Rhonda Massengill "Raisin of the Son"

The 1961 film called the “Raisin of the Sun” was based on African American heritage. In the beginning you have an extended family living under one roof. The head of the house is the grandma, then her son, her daughter, then her son’s wife, and his child. They are an extended family due to a tragedy that had struck the family. The grandpa has died due to working himself to death. His death is the beginning of major problems within the family.
The family lives in one little house with very little room. There are only two bedrooms, small living room, and a small kitchen. The first thing that happens is the son is an alcoholic. He feels like he’s a failure and tries to drink his problems away. Then we have the problem with the wife she reveals to the family that she is pregnant. Lastly, the family inherits a huge paycheck. Grandma receives 10,000 dollars to do whatever she needs to do to take care of the family. The family is very poor and has never had that much money.
Just like the old saying goes money is the root of all evil. This is found to be true according to this family. The grandma decides to take 3,500 and put a down payment on a house. Next, she decides to give her son 6,500 to put in the bank. He was to spend only 3,500 on his own business and 3,000 on his sisters’ school tuition.
This is where all the problems begin. First we have the house with the 3,500 down payment. The grandma had hunted everywhere and the only house she could find was in a white neighborhood. The white people are willing to give her extra money as long as she stays out of their neighborhood. She refuses to take them up on the offer and keeps the house. Next, her son supposedly took 3,000 dollar to the bank for his sisters’ college tuition. Instead he decides to take all the money and invest it into a business deal. The business deal goes bad and he ends up losing all the money.
At the end they decide to move to the house. The family forgives the son for making that huge mistake. Most of all, the grandma says “I think he has finally grown into a man”. Other words, he has finally realized that family is more important than money.