Beneatha Younger

Beneatha Younger is about twenty years old and still in school. She is the daughter of Lena Younger and the sister of Walter. Beneatha is described as slim and beautiful, although not a classic beauty like her sister-in-law, Ruth (“her lean, intellectual face has a handsomeness of its own”, p. 19 ll. 22-23)[1].   From the stage directions we also learn that she speaks differently than all the other family members. This is just one of the many things that set her apart from them.

Beneatha has ambitions and dreams for herself, and she is struggling to find her true identity. She dreams of becoming a doctor and repeats this wish again and again, even when met with sarcasm and skepticism from her brother, Walter.

Unlike the rest of the family, Beneatha does not believe in God. Despite her Christian upbringing, she is an atheist and gladly provokes her mother with statements on the subject (“ I’m just tired of hearing about God all the time. What has He got to do with anything? Does he pay tuiti...