negative environments

A Raisin In the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry

Beneatha's character in the story, I felt, adjusted to the negative environment. Beneatha was not fond of her situation as no one in that situation would be, but she still found ways to adjust to the environment. She went to college to be a doctor, which was more than any of her other family members could say. She tried to make something of herself despite the poor environment of her home. Also, her relationships with Murchison and Asagai show that she is taking advantage of her opportunities. She puts forth the effort to make her life better, which is her way of adjusting with her negative environment.

A second character, Mama, also adjusted to her negative environment at her home. Mama's "feeble little plant growing doggedly in a small pot" was her symbol of hope through all of the hard times. The plant symbolized what she wished for with her husband, but even though she was never able to have her own garden, she still continues to grow a barely surviving plant. Just like the family, though there are many things wrong with the plant, it continues to live and push on, which exactly what they family had to do: push on. The plant was important to her and this is why she took the plant with her on their new journey to their new home.