ARITS: Act III

Ananda Squire
Summary
An hour later, having no knowledge of the Youngers' financial reversals, Asagai drops
by the apartment, hoping to help with the packing, but instead he is greeted by a
changed Beneatha. Seemingly, she is in shock. Very simply, she states, "He gave
away the money." Her previous positive idealism has been replaced by a loss of faith
in humanity. The money that should have financed her medical education is gone.

She wants and expects sympathy from Asagai, but instead, he upbraids her for her
materialistic outlook. Beneatha listens, then agrees to consider Asagai's proposal of
marriage, along with his invitation that she move to Nigeria to practice medicine.
Later, Walter comes in and begins searching frantically for Lindner's telephone
number while ignoring Beneatha's insults. Mama suggests that they give up on their
dream of moving and that they make themselves satisfied with the apartment in
which they are presently living, a suggestion that seems to upset Ruth more than
anyone else.
Summary cont’d
Shortly thereafter, we learn that Walter has decided to accept Lindner's offer
of paying them generously not to move in. Aghast, the three Younger women
watch Walter rehearse an exaggerated servility with which he plans to greet
Lindner. However, moved by Mama's word about black pride, Walter changes
his mind and disappoints Lindner. He tells him that he and his family have
decided to live in Clybourne Park.
Analysis
Through Asagai, we see that the African struggle for independence is similar to
Walter's struggle for independence; however, at the same time, Hansberry
expresses her own fears that the new black leadership of the emerging African
nations might prove to be as corruptly oppressive as the previous colonial rulers.
Ironically, Walter achieves his independence — that is, he comes "into his
manhood" without the money that has been his obsession throughout the play.
Previously, Walter stated that his self worth was predicated on the amount of
money he could garner or generate. He is broke now and feeling foolish over his
egregious error, but he has a more realistic and mature vision of what
independence means and demands of individuals. It is also through Asagai that
we are made aware of the Western definition of success, as he questions the
happiness one should expect through money gained because of someone's
death.
Analysis cont’d
Hansberry also uses the final scene to show us the maturation of each
character, including Mama, who has learned while teaching. When she tells
Beneatha that the true test of love is the ability to love a person when he is at
his lowest, we realize that Mama has had time to reflect upon this fact
herself.
Critic’s reviews
● The character of Linder represents this elements and the family’s reaction to him is the writer’s
beliefs about the issue. In this case, the writer wants the audience to stand up against racial
discrimination just like the Younger’s did. By rejecting Linder’s offer and deciding to move into the
white neighborhood, the Younger’s are making a stand by not giving into traditional social norms
during the 50s. The writer tries to get this across to the audience by using symbols like the
representative of the exclusively white community. (Sarah Ahmad)
● By the end of the play, there is no concrete closure to Beneatha’s struggle for identity, which is
likely intentional.
● Hansberry is conveying the absurd nature of asking African Americans to choose one of two
unattainable ideals: rejecting their own culture or fully embodying a foreign one. By showing
Beneatha getting “all mixed up” (1526) after Asagai’s proposal and omitting any closure to this
confusion, Hansberry shows that there is no way to make a concrete decision one way or another.
The freedom of African Americans to choose what they want to do rises above all. Beneatha’s
choice to straighten her hair does not make her anassimilationist, and her choice to embrace
Nigerian music does not make her an Afrocentrist. By placing Beneatha in between
assimilationism and Afrocentrism, Hansberry seems to be making a claim that African Americans
are able to exist between these two extremes.(Elizabeth Brady)
Discussion Question:
Was this a
satisfactory ending
for you?