[dnn...@aol.com]

From the handout I would say the Youngers are at the end of love and belonging needs. There are certain times throughout the play when one person will feel as if they belong in their family. When Ruth comes home from the doctor she knows she is loved and wanted in her family, “’Lord have mercy, I sure hope it’s a little old girl. Travis ought to have a sister”’(p.57). Mama and Beneatha show her how happy they are that she is not hurt but just pregnant. I think Mama is at the esteem level. Everyone in her family loves and wants her, and she loves and wants everyone too. She can go into the next level when the whole family can’t because she can respect other people no matter what they do, “’There is always something left to love. And if you ain’t learned that, you ain’t learned nothing”’(p.145). Even though Walter made mistakes, his mother still respects him and expects her family to do so as well.