Lorraine Hansberry - A Raisin in the Sun (Act II, scene i) lyrics

ACT II SCENE ONE Time: Later the same day. At rise: RUTH is ironing again. She has the radio going. Presently BENEATHA'S bedroom door opens and RUTH'S mouth falls and she puts down the iron in fascination. RUTH What have we got on tonight! BENEATHA (Emerging grandly from the doorway so that we can see her thoroughly robed in the costume Asagai brought) You are looking at what a well-dressed Ni- gerian woman wears (She parades for RUTH, her hair completely hidden by the headdress; she is coquettish- ly fanning herself with an ornate oriental fan, mistak- enly more like bu*terfly than any Nigerian that ever was) Isn't it beautiful? (She promenades to the radio and, with an arrogant flourish, turns off the good loud blues that is playing) Enough of this a**imilationist junk! (RUTH follows her with her eyes as she goes to the phonograph and puts on a record and turns and waits ceremoniously for the music to come up. Then, with a shout ) OCOMOGOSIAY! (RUTH jumps. The music comes up, a lovely Ni- gerian melody. BENEATHA listens, enraptured, her A RAISIN IN THE SUN 77 eyes jar away "back to the past." She begins to dance. RUTH is dumfounded) RUTH What kind of dance is that? BENEATHA Afolkdance. RUTH (Pearl Bailey) What kind of folks do that, honey? BENEATHA It's from Nigeria. It's a dance of welcome. RUTH Who you welcoming? BENEATHA The men back to the village. RUTH Where they been? BENEATHA How should I know out hunting or some- thing. Anyway, they are coming back now . . . RUTH Well, that's good. BENEATHA ( With the record) Alundi, alundi Alundialunya Jop pu a jeepua Ang gu soooooooooo Aiyaiyae. . . Ayehaye alundi (WALTER comes in during this performance; he has obviously been drinking. He leans against the door heavily and watches his sister, at "first -with distaste. Then his eyes look off "back to the past' as he lifts both his fists to the roof, screaming) WALTER YEAH ... AND ETHIOPIA STRETCH FORTH HER HANDS AGAIN! . . . RUTH (Drily, looking at him) Yes and Africa sure is claiming her own tonight. (She gives them both up and starts ironing again) 78 A RAISIN IN THE SUN WALTER (All in a drunken, dramatic shout) Shut up! . . . I'm digging them drums . . . them drums move me! . . . (He makes his weaving way to his wife's face and leans in close to her) In my heart of hearts (He thumps his chest) I am much warrior! RUTH (Without even looking up) In your heart of hearts you are much drunkard. WALTER (Coming away from her and starting to wander around the room, shouting) Me and Jomo . . . (In- tently, in his sister's face. She has stopped dancing to watch him in this unknown mood) That's my man, Kenyatta. (Shouting and thumping his chest) FLAM- ING SPEAR! HOT DAMN! (He is suddenly in pos- session of an imaginary spear and actively spearing enemies all over the room) OCOMOGOSIAY . . . BENEATHA (To encourage WALTER, thoroughly caught up with this side of him ) OCOMOGOSIA Y, FLAMING SPEAR! WALTER THE LION IS WAKING . . . OWIMOWEH! (He pulls his shirt open and leaps up on the table and gestures with his spear) BENEATHA OWIMOWEH! WALTER (On the table, very far gone, his eyes pure gla** sheets. He sees what we cannot, that he is a leader of his people, a great chief, a descendant of Chaka, and that the hour to march has come) Listen, my black brothers BENEATHA OCOMOGOSIAY! WALTER Do you hear the waters rushing against the shores of the coastlands BENEATHA OCOMOGOSIAY! A RAISIN IN THE SUN 79 WALTER Do you hear the screeching of the co*ks in yonder hills beyond where the chiefs meet in council for the coming of the mighty war BENEATHA OCOMOGOSIAY! (And now the lighting shifts subtly to suggest the world of WALTER'S imagination, and the mood shifts from pure comedy. It is the inner WALTER speaking: the Southside chauffeur has a**umed an unexpected majesty ) WALTER Do you hear the beating of the wings of the birds flying low over the mountains and the low places of our land BENEATHA OCOMOGOSIAY! WALTER Do you hear the singing of the women, sing- ing the war songs of our fathers to the babies in the great houses? Singing the sweet war songs! (The door- bell rings) OH, DO YOU HEAR, MY BLACK BROTHERS! BENEATHA (Completely gone) We hear you, Flaming Spear (RUTH shuts off the phonograph and opens the door. GEORGE MURCHISON enters) WALTER Telling us to prepare for the GREATNESS OF THE TIME! (Lights back to normal. He turns and sees GEORGE) Black Brother! (He extends his hand for the fraternal clasp) GEORGE Black Brother, hell ! RUTH (Having had enough, and embarra**ed for the family) Beneatha, you got company what's the matter with you? Walter Lee Younger, get down off that table and stop acting like a fool . . . 80 A RAISIN IN THE SUN (WALTER comes down off the table suddenly and makes a quick exit to the bathroom) RUTH He's had a little to drink ... I don't know what her excuse is. GEORGE (To BENEATHA) Look honey, we're going to the theatre we're not going to be in it ... so go change, huh? (BENEATHA looks at him and slowly, ceremoni- ously, lifts her hands and pulls off the headdress. Her hair is close-cropped and unstraightened. GEORGE freezes mid-sentence and RUTH'S eyes all but fall out of her head) GEORGE What in the name of RUTH (Touching BENEATHA'S hear) Girl, you done lost your natural mind!? Look at your head! GEORGE What have you done to your head I mean your hair! BENEATHA Nothing except cut it off. RUTH Now that's the truth it's what ain't been done to it! You expect this boy to go out with you with your head all nappy like that? BENEATHA (Looking at GEORGE) That' s up to George. If he's ashamed of his heritage GEORGE Oh, don't be so proud of yourself, Bennie just because you look eccentric. BENEATHA How can something that's natural be eccen- tric? GEORGE Thaf s what being eccentric means being nat- ural. Get dressed. BENEATHA I don't like that, George. A RAISIN IN THE SUN 81 RUTH Why must you and your brother make an argu- ment out of everything people say? BENEATHA Because I hate a**imilationist Negroes! RUTH Will somebody please tell me what a**imila-who- ever means! GEORGE Oh, it's just a college girl's way of calling people Uncle Toms but that isn't what it means at all. RUTH Well, what does it mean? BENEATHA (Cutting GEORGE off and staring at him as she replies to RUTH) It means someone who is willing to give up his own culture and submerge himself com- pletely in the dominant, and in this case oppressive culture! GEORGE Oh, dear, dear, dear! Here we go! A lecture on the African past! On our Great West African Heri- tage! In one second we will hear all about the great Ashanti empires; the great Songhay civilizations; and the great sculpture of B6nin and then some poetry in the Bantu and the whole monologue will end with the word heritage! (Nastily') Let's face it, baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy-a**ed spirit- uals and some gra** huts! BENEATHA GRASS HUTS! (RUTH crosses to her and forcibly pushes her toward the bedroom) See there . . . you are standing there in your splendid ignorance talk- ing about people who were the first to smelt iron on the face of the earth! (RUTH is pushing her through the door) The Ashanti were performing surgical opera- tions when the English (RUTH pulls the door to, with BENEATHA on the other side, and smiles graciously at GEORGE. BENEATHA opens the door and shouts the end of the sentence defiantly at GEORGE) were still tatoo- ing themselves with blue dragons! (She goes back inside) 82 A RAISIN IN THE SUN RUTH Have a seat, George (They both sit. RUTH folds her hands rather primly on her lap, determined to demonstrate the civilization of the family) Warm, ain't it? I mean for September. (Pause) Just like they always say about Chicago weather: If it's too hot or cold for you, just wait a minute and it'll change. (She smiles happily at this clich6 of cliches) Everybody say it's got to do with them bombs and things they keep setting off. (Pause) Would you like a nice cold beer? GEORGE No, thank you. I don't care for beer. (He looks at his watch) I hope she hurries up. RUTH What time is the show? GEORGE It's an eight-thirty curtain. That's just Chicago, though. In New York standard curtain time is eight forty. (He is rather proud of this knowledge) RUTH (Properly appreciating it) You get to New York a lot? GEORGE (Offhand) Few times a year. RUTH Oh that's nice. I've never been to New York. (WALTER enters. We feel he has relieved himself, but the edge of unreality is still with him) WALTER New York ain't got nothing Chicago ain't. Just a bunch of hustling people all squeezed up together being "Eastern." (He turns his face into a screw of displeasure) GEORGE Oh you've been? WALTER Plenty of times. RUTH (Shocked at the lie) Walter Lee Younger! WALTER (Staring her down) Plenty! (Pause) What we got to drink in this house? Why don't you offer this A RAISIN IN THE SUN 83 man some refreshment. (To GEORGE) They don't know how to entertain people in this house, man. GEORGE Thank you I don't really care for anything. WALTER (Feeling his head; sobriety coming) Where's Mama? RUTH She ain't come back yet. WALTER (Looking MURCHISON over from head to toe, scrutinizing his carefully casual tweed sports jacket over cashmere V-neck sweater over soft eyelet shirt and tie, and soft slacks, finished off with white buckskin shoes) Why all you college boys wear them f*ggoty-looking white shoes? RUTH Walter Lee! (GEORGE MURCHISON ignores the remark) WALTER (To RUTH) Well, they look crazy as hell white shoes, cold as it is. RUTH (Crushed) You have to excuse him WALTER No he don't! Excuse me for what? What you always excusing me for! I'll excuse myself when I needs to be excused! (A pause) They look as funny as them black knee socks Beneatha wears out of here all the time. RUTH It's the college style, Walter. WALTER Style, hell. She looks like she got burnt legs or something! RUTH Oh, Walter WALTER (An irritable mimic) Oh, Walter! Oh, Walter! (To MURCHISON) How's your old man making out? I understand you all going to buy that big hotel on the Drive? (He finds a beer in the refrigerator, wanders over to MURCHISON, sipping and wiping his lips with 84 A RAISIN IN THE SUN the back of his hand, and straddling a chair back- wards to talk to the other man) Shrewd move. Your old man is all right, man. (Tapping his head and half winking for emphasis) I mean he knows how to oper- ate. I mean he thinks big, you know what I mean, I mean for a home, you know? But I think he's kind of running out of ideas now. I'd like to talk to him. Lis- ten, man, I got some plans that could turn this city upside down. I mean think like he does. Big. Invest big, gamble big, hell, lose big if you have to, you know what I mean. It's hard to find a man on this whole Southside who understands my kind of thinking you dig? (He scrutinizes MURCfflsON again, drinks his beer, squints his eyes and leans in close, confidential, man to man) Me and you ought to sit down and talk some- times, man. Man, I got me some ideas . . . MURCHISON (With boredom) Yeah sometimes we'll have to do that, Walter. WALTER (Understanding the indifference, and offended) Yeah well, when you get the time, man. I know you a busy little boy. RUTH Walter, please WALTER (Bitterly, hurt) I know ain't nothing in this world as busy as you colored college boys with your fraternity pins and white shoes . . . RUTH (Covering her -face with humiliation) Oh, Walter Lee WALTER I see you all all the time with the books tucked under your arms going to your (British A a mimic) "clahsses." And for what! What the hell you learning over there? Filling up your heads (Count- ing off on his fingers) with the sociology and the psychology but they teaching you how to be a man? A RAISIN IN THE SUN 85 How to take over and run the world? They teaching you how to run a rubber plantation or a steel mill? Naw just to talk proper and read books and wear them f aggoty-looking white shoes . . . GEORGE (Looking at him with distaste, a little above it all) You're all wacked up with bitterness, man. WALTER (Intently, almost quietly, between the teeth, glaring at the boy) And you ain't you bitter, man? Ain't you just about had it yet? Don't you see no stars gleaming that you can't reach out and grab? You happy? You contented son-of-a-b**h you happy? You got it made? Bitter? Man, I'm a volcano. Bitter? Here I am a giant surrounded by ants! Ants who can't even understand what it is the giant is talking about. RUTH (Pa**ionately and suddenly) Oh, Walter ain't you with nobody! WALTER (Violently) No! Cause ain't nobody with me! Not even my own mother! RUTH Walter, that's a terrible thing to say! (BENEATHA enters, dressed for the evening in a co*ktail dress and earrings, hair natural) GEORGE Well hey (Crosses to BENEATHA; thoughtful, with emphasis, since this is a reversal) You look great! WALTER (Seeing his sister's hair for the first time) What's the matter with your head? BENEATHA (Tired of the jokes now) I cut it off, Brother. WALTER (Coming close to inspect it and walking around her) Well, Til be damned. So that's what they mean by the African bush . . . BENEATHA Ha ha. Let's go, George. 86 A RAISIN IN THE SUN GEORGE (Looking at her} You know something? I like it. It's sharp. I mean it really is. (Helps her into her wrap) RUTH Yes I think so, too. (She goes to the mirror and starts to clutch at her hair) WALTER Oh no! You leave yours alone, baby. You might turn out to have a pin-shaped head or something! BENEATHA See you all later. RUTH Have a nice time. GEORGE Thanks. Good night. (Half out the door, he re- opens it. To WALTER) Good night, Prometheus! (BENEATHA and GEORGE exit) WALTER (To RUTH) Who is Prometheus? RUTH I don't know. Don't worry about it. WALTER (In fury, pointing after GEORGE) See there they get to a point where they can't insult you man to man they got to go talk about something ain't nobody never heard of! RUTH How do you know it was an insult? (To humor him) Maybe Prometheus is a nice fellow. WALTER Prometheus! I bet there ain't even no such thing! I bet that simple-minded clown RUTH Walter (She stops what she i"y doing and looks at him) WALTER (Yelling) Don't start! RUTH Start what? WALTER Your nagging! Where was I? Who was I with? How much money did I spend? RUTH (Plaintively) Walter Lee why don't we just try to talk about it ... A RAISIN IN THE SUN 87 WALTER (Not listening) I been out talking with people who understand me. People who care about the things I got on my mind. RUTH (Wearily) I guess that means people like Willy Harris. WALTER Yes, people like Willy Harris. RUTH (With a sudden flash of impatience) Why don't you all just hurry up and go into the banking business and stop talking about it! WALTER Why? You want to know why? Cause we all tied up in a race of people that don't know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies! (The line is too bitter even for him and he looks at her and sits down) RUTH Oh, Walter . . . (Softly) Honey, why can't you stop fighting me? WALTER (Without thinking) Who's fighting you? Who even cares about you? (This line begins the retardation of his mood) RUTH Well (She waits a long time, and then with res- ignation starts to put away her things) I guess I might as well go on to bed . . . (More or less to herself) I don't know where we lost it ... but we have . . . (Then, to him) I I'm sorry about this new baby, Walter. I guess maybe I better go on and do what I started ... I guess I just didn't realize how bad things was with us ... I guess I just didn't really realize (She starts out to the bedroom and stops) You want some hot milk? WALTER Hot milk? RUTH Yes hot milk* WALTER Why hot milk? 88 A RAISIN IN THE SUN RUTH Cause after all that liquor you come home with you ought to have something hot in your stomach. WALTER I don't want no milk. RUTH You want some coffee then? WALTER No, I don't want no coffee. I don't want noth- ing hot to drink. (Almost plaintively) Why you always trying to give me something to eat? RUTH (Standing and looking at him helplessly) What else can I give you, Walter Lee Younger? (She stands and looks at him and presently turns to go out again. He lifts his head and watches her going away from him in a new mood which began to emerge when he asked her "Who cares about your) WALTER It's been rough, ain't it, baby? (She hears and stops but does not turn around and he continues to her back) I guess between two people there ain't never as much understood as folks generally thinks there is. I mean like between me and you (She turns to face him) How we gets to the place where we scared to talk softness to each other. (He waits, thinking hard him- self) Why you think it got to be like that? (He is thoughtful, almost as a child would be) Ruth, what is it gets into people ought to be close? RUTH I don't know, honey. I think about it a lot. WALTER On account of you and me, you mean? The way things are with us. The way something done come down between us. RUTH There ain't so much between us, Walter . . . Not when you come to me and try to talk to me. Try to be with me ... a little even. A RAISIN IN THE SUN 89 WALTER (Total honesty) Sometimes . . . sometimes . . . I don't even know how to try. RUTH Walter WALTER Yes? RUTH (Coming to him, gently and with misgiving, but coming to him) Honey . . . lif e don't have to be like this. I mean sometimes people can do things so that things are better . . . You remember how we used to talk when Travis was born . . . about the way we were going to live . . . the kind of house . . . (She is strok- ing his head) Well, it's all starting to slip away from us ... (He turns her to him and they look at each other and kiss, tenderly and hungrily. The door opens and MAMA enters WALTER breaks away and jumps up. A beat) WALTER Mama, where have you been? MAMA My them steps is longer than they used to be. Whew! (She sits down and ignores him) How you feel- ing this evening, Ruth? (RUTH shrugs, disturbed at having been interrupted and watching her husband knowingly) WALTER Mama, where have you been all day? MAMA (Still ignoring him and leaning on the table and changing to more comfortable shoes) Where's Travis? RUTH I let him go out earlier and he ain't come back yet. Boy, is he going to get it! WALTER Mama! MAMA (As if she has heard him for the first time) Yes, son? 90 A RAISIN IN THE SUN WALTER Where did you go this afternoon? MAMA I went downtown to tend to some business that I had to tend to. WALTER What kind of business? MAMA You know better than to question me like a child, Brother. WALTER (Rising and bending over the table) Where were you, Mama? (Bringing his fists down and shout- ing) Mama, you didn't go do something with that in- surance money, something crazy? (The front door opens slowly, interrupting him, and TRAVIS peeks his head in, less than hopefully) TRAVIS ( To his mother) Mama, I RUTH "Mama I" nothing! You're going to get it, boy! Get on in that bedroom and get yourself ready! TRAVIS But I MAMA Why don't you all never let the child explain hisself. RUTH Keep out of it now, Lena. (MAMA clamps her lips together, and RUTH ad- vances toward her son menacingly) RUTH A thousand times I have told you not to go off like that MAMA (Holding out her arms to her grandson) Well at least let me tell him something. I want him to be the first one to hear . . . Come here, Travis. (The boy obeys, gladly) Travis (She takes him by the shoulder and looks into his face) you know that money we got in the mail this morning? TRAVIS Yes'm A RAISIN IN THE SUN 91 MAMA Well what you think your grandmama gone and done with that money? TRAVIS I don't know, Grandmama. MAMA (Putting her finger on his nose for emphasis) She went out and she bought you a house! (The explosion comes from WALTER at the end of the revelation and he jumps up and turns away from all of them in a fury. MAMA continues, to TRAVIS) You glad about the house? It's going to be yours when you get to be a man. TRAVIS Yeah I always wanted to live in a house. MAMA All right, gimme some sugar then (TRAVIS puts his arms around her neck as she watches her son over the boy's shoulder. Then, to TRAVIS, after the embrace) Now when you say your prayers tonight, you thank God and your grandfather cause it was him who give you the house in his way. RUTH (Taking the boy -from MAMA and pushing him to- ward the bedroom) Now you get out of here and get ready for your beating. TRAVIS Aw, Mama RUTH Get on in there (Closing the door behind him and turning radiantly to her mother-in-law) So you went and did it!. MAMA (Quietly, looking at her son with pain) Yes, I did. RUTH (Raising both arms cla**ically) PRAISE GOD! (Looks at WALTER a moment, -who says nothing. She crosses rapidly to her husband) Please, honey let me be glad . . . you be glad too. (She has laid her hands on his shoulders, but he shakes himself free of her roughly, without turning to face her) Oh, Walter . . . 92 A RAISIN IN THE SUN a home . . . a home. (She comes back to MAMA) Well where is it? How big is it? How much it going to cost? MAMA Well RUTH When we moving? MAMA (Smiling at her) First of the month. RUTH (Throwing back her head with jubilance) Praise God! MAMA (Tentatively, still looking at her son's back turned against her and RUTH) It's it's a nice house too ... (She cannot help speaking directly to him. An im- ploring quality in her voice, her manner, makes her almost like a girl now) Three bedrooms nice big one for you and Ruth. , . . Me and Beneatha still have to share our room, but Travis have one of his own and (With difficulty) I figure if the new baby is a boy, we could get one of them double-decker outfits . . . And there's a yard with a little patch of dirt where I could maybe get to grow me a few flowers . . , And a nice big basement . . . RUTH Walter honey, be glad MAMA (Still to his back, fingering things on the table) 'Course I don't want to make it sound fancier than it is ... It's just a plain little old house but it's made good and solid and it will be ours. Walter Lee it makes a difference in a man when he can walk on floors that belong to him . . . RUTH Where is it? MAMA (Frightened at this telling) Well well it's out there in Clybourne Park (RUTH'S radiance jades abruptly, and WALTER finally turns slowly to face his mother with incre- dulity and hostility) A RAISIN IN THE SUN 93 RUTH Where? MAMA (Matter-of-factly) Four o six Clybourne Street, Clybourne Park. RUTH Clybourne Park? Mama, there ain't no colored people living in Clybourne Park. MAMA (Almost idiotically) Well, I guess there's going to be some now. WALTER (Bitterly) So that's the peace and comfort you went out and bought for us today! MAMA (Raising her eyes to meet his finally) Son I just tried to find the nicest place for the least amount of money for my family. RUTH (Trying to recover from the shock) Well well 'course I ain't one never been 'fraid of no crackers, mind you but well, wasn't there no other houses nowhere? MAMA Them houses they put up for colored in them areas way out all seem to cost twice as much as other houses. I did the best I could. RUTH (Struck senseless with the news, in its various de- grees of goodness and trouble, she sits a moment, her fists propping her chin in thought, and then she starts to rise, bringing her fists down with vigor, the radiance spreading from cheek to cheek again) Well well! All I can say is if this is my time in life MY TIME to say good-bye (And she builds with momentum as she starts to circle the room with an exuberant, almost tearfully happy release) to these Goddamned cracking walls! (She pounds the walls) and these marching roaches! (She wipes at an im- aginary army of marching roaches) and this cramped little closet which ain't now or never was no kitchen! . . . then I say it loud and good, HALLELUJAH! AND 94 A RAISIN IN THE SUN GOOD-BYE MISERY ... I DON'T NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR UGLY FACE AGAIN! (She laughs joyously, having practically destroyed the apartment, and flings her arms up and lets them come down happily, slowly, reflectively, over her abdomen, aware for the first time perhaps that the life therein pulses with hap- piness and not despair) Lena? MAMA (Moved, watching her happiness) Yes, honey? RUTH (Looking off) Is there is there a whole lot of sunlight? MAMA (Understanding) Yes, child, there's a whole lot of sunlight. (Long pause) RUTH (Collecting herself and going to the door of the room TRAVIS is in) Well I guess I better see 'bout Travis. (To MAMA) Lord, I sure don't feel like whip- ping nobody today! (She exits) MAMA (The mother and son are left alone now and the mother waits a long time, considering deeply, before she speaks) Son you you understand what I done, don't you? (WALTER is silent and sullen) I I just seen my family falling apart today . . . just falling to pieces in front of my eyes . . . We couldn't of gone on like we was today. We was going backwards 'stead of forwards talking 'bout k**ing babies and wishing each other was dead . . . When it gets like that in life you just got to do something different, push on out and do something bigger . . . (She waits) I wish you say some- thing, son ... I wish you'd say how deep inside you you think I done the right thing WALTER (Crossing slowly to his bedroom door and finally turning there and speaking measuredly) What you need me to say you done right for? You the head of this A RAISIN IN THE SUN 95 family. You run our lives like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what you need for me to say it was all right for? (Bit- terly, to hurt her as deeply as he knows is possible) So you butchered up a dream of mine you who al- ways talking 'bout your children's dreams . . . MAMA Walter Lee (He just closes the door behind him. MAMA sits alone, thinking heavily) Curtain