Who Is Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, centers on an African American family in the late 1950s. Hansberry directs her work towards specifically the struggles faced by African Americans during the late 1950s. Through the dialogue and actions of her characters, she encourages not only a sense of pride in heritage, but a national and self-pride in African Americans as well.

On May 19,1930 a set of events was set in motion that an inspiration and touching to many. May 19,1930 Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was born in Chicago, Illinois, she was the youngest of four kids. Her parents were Nannie and Carl Augustus Hansberry.Nannie and Carl Hansberry were independent, politically active and Republican. Growing up she dealt with many problems involving her race, her family was victims of segregation. The effects of her childhood greatly affected how she went on about her life.

A raisin in the sun is a book by Lorraine Hansberry that tells the story of a lower-class black family's struggle to gain middle-class acceptance while facing internal family conflicts the book was written in 1959, so the movie is an interpretation of the book. Yet the movie made it seem as if Walter is a very selfish man. Reading the book brings a different visualization .The movie also was able to move to different locations, the book however, which was written originally to be acted out on stage. Yet besides all the differences, a common theme ran though in both the book and the movie

Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun opened in a New York theater March 11, 1951. This play, although based on Hansberry’s own life and personal experiences was also inspired by Langston Hughes’s poem “Harlem”. Hansberry used this play to tell the story of a 1950’s African American family trying to better themselves. She also used this play to shine a light on the issue of racism that were prominent during this time frame. This highly successful play “ran for 530 performances and was nominated for the 1960 Tony Award for best play”, and has had several adaptations made in its honor(Aurora). Despite the fact that these adaptations were made to equal the original play there are many differences between them and their predecessor.

All of that damage done to young Lorraine Hansberry changed her when she got older. She got married in 1953 with Robert Nemiroff . She went to multiple colleges. In the late 40’s she saw Sean O’Casey’s play Juno and the Paycock and she loved it. That then drove her to write plays that includes social activism and artistic expressions Tillman. She then

    Lorraine Hansberry faced many obstacles in her life which has made her  write this book A “Raisin in the Sun.” As said in Blooms Literature “She was the youngest of four children whose parents were well-educated, middle-class activists centrally engaged in the fight against racial discrimination. Early figures in the Civil Rights movement.” In the book “A Raisin in the Sun,” the first play written by an African American she made through experiences of  black people who live on Chicago’s South Side, Hansberry used members of her family as inspiration for her characters. Lorraine Hansberry life had comparisons in this book dealing with poverty

In A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry many character have dreams. Beneatha’s to become a doctor, Mama’s to buy a house and Walter’s to own a liquor store. These dreams affect each character differently. In A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry illustrates Walter Lee’s dream of owning a liquor store affects him negatively by causing him to constantly be thinking about money and causing him to make bad decisions, it also affects him positively, by teaching him an important life lesson.

The story of this play is simple and the majority of African-Americans faced such issues in the 1950’s, living on the south side of Chicago, struggles with poverty, dignity and dreams of a better life. Wanting better for your children and trying to fit in, while maintaining family values. A Raisin in the Sun is an excellent example of the relationship between family values and conflict. In this play it portrays: values and purpose of dreams, the need to fight for racial discrimination and the importance of family.

In the 1950’s African Americans faced many hardships like economic problems and racial discrimination against Caucasians. These problems have left many African Americans working for white people as drivers, maids, or butlers to them making them inferior to the white man. In “The Raisin in the Sun” they face the same trial and tribulations that many African American families were struggling with which were economic hardship and racial discrimination in America. “The Raisin in the Sun” is a play about a struggling family trying to make it into a world where they are inferior to others.

The 1960’s were a harsh time for African Americans and females. A Raisin in the Sun which was written by Lorraine Hansberry shows this very well by introducing different characters that represent different values during the time. The play involves an African American family that is struggling to survive with the way that their situation is. The characters shown throughout the play introduce key ideas from the 1960’s. The characters also introduce different contrasts that can be analyzed. The play also introduces an interesting topic on dignity. The three big points to analyze are the characters in the play, the contrast between characters, and the importance of dignity.

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a play that displays housing discrimination in Chicago during the 1950s. Housing discrimination was partially an effect of the Great Migration. This was an event during the 1950s that resulted in about six million African Americans “migrating” from the south to the north, Midwest, and west regions of the United States. This caused the population of black people in major northern cities to increase rapidly. They are then only able to live in certain neighborhoods, which keeps their communities segregated.

“A Raisin in the Sun” was written in 1959 by Lorraine Hansberry. The Younger family is expecting an insurance check from Big Walters death. While contemplating what the money should be used for, the family endures one conflict after another. If this play was converted into a movie a few changes would need to be made to entertain today’s audience. What should be kept the same in the play is the plot and premise. The plot and the premise should primarily be kept the same with adding a few changes to bring in today’s audience. Those changes include: packing it full of more drama, casting a narrator, real life stories, and further displaying the life events of the Youngers.

A Raisin in the Sun was a play written in the late 1950’s analyzing the cruel effects of racism amongst the Younger family. The younger family suffers from racial discrimination within their living space, place of employment, and the housing industry. Racism has been going on for a very long time in the United States and will always continue to exist. Racism has not only led to political but also social issues. "A Raisin in the Sun confronted Whites for an acknowledgement that a black family could be fully human, 'just like us."(qtd. White fear.) The setting took place in the ghetto, south of Chicago where mainly African Americans settled. In this division, apartments and houses were overly priced, crowded and poorly maintained. Crime rates were extremely high and most families lived in poverty. Due to segregated housing, it was a daily struggle for black families who had hopes in leaving the ghetto for better lives.

Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930, during the great depression, in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up on Chicago’s south side in the Woodlawn neighborhood with her mom, Nannie Hansberry and father, Carl Hansberry. When Lorraine was eight years old she and her family moved to a white neighborhood where they got treated with violence (and unfriendly behavior,) they almost got evicted from their home by the Illinois courts because of racially restrictive covenants. But her father fought against the courts and they were able to stay.

During the story, “A Raisin in The Sun”, holds two influences, Walter, and Mama, who have the most significant impact among the plot. Here’s why; Lorraine Hansberry has created this play to prove what life was like before our modern generation had come about. As to why Lorraine brought Walter and Mama to help make up the conflicts and rising action to the plot. If the play was created without Walter, it would only be a story based upon, Beneatha, and Mama. There’d be no Ruth, no Travis, or new baby soon to come about. Whereas, if there was no Mama around anymore, the family would have no intelligence, faith, or leader, to help the children determine how to handle their problems or know what to do with themselves.