MAMAAA

I believe that Mama is the protagonist of this play, because she is always trying to help people and influence them to make the right decision. When Ruth is considering abortion, she says that no one in her family would ever kill a child. When she can tell that Walter is really down on himself, she decides to give him most of her money so that he can follow his dreams, giving him back his masculinity and the position of head of the family. She is the classic grandmother as well. When Travis buys her a large hat as a present and everyone laughs, she tells him that it is the most beautiful hat she has ever owned. At the same time, she is realistic. She tells Beneatha that she can't just pick up and move to Africa and get married all of the sudden. She is all about family; she will do anything for her family and believes that they should all put their family first as well. Everyone can relate to the character of Mama as their own grandmother, mother, relative, etc., which is part of the reason this play is so universal.