Critical Analysis Of A Raisin In The Sun

“Money is not the key to happiness,” no big pay amount would make much of a difference. As people in America everybody thinks you cannot afford to avoid the unhappiness of having to  life,  having plenty of cash does not make your any more enjoyable then what it is in the present. Happiness depends on how you feel towards your loved ones which in Lorraine Hansberry's Play, “A Raisin In the Sun” Walter's obsession with money often caused him to act unkindly to his loved ones. In the book Raisin in the Sun a family from the Southside of Chicago they lived in a small apartment trying to find a way out of the community they have lived in. The Younger family was dealing with living in a white dominant society dealing with poverty and prejudice acts. The Youngers’ try to ignore the obstacles and stay on their feet throughout the 1950s.

Did you know that most African Americans were not allowed to vote until 1965, only a little over fifty years ago? This was just one among many struggles faced by black people during the 1950's. Though slavery was finally no longer a hindrance, this did not put an end to racism and financial disadvantages. Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun follows a family of African Americans and how they attempt to overcome these racial barriers in order to live out their individual dreams. When a patriarchal death brings a large check to the family, every character seems to think that money will provide a perfect path leading to their wishes. For example, Mama, the “grandmother” figure, wants to buy a house because her dream is to move out of poverty and into comfort. On the other hand, Walter wants to use the money to invest in a liquor store thinking it will help him fit in with “the whites.” Similarly, Beneatha, Mama’s daughter and Walter’s sister, has other plans in her mind. Only twenty years old, Beneatha Younger best portrays the American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun with her desires to find love, keep her ancestors relevant, and cure people.

Ambitions are dreams that strive people to accomplish their goals. Whether these dreams are for the benefit of others or the benefit of themselves, they vary from person to person. For example, for the money-hungry people, their ambition lies within themselves and their advancement, whereas the leader of a country work for the betterment of the nation as a whole. In A Raisin in the Sun, each of the characters has their own aspirations. In particular, Walter Lee Younger is a man who hopes to advance his family’s social status while providing for his family. Similarly, my aspiration is to improve my social status, to be better than those I am surrounded with. Thus, in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, Walter Lee Younger’s dream of advancing the social ladder is similar to my dream of achieving the American Dream.

A Raisin in the Sun, became the first drama written and produced by an African- American to be played on Broadway, reflecting the issues that not only blacks faced but the American people. Lorraine Hansberry, precisely projects the struggle of the Youngers, a poor African American family living on the South Side of Chicago. They live in a one-bedroom apartment where the building is run down, battered, and roach infested. An opportunity to escape from poverty comes from a life insurance check that Lena Younger (Mama) receives upon her husband’s death. This tragedy raises hope for a family that has a lot of ideas and dreams for the future.  Lena's children Walter and Beneatha each have their own plans for the money. The oldest son Walter wants to invest in a liquor store. The younger sister Beneatha, currently a college student, wants to use the money for medical school. However, Mama has plans to buy a house for the family and finance Beneatha's medical school. The Younger family goes through several conflicts involving the money, but the scene closes with the family finally moving out of the apartment to a better, primarily white neighborhood, where despite negative reactions from their soon to be neighbors, they will hopefully start a better life. A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, portrays the reality of housing segregation in the play's plot, authorial time as well as in modern time.

What does Mama's plant represent and how does its symbol evolve over the course of the play?

A Raisin In The Sun, is a realist drama play, that takes place in the South Side of Chicago, between 1945 and 1959. The play is about the,”Youngers”, an African American family who struggles with economic problems and racial discrimination. The play starts out in the “Younger’s” apartment, a small two bedroom place with worn out furniture. Ruth, an African woman who serves as a protagonist who lives in the apartment with her husband Walter, the main protagonist, and son Travis. Mama, who is Walter’s mother lives there as well with her second daughter Beneatha. They start arguing about the check Walter’s father has left behind after his death. Beneatha suggests that Mama should take it, but Walter suggests they should use it to start a liquor business. Mama disagrees and wants to buy her dream home. After everyone leaves the home, Mama and Ruth talk about the money, while discussing Ruth faints. She goes to see a doctor and gets told that she is pregnant. She is scared, because they can barely afford what they have and plans to abort. Meanwhile, Walter gets a call from his friend Willy who wants to partner up and start the business, he later finds out about Ruth’s pregnancy and gets mad for her decision to abort. The check later arrives and Mama announces that she has used it to buy a house. Everyone is happy about finding a better place, except for Walter. Mama decides to give Walter the remaining money, for the business, but turns out that Willy, his partner runs away

The epigraph to A Raisin in the Sun is Langston Hughes' poem called "A Dream Deferred" which was written as an example of life in harlem. The lines are a introduction to the white society's actions to take away equal opportunity from black citizens. Hughes main point is that there could be consequences when people's' frustrations build up or accumulate to the point where they have to either surrender their dreams or allow strenuous circumstances to literally devour their aspirations. With Hughes poem as a background, the theme of the poem and the correlation to Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun are actually very significant. Not only is the play's title taken directly from

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.

A Raisin in The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, took place in the 1950’s in Chicago’s southside during world war 2 and the present. African Americans were very poor, lived in small houses and lived life a day at a time during the discrimination period.

The plot of the play begins with the family the day before Big Walter’s insurance check comes in. The family follows a daily routine and everything is normal, except the lingering question in the air, “What will Mama do with the money?” Each adult in the family has a different idea of what to do with the money. Beneatha, Mama’s

This play takes place in the 1950s, in the Southside of Chicago. With a family of five hard-working African Americans. Even Though the exact years isn’t specified in the play. Since the play takes place in the 1950s during a very significant time dealing with race issues that were going on at that time. In the 1950s it was the turning point for America for civil injustice, the beginning of the decade brought in the civil rights movement.

A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry tells the story of a lower-class African American family’s struggle to gain middle-class acceptance when Mama, the sixty-year old mother, receives a $10,000 insurance check from the death of her husband. The drama primarily focuses on how the ten thousand dollars should be spent. Walter Lee Younger, the son, so desperate to better provide for his family, wants to invest all the money into a liquor store with two of his friends. Mama objects and instead decides to use part of the check as a down payment on a house in a white neighborhood. Conflicts with Walter escalate. In an attempt to resolve things with her son, Mama entrusts Walter with the rest of the money. He immediately invests it, without the consent of Mama, in his liquor store idea, with the belief he will quadruple his investment. However, one of Walter's business partners runs off with the money. In spite the loss and being warned by white neighbors that blacks are not welcomed, the Youngers continue with their plans to move.

.A Raisin in the Sun is a story about a black family that is living in the south side of Chicago. Mama, Walter, Ruth, Beneatha and Travis are all living in a kitchenette. Although they work hard, they are not living so happy because they argue so much, mostly Ruth and Walter. Mama got a check from the insurance because big Walter died. Walter wants to open a liquor store because he thinks it will be a good investment with the money they got, but mama

In the drama, A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry sheds light on the hardships a struggling Black family faces. As the long awaited insurance check arrives, the family debates how to spend the money. Walter Lee exhibits frustration over his job and desires more success in his life. While Mama continuously worries that her son's dream of owning a liquor store is not the right path for the family, she believes her dream will be most beneficial for everyone. In addition, Ruth is pregnant and yet it is not her only dream to become a mother, she dreams for roots and to live comfortably. Pride in ownership, as well as financial success and family stability not only conflict with each other yet all depend on one check.

The American Dream has been in the hearts of people all over the United States and even worldwide for many years. It is an ideal that is not limited to age, race, or social standing, but represents family, a secure job, and a house with a car in the garage. A Raisin in the Sun explores the dreams of the Younger family and how these dreams affect their relationships with one another. Along with dreams and family, another major theme of the book is racial discrimination. These themes intertwine throughout the book by creating what will be lasting memories for the family, both good and bad. The Youngers have to take it a day at a time to decide what is really important in life.