Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

The idea of American prosperity is illustrated through materialism, to own property and live comfortably. Walter is tired of being poor; he would rather be more like his boss Mr. Arnold than to be his chauffeur (1.1). Walter breaks himself down, depressed by his lack of achievement: “I’m thirty –five years old; I been married eleven years and I got a boy who sleeps in the living room and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live” (1.1). He has the ideas on making money; he just lacks the startup capital and the insurance check is his chance to show everyone he can do something. This is why in the beginning of the play Walter only shows excitement when there is mention of the check. Money is everything to Walter, he goes on to tell his mother that money is life (2.1). Walter sees

"A Rasin In The Sun" is written by Lorraine Hansberry. Most of Hansberry's work is about the struggle of African American's during 1950's. Hanberry was the first African-American women to have her play played on Broadway. "Seems like God don't see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worthwhile" as said by Lorraine. A Raisin in the sun is about a family who is facing economic hardship and racial prejudice. The theme of the play is Dream; American dream for the colored family.

Mama exhibits her disapproval of Walter’s fervent quest for money when she states, “Oh—So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now it’s money. I guess the world really do change... (Hansberry 833). Walter feels that money is the only route to true freedom as his insatiable desire for wealth and impoverished life enslaves him. This causes him to become blind to what he already has, therefore, losing everything in the end. Furthermore, Walter blames his lack of wealth and financial success on his race and the discrimination evident throughout America. He cannot tolerate the idea that white men have a better chance of success in the world when he states to Mama, “Sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool-quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking ‘bout things…sitting there turning deals worth millions of dollars…sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me…” (Hansberry 847). Walter is envious of men who are the same age as him but have a better chance of being successful in life simply because of their skin color. He feels trapped in a world which defines his future based off his race making his dreams rarely achievable. Walter’s inescapable financial situation

For the Younger family, having a good paying job is a part of their American Dream, but sadly they have a difficult time trying to achieve this aspect of the dream due to their race. Most African Americans during the 1950’s made significantly less money than White Americans. “The average black household income in 1955 ($2,890) was 55 percent of that of white households ($5,228)” (Fuller par. 4). This difference in income was because of the jobs that were open for colored individuals. Like Mama, Ruth and Walter, most Blacks had service jobs that usually served Whites. For instance, Walter is a chauffeur for a white man. This low paying job barely allows him to provide for his family and definitely does not fulfill his American Dream. Walter states “I open and close car doors all day long. I drive a man around in his limousine…. That ain 't no kind of job…. Sometimes it’s like I can see the future stretched out in front of me…, just waiting for me” (Hansberry 477-478). Walter aspires for a better job, which leads him to want to use Mama’s money to invest in a liquor store, but his race keeps him confined to blue-collar jobs. Back

Everyone has dreams, Dreams are a plan of action that can take anyone wherever they want to go whether it’s bettering the future or simply achieving a goal they set before themselves. .A Raisin in the Sun takes place in the south side of Chicago in the late 50s. Walter Lee Younger is characterized as a stubborn and selfish character, but he only pursues his ideas or dreams to better the lives of others, his family. The Youngers face numerous road blocks that inhibit their dreams being achieved. such as prejudice, low finance, and poverty. Walter develops as an ambiguous and consist character who carries the burden of not being able to afford the basic necessities for his family. Even though it’s difficult for the reader to see at first, Walter is the strongest member of the younger family because he doesn’t stop trying to make a greater future for him and most importantly his family. In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, Walter struggles to pursue his dream yet there are various obstacles that stand in them way of the Younger family.

It is not usual for writers to agree on an opinion about a certain piece of writing, in this case we are referring to A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Lorraine Hansberry is a African-American author was born in Chicago Illinois during the 1930’s, an era where America had selected a new president, also known as the last years of the great depression. Lorraine Hansberry is also proven to be the granddaughter of a freed slave, however Hansberry’s father was a successful real estate broker, and her mother was a schoolteacher. Her parents contributed large sums of money to the NAACP and the Urban League.

In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun (1959), she uses money as a symbol of false hope for the Younger family. Through each character’s individual desires, Hansberry creates naive anticipation within each character. She portrays the underlying American dream along with the reality of a poverty-stricken, African-American family’s typical life during the 1950s.

Walter works as a servant for a rich white man driving him around, and Mama works at home. When Mama gets the $10,000 check in the mail, Walter wants the money to buy his own business ( a liquor store ) and be the man of the house, Mama doesn't feel the same about Walter’s plan. Mama, who is a Christian, thinks its sinful to sell liquor, and refuses to give Walter any of the money. When Walter thinks that nobody is listening to him or taking his side, he goes on a complete drinking rage, lies about working and skips out on work. Basically Walter feels like less of a man because he’s in his thirties and can still barely provide for his family. But When Mama wants to encourage Walter and help believe in himself, she gives him the rest of the money to become the man of the house and to continue on what his father died. Walter is handed the money from Mama, because she believes in him. He handed the money to a friend he trusts and that friend lets him down and runs off with the money. Walter lost all the money and was embarrassed and

The play/movie A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is about a poor African American family living in an apartment in Chicago. Mama and her grown children Walter and Beneatha as well as Walter’s wife, Ruth, and their son, Travis, have all lived in that small apartment for a while. After Mama’s husband, Mr. Younger, died a few years back a check of $10,000 was delivered to Mama as a life insurance check. The family is un-deciding of what to do with the money, for everyone wants something different. Walter is determined to use the money as an investment in a liquor store with his friend Willy Harris. Ruth seems to be on Walter’s side, she thinks that if Mama gives him some of the money he might recover his happiness and confidence. However,

“Symbolism is the language of mystery.” Symbolism in literature is an object or idea that has meaning beyond the literal meaning of the object. For example a rose is considered a symbol of balance. The beauty of the flower expresses promise, hope, and new beginnings. In the book A Raisin In The Sun, many symbols are used, but there were three main symbols that were in the book, that also all connected together in the. In the play. Lorraine Hansberry uses window, light, and plant as the symbols in the play.

A go getter, someone who will do anything to succeed in life. Even though people may judge unfairly and not believe in them especially, when it comes to a color women. During the 1950’s gender equality was an important issue especially when segregation was relevant. In A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry shows a 1950s young colored woman fighting for what she wants. Beneatha Younger, an open minded and naive twenty year old daughter whose goal is to become a doctor and will go to extreme lengths to prove her family wrong. Her devotion to her education will lead her down a great path.

No one is responsible for Walter’s situation except Walter himself. Throughout the play the audience can recognize that Walter is mostly an arrogant character who is dissatisfied with his life. Since he has a dissatisfaction for his financial and living situation, he brings everyone around him down to try to compensate for his feeling of insuperiority to his rich, white boss while he is working as a chauffeur. All Walter can truly think about is himself and money. Thinking about money does not always have to be a bad thing when one has to provide for a family, but Walter does not take his own family’s opinions in mind with his money decisions. All Walter can think about is making a deal with Willy Harris to start a liquor store. Even when Ruth and Lena advise against trusting Willy Harris

Why is the family support so important to make the right decisions ? no matter how bad people do things, how many mistakes they make or how little they deserve their families support, families will be always there to forgive them and give them as many second chances as they need. That is what Lorraine Hansberry wants to show in her book “Raisin in the sun “, how family support make people change their minds just being by their side.

His dream to become wealthy is interesting because it fades once his money is taken away. He realizes that there is more than one type of way to be wealthy. Having such a great family and a new home is wealth enough for him in the end. While Walter’s dream was not selfish, he did take many of his blessings for granted. His wife who is supportive in her own way is not given credit from him until the end of the play. He comes to the realization that he and his family have a better chance of succeeding if they stick together. The family also decides to chase after whatever dreams they have. They are done waiting for things to change and are ready to do what they want while they have the

Second, the journey in the Younger family is very important to each of an individual has tried to achieve these dreams on the road of the succeeding. All these dreams in the journey could be very great to become a billionaire and the talented leaders in society. As same as the Younger family, everyone has different treaties in life like Mama's, Beneatha, Ruth, and Walter. But first, Mama's dream was to have a beautiful house with a garden in the back yard like her husband wanted. She felt her dream that she would do everything in her life to take care the oldest son Walter with a real dream in the journey life. In addition, Walter is the oldest son of Mama, he believes that he has a dream that could open a liquor store that he have planned