Section B: NON AFRICAN DRAMA LORRAINE HANSBERRY - A Raisin In The Sun Consider the relationship between Mama and Travis.

Answer Details

In A Raisin in the Sun, the relationship between Mama (Lena Younger) and her grandson Travis, the young son of Walter and Ruth, is warm, affectionate and hopeful. Though a minor strand beside the family's larger struggles, it carries the play's tenderness and its faith in the future.

• Grandmotherly love and indulgence. Mama is fond of Travis and inclined to indulge him. Where Ruth is strict, correcting and disciplining the boy, Mama softens toward him, sometimes overruling his mother to take his side, as when she quietly encourages Ruth to let him have his way.
• Travis as the family's future. For Mama, Travis represents the coming generation for whose sake the family's sacrifices are made. Her dream of buying a house with a yard and a garden is partly a dream of giving Travis room to grow, a better life than the cramped apartment allows.
• A source of joy and continuity. The boy brings brightness into a household weighed down by poverty and disappointment. Through him Mama sees the continuation of the family line and the values her late husband worked and died for.
• A bond of trust and comfort. Travis is at ease with his grandmother and turns to her naturally, while Mama treats him with gentle authority and love, making their relationship one of the steadiest and least troubled in the play.

Conclusion. The bond between Mama and Travis embodies love across three generations and the family's hope for a better tomorrow. In a play full of frustrated dreams, their affectionate relationship reminds us what the Youngers are ultimately striving for: a decent future for the child who represents their family's continuity and hope.