Here we are already into Act II. In this act a lot goes down. A decision is made about the cheque, Walter is distort, Beneatha takes a deeper dive into the African culture, and the family members find themselves in a difficult situation. Grabbed your attention? Alright, let's jump right in. Fasten your seatbelts; you're in for quite a ride into Act II.
So, Act II begins with Beneatha putting on a Nigerian record and appears in the Nigerian garb Asagai had brought for her. Drunk Walter returns home and digs the Nigerian music. George Murchison, Beneatha's 'boyfriend' enters to pick up Beneatha to go to the theatre. He see her Nigerian garb and asks her to change. George makes interesting comments about Beneatha's natural hair. Walter tries to talk business with George, who brushes him off. Walter is offended and begins to insult George. George remains indifferent and compliments Beneatha when she reemerges in a dress. After they leave, Mama enters, coming back from a mysterious day outside of the home. She reveals that she had bought a house. Walter turns away from her, outraged and it only escalates when Mama announces where the house is located: in an otherwise white neighbourhood. Mama asks for Walter’s understanding, but he thanks her for 'crushing' his dreams. Beneatha and George return from another date. George wants to kiss, but Beneatha wants to discuss social issues. George says there’s no point to such discussion. Beneatha is not impressed. Mama returns with groceries and offers Beneatha useful advice. Ruth enters right before Mrs. Johnson, a neighbour, pops by. She shares some recent neighbourhood news of some white Americans bombing African-Americans out of their houses. The family discovered that Walter hasn't been going to work. Mama goes on to have a heart-to-heart chat with her son. She apologizes if she has ever done him wrong and reaffirms her faith in him. She then hands over an envelope with $6,500. She directs Walter to reserve $3,000 for Beneatha’s schooling, and the rest to be saved in a checking account under Walter’s name. Shocked, Walter in turn has a heart-to-heart with his own son, sharing the vision he has in seven year’s time: a world in which the business transaction he’s about to make will have enabled a higher standard of living, one in which Travis can choose to be anything he wants to be (The American Dream). Then the final scene in Act II comes around.
Ruth while packing shares that her and Walter had a good time for the first time in a while. Walter comes in and seduces Ruth into a slow dance. Then a man appears at the door, introducing himself as Karl Lindner, a member of the Clybourne Park Improvement Association. After much stammering, Karl basically says that the current people in the neighbourhood don’t want the Youngers to move in because of the colour of their skin – in fact, they don’t want them there to the point of offering to buy the house for more than it was sold for! Mr. Lindner tells the Youngers that the residents of Clybourne are working-class and have worked hard, and that they’re ready to protect their dreams(Very Ironic). They force him to leave. When Mama arrives, the adults relay what happened and then present her with the gifts. They continue packing; someone knocks at the door. Walter is joyful with expectation and answers the door to find Bobo. Unfortunately, it becomes clear that Bobo is not happy to be there. Ruth doesn’t know what’s going on but she senses danger immediately. Finally Bobo drops the bomb: Walter’s supposed friend, Willy, disappeared with all their liquor store money. By now the family has entered the room and has heard everything. Mama asks Walter if all of it is gone – even Beneatha’s portion – and Walter confesses that he never created the checking account. Mama starts beating him on the head, guilt-tripping him about how he just flushed his dad’s life’s work down the drain in one day. Mama turns to God and asks for strength. The act concludes.
At this point, everything seems to be working against the family. Right when they had a little joy, Karl Lindner, a member of the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, came to disturb that. And when they try to put that behind them and move on, bad news arrives at their door. It almost seems as if the universe is working against them. Walter finally has the capacity to foster his dream but society and his environment snatches it right away from him. This acts reminds me of the different kinds of discrimination that plagues our society today. Men and women can't achieve their dreams because society says NO! There is racism, prejudices, hate, and injustices all around us. All of these things in our environment resist and hinder us from making any progress in life. Walter is plagued by his society and is forced to make a very powerful decision in the next and final act of this play. Walter has to chose between his identity, pride, integrity, family values, dreams, desperation, and eagerness to succeed. This cannot be an easy decision.
Join me in my next blog post as we discuss Walter's decision, my takeaway from the play, and its relevance in society today!!
Also, stay tuned for a blog post on Lorraine Hansberry.
Until Next Time. Let me know what you think in the comment section!
Comments