“Raisin” takes place in 1950s Southside Chicago and revolves around a working class black family aspiring to a better life after the death of their father. Hope is sparked by the arrival of a $10,000 life insurance check. However, conflict ensues when mother and son want to spend the money in different ways. Walter Lee Younger Jr. wants to use the money to open a liquor business. For Mama Lena, however, the windfall means the opportunity to move out of the slums and finance daughter Beneatha's medical school education.
Raisin guide sections