A Raisin in the Sun: Act III

A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry

In the last act of the play, Beneatha and Asagai argue about the nature of life.  Beneatha, now a realist, uses the events of the day to argue that life is just a circle without any progress against pain while Asagai, an idealist, argues that life is a line that may seem to bend but will progress eventually even if people can't see it. Nevertheless, both are proven right to some degree.

In some ways, the family doesn't progress as a result of the action of the play.  At the beginning, the family was in poor financial standing.  Even though Mama received $10,000 at one point in the play, the money is lost just as quickly as it was gained.  However, the cyclical nature of the plot is not all negative.  The typical dynamic of the family is reestablished.  Beneatha and Walter start bickering "(Angrily, precisely as in the first scene of the play)" (Hansberry, 150).  The problem that the money caused through confrontations with Walter disappeared along with the money.  The playfulness of the two siblings while the others look on with smiles returns.

However, new and largely positive elements are introduced into the family's life.  Even though the family has made little progress financially, they now possess a new house which represents a new beginning and hope for progress in the future.  Also, the family is soon to meet a new addition to the family who could potentially play a part in lifting the family out of poverty.  Most ironically, just after Beneatha and Asagai argue about the philosophy behind the universe, Asagai introduces a new alternative to Beneatha she had never had before: search for her future as a doctor with Asagai in Africa instead of dancing around an apartment in Chicago in traditional African garb.