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A Raisin In The Sun American Dream

502 Words3 Pages

Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, derived from “Harlem,” a poem written by Langston Hughes. Both the play and poem explore the theme of deferred dreams. A raisin symbolizes one’s dreams, while the sun represents time; as more time is spent in the sun, the longer the dream is deferred. The theme signifies that not everyone is able to accomplish their version of the American Dream. Also, feminism is a key theme exhibited through the women of the Younger family. Hansberry was born in Chicago on May 19, 1930. Her writings, especially A Raisin in the Sun, show that Hansberry writes from events she experienced early in life. During her childhood, her parents fought for equality to live in a white neighborhood; the Younger family does the same thing after Lena buys a house in Clybourne Park, a neighborhood in which no African American families lived. Youngers, both male and female, face a society that is conformist as well as …show more content…

For Mama, she wants to provide for her family and reduce their struggles; the new house represents her dream. Similarly to Lena, Ruth wants to have a better life with Travis and Walter; the house also symbolizes this greater life for her and her family. Travis is young, and aspires to be a bus driver when he grows older. New to the time period, Beneatha dreams to change lives and become a doctor; not just marry a man like George for the money and security. Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, can teach readers many things through its morals and themes. Feminism is an important theme that helps to empower women. Dreams also display a crucial lesson for the reader; always go after one’s dreams no matter how small the window. Readers also learn that discrimination may prevent one from exploring their dreams, but they must overcome that obstacle. A Raisin in the Sun explores how opportunities come to those who do not defer their dreams for too

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Langston Hughes once wrote, “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?” In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, it opens with a family of five living in an apartment in Chicago’s Southside during the 19050s and struggles socially and economically as they dream of a better life (486). The recurring theme that family is more important than materialism is shown as Walter proves his masculinity by helping his family to move out of the apartment. Throughout the play, Walter grows from a greedy and selfish person to a responsible family member like his father.

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1601 Words | 7 Pages

“A Raisin in the Sun,” written by Lorraine Hansberry in 1959, was the first play ever produced on Broadway by an African-American woman and was considered ground-breaking for it’s time. Titled after Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem,” sometimes known as “A Dream Deferred,” the play and the subsequent film adaptations are honest examinations of race, family, poverty, discrimination, oppression and even abortion in urban Chicago after WWII. The original play was met with critical praise, including a review by Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times where he wrote, “For A Raisin in the Sun is a play about human beings who want, on the one hand, to preserve their family pride and, on the other hand, to break out of the poverty that seems to be their fate. Not having any axe to grind, Miss Hansberry has a wide range of topics to write about-some of them hilarious, some of them painful in the extreme.” The original screen adaptation released in 1961 was highly acclaimed in its own right, and was chosen in 2005 for preservation in the United States of America National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its cultural and historical significance.

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In the play, “A Raisin in The Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, the question “What happens to a dream deferred?” is repeatedly shown throughout. The many ways this is shown is through lack of freedom economically and socially like for example, housing and education discrimination, social separation between white and black people, and the overall discrimination and oppressive social system. The play, A raisin in the sun is also shown to answer the question of “what happens to a dream deferred” more specifically in instances like that of Walter Lee’s dream of investing into an alcohol business, Beneatha Younger's dream of becoming a doctor, and both Ruth and Mrs Youngers dream of owning a home with a big backyard. In the play, “A Raisin in The Sun

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1386 Words | 6 Pages

(Hansberry, II.ii). This showcases Walter wanting to see his family’s dreams succeed alongside his leadership. However, with society against them, their dreams are harder than ever to fulfill. Walter still faces obstacles such as financial struggle which prevent his dream of being a successful businessman. Beneatha also faces the struggles of poverty to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor as it prevents her from paying for tuition.

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873 Words | 4 Pages

Through the use of the historical lens, looking specifically at the economic struggles, the struggle of unequal opportunity, and the housing covenant that African-American’s faced in the 1950’s, Hansberry’s message of A Raisin in the Sun is revealed: the perseverance of an ethnic minority in a time of racial discrimination. A Raisin in the Sun is set in a time of great racial discrimination, the 1950’s in the united States. This featured racism towards those of color or non-caucasians, and the struggles commonly faced by the African-American family is shown through the eyes of the Younger family through the writing and experiences of Lorraine Hansberry. Of the three major struggles the Younger family faced, the most prominent in Act one is that of financial disability. This is best shown through the working lives of the family.

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816 Words | 4 Pages

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1502 Words | 7 Pages

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun presents the rise of feminism in America in the 1960s. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, with the feminist notions displayed in the play, women establish their rights to fulfil their individual dreams which diverge from traditional conventions of that time. Beneatha Younger, Lena Younger (Mama) and Ruth Younger are the three primary characters displaying evidences of feminism in the play. Moreover, Hansberry creates male characters who demonstrate oppressive attitudes towards women yet enhance the feminist ideology in the play. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, the play encourages women to develop an identity for themselves, particularly through education and career.

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825 Words | 4 Pages

The main characters of this play are Travis, Ruth, Beneatha, Walter and Lena. Travis is the son of Walter and Ruth is the wife of Walter. Beneatha is Walter’s sister and Lena is Walter’s mother. Walter Lee Younger is the protagonist because he is the man of the house and

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1499 Words | 6 Pages

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun presents the rise of feminism in America in the 1960s. Beneatha Younger, Lena Younger (Mama) and Ruth Younger are the three primary characters displaying evidences of feminism in the play. Moreover, Hansberry creates male characters who demonstrate oppressive attitudes towards women yet enhance the feministic ideology in the play. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, with the feminist notions displayed in the play, women can fulfil their individual dreams that are not in sync with traditional conventions of that time.

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Just within the recent decades, men and women started to fight against the gender stereotypes and started to challenge their roles in a family and in the society. The play, A Raisin in the Sun, portrays the lives of African–Americans during the 1950s. Lorraine Hansberry, a writer and a social activist, reinforced the traditional gender roles, especially female’s, by depicting how the Youngers interact and how they act in an economical struggle. Throughout the play, A Raisin in the Sun, she uses Walter Lee Younger, Ruth Younger and Lena Younger to reinforce the traditional role of fathers, wives and mothers within a family.

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