hansberry utilizes this difference in linguistic strategy to highlight the struggle between young and old.
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