Asagai vs. Murchison

In Act II, Scene 1, we meet George Murchison. How is he different from Joseph Asagai? Why do you think that these two men are so different?

Asagai is a man who is proud of his Nigerian ancestry and accepting of himself. He courts Beneatha by giving her robes from his home country and giving her a nickname in his language. He is shameless in observing her semi-Americanized ways, picking at them and trying to replace them with what he believes is natural. Murchison is completely integrated into white culture, disregarding his roots because he believes that the closer he is to being white the closer he is to being better than other African-Americans. He encourages Beneatha to continue with the ways she tries to assimilate with white culture, such as straightening her hair and wearing what a white woman would be expected to wear. Murchison does not accept who he is racially and it manifests as contempt for others of his race.

The Shoes of the Younger Family

Put yourself into the shoes of the Younger family. What do you think it would be like to live in a tiny, three-room apartment with three generations of your family, without the choice or resources to move elsewhere?

It would be extremely frustrating, firstly. Waking up every morning to see three generations of your family living would be a constant reminder that you didn’t make enough money to house them and give them the space they properly needed. To me, it would feel like failure slapping me across the face. After reading about the Younger family’s relations, it would be understandable that tensions would be high. The family members would be resentful of each other because of past fights or conflicting opinions or almost anything, really. Family may be considered to be strong, but it will fall fast under heavy pressure. Money would be a constant issue, whether it was for rent, food money, clothes, etc. It’s hard to think about the many people who actually live like this because I know it would be near impossible for me to do.