History YMMV / ARaisinInTheSun

* EnsembleDarkhorse: There are some readers who like Mama for being the glue that holds the family together. Mama is understanding and never gives up on her children, as some point out.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Walter. He does have several legitimately sympathetic things going for him - he's a poor father who's unable to provide the carefree life he wants for his son, he has what he thinks is a good idea to make some cash but his family refuses to support it, and these things leave him emasculated and hopeless. Unfortunately, he's such a [[ItsAllAboutMe smug, spoiled jerk]] all the time that it's hard to actually ''care'' about his plight. The fact that he [[spoiler:steals Beneatha's cut of the insurance and blows it on his own dream, which turns out to be a scam]] simply cements him as completely unsympathetic to many audiences today, to the point that many feel his moment of redemption isn't enough to salvage him.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Anyone who saw this play at the Apollo Theater in the early 80's might have seen a 12-year-old Music/TupacShakur playing Travis.

* {{Narm}}: From the 1961 film, it's a little hard to take Karl Lindner seriously. Mainly because when he opens his mouth, most people can only think of [[WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh Piglet]].
** Also the scene where Bobo tells Walter about getting conned by Willie Harris comes off as hilarious in the 1961 movie due to a mix of [[LargeHam overacting]] and bad music cues.

* {{Narm}}: From the 1961 film, it's a little hard to take Karl Lindner seriously. Mainly because when he opens his mouth, most people can only think of [[Disney/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh Piglet]].

%%* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Walter. The guy's a jerk and an idiot.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Walter's drunken reaction to the playing of Beneatha's African record in the 1961 film could qualify.
* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: At the very end of the play, [[spoiler: when the family was about to lose their dignity, Walter reverses this and decides to remain strong without outside help.]]

* TearJerker: "And I'll be fine! Fine! ''Fine!''
* ValuesDissonance: Beneatha has a few desires that seem perfectly sensible to a modern audience that the characters treat as absurd (though this is in part due to Beneatha's own pompous attitude). In particular, both Mama and Ruth are utterly baffled when Beneatha doesn't want to marry a wealthy man for silly reasons like "he's an asshole".

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Walter. The guy's a jerk and an idiot.

* BaseBreaker:

* {{Narm}}: From the 1961 film, it's a little hard to take Karl Lindner seriously. Mainly because when he opens his mouth, most people can only think of [[{{HeyItsThatVoice}} Piglet]].

** Walter Lee can be realistic and understandable to some while selfish and stupid to others.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Beneatha for being intelligent and ambitious.

* TheScrappy: Walter Lee is this for being selfish about the money and fighting everyone over it constantly, never thinking about how it could help the family. To some readers he is self-centered and pursues only his own dream.