3. Short-response prompt (15 points) Read the following excerpt from the ending of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the
Sun:
MAMA (Quietly, woman to woman) He finally come into his
manhood today, didn't he? Kind of like a rainbow after the rain ..
RUTH (Biting her lip lest her own pride explode in front of MAMA)
Yes, Lena.
(WALTER'S voice calls for them raucously)
WALTER (Off stage) Y'all come on! These people charges by the
hour, you know!
MAMA (Waving RUTH out vaguely) All right, honey – go on down.
I be down directly.
(RUTH hesitates, then exits. MAMA stands, at last alone in the
living room, her plant on the table before her as the lights start to
come down. She looks around at all the walls and ceilings and
suddenly, despite herself, while the children call below, a great
heaving thing rises in her and she puts her fist to her mouth to
stifle it, takes a final desperate look, pulls her coat about her, pats
her hat and goes out. The lights dim down. The door opens and
she comes back in, grabs her plant, and goes out for the last
time) Curtain
How does this excerpt contribute to the theme of A Raisin in the Sun? What
aesthetic impact did the author intend it to have on the reader? Be sure to use
specific details from the text to support your answer.