Raisin In The Sun

In a carefully worded essay I will discuss the aspect of ‘race’ as a hindrance to the

In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, and 1961 movie written by Lorraine Hansberry and presented by Columbia pictures, one of the most important themes is the American Dream. Many of the characters have hopes and dreams. They all strive towards their goals throughout. However, many of the characters have different dreams that clash with each other. Problems seem to arise when different people’s dreams conflict with one another.   Another theme is racism. Racism was rampant during the 1950’s and this often hindered African American dreams.

During the 1900s many black families barely had enough money to pay for the basic necessities needed to live. At times some families would receive a significant sum of money, something they were not used to getting. Deciding on how to spend this money is what caused problems among some families. In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, she argues that there are times when in a state of financial instability and where money is a necessity to completing one’s dream that some family members choose to put their dreams over others when suddenly given the opportunity. After Mama’s husband died she was bound to receive an insurance check that would be used by the Younger family. Before even receiving the

In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry you go back in time to when segregation was still aloud. In this play you meet a cast of people with dreams of a better life. The American Dream, to be specific. This dream is portrayed differently for each character, all of which impact the play. Two of these character

Everyone in Raisin in the sun has their own dreams which they hope to conquer one day, like beneath a wishes one day to be a doctor, then there is her husband Walter who badly wants to have money so he can afford things for his family but with the struggle they go thru it’s hard to fulfill these dreams and for it to come true. These characters at the end of the play dream of having their house that’s one of the dreams they would love and desperately want to come true because it will unite their family back together.

Dreams are vital to human existence. Without them, a depressing life such as the one the Youngers have in the play A Raisin In The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, would be utterly unbearable. The Youngers were strong and faithful, continuously trying to make their dreams become reality. Even though they were a family plagued by the hardship of poverty, they pushed on through whatever obstacles they encountered. Beneatha, one of the main characters, had the American dream of becoming a doctor, which is affected by her individualism, determination, and expressiveness.

Lorraine Hansberry uses the Younger’s dreams as a symbol of the struggles African-Americans went through in the 1960’s. America, like Walter grew and changed in that time but there were still major issues. “A Raisin in the Sun,” teaches us that we must nurture and take care of our dreams but not let them blind us and take over our

Living life to the fullest and trying new things and experiences leads to discovering different possibilities in life. In A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, Beneatha is a strong and independent girl who is searching for her identity. She likes to try new things to express her personalities. Beneatha has a goal to become a doctor and this makes her very unique because she is going against the social standards in her time. Throughout Raisin, Beneatha expresses the meaning of life by achieving her goal of becoming a doctor by trying new experiences similar to my own.

Walter does not keep his hopes up for his dream long though they are again crushed. The money Mama gives Walter he gives to Willy Harris. Willy runs away with the money and Walter is back to the way he was the first two times his dream is deferred. Walter makes the decision to call Carl Lindner. Walter is going to sell the house Mama just payed for because he feels like money is what will make his dream come true. Walter talks a big game but, when Mr. Lindner shows up to the apartment Walter is unable to sell the house due to his son being present. Walter finally realizes that his dream may not come true this very moment but, by selling the house it would take away from the rest of the family’s dreams.

A dream is described as a contemplation of the possibility of doing something; It is quite a powerful and philosophical word. However just because a dream is believed in, does not make it the truth of the past, present, nor future. François de La Rochefoucauld, a French author, once said: “We should not be upset that others hide the truth from us, when we hide it so often from ourselves”. This quote by Rochefoucauld simply sums up the idea of a dream and the dreadful truth it prevails such as an irresponsible dream that will undoubtedly lead to bad consequences which is shown in Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun.

Though there was a heightened sense of tension over civil rights in the late 1950s when A Raisin in the Sun was written, racial inequality is still a problem today. It affects minorities of every age and dynamic, in more ways than one. Though nowadays it may go unnoticed, race in every aspect alters the way African-Americans think, behave, and react as human beings. This is shown in many ways in the play as we watch the characters interact. We see big ideas, failures, and family values through the eyes of a disadvantaged group during an unfortunate time in history. As Martin Luther King said, Blacks are “...harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what

Throughout Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, we see the positive and negative effects of chasing the American Dream. Hansberry expresses her different views on the American Dream through the characters and she portrays the daily struggles of a 1950 black family throughout A Raisin in the Sun. In this play, she is able to effectively show the big impact that even small decisions can make on a family. Hansberry shows the many different attachments that come with the fulfillment of this American Dream. Throughout A Raisin in the Sun, each family member has their own pursuit of happiness, which is accompanied by their American Dream.

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.

An hour after the moving van parked in the driveway of 406 Clybourne street in Clybourne Park the younger family waved at the van when it slowly moved away and they went inside when the van was out of view. The family worked together to put away their belongings and they stood hand and hand and they took a breath of fresh air. Beneatha went first to her room to put away her stuff then Ruth and Walter went next and Travis left to go hunt for his new room. They all left until Mama was left there alone looking out the big window. Mama gingerly stepped to the window and put her plant down smiling in thought. When the door bell rung she jumped and went to the door. At the door was a white woman and when the door opened and saw mama she flinched and said “Hello, I’m your neighbor it’s nice to meet you.” She said “I’m Susan it’s nice to meet you.” She said this slowly, deliberately like she’s talking to a foreign person and Susan put out her hand and mama did not reach for it her face was just a blank stare. Then after a while mama stammered “h-hello I’m Lena Younger its very nice to meet you.” And she reached out and shook Susan’s hand and Susan quickly took it away. Then she said “Well I just came to say,” Susan took mama’s shirt and pulled her face so close to mama’s that their noses were touching. “stay out of our way, we will stay out of your way if you stay out of ours.” She shoved mama into their brand new house and slammed the door so hard that

There are several themes present in A Raisin in the Sun. The subjects of hope, dreams, and values are all recurring motifs throughout the play’s entirety. Despite the repressive conditions faced by the Younger family due to the racist and sexist societal views of the sixties, they still maintain a degree of hope throughout their ordeal. They hold onto the hope that, in the face of their circumstances, things will get better and they will be able to achieve their dreams. The symbolism used in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun helps emphasize the themes and tone of the play.