A Raisin In The Sun Comparative Essay

Bonds of families in The Glass Menagerie and A Raisin in the Sun Michael J. Fox, a famous actor, who was diagnosed with parkinson's disease said, “Family is not an important thing. Its everything.”(www.imdb.com). In A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams both dramas are about families encountering problems with money and each other. The Glass Menagerie is set in 1939 and A Raisin in the Sun is set in the 1950’s. In each drama the time frames are different, which means it causes different struggles for each family, also causes different reactions, but both families find ways to make things work. In each drama, the writers use external conflicts to show how the families bond with one another.

Mama, the overseer of the family seeks to find something for the whole family to enjoy. Mama uses her late husband's insurance check to buy the family a brand new house, and her son Walter is not happy about it: “Son - I just tried to find the nicest place for the least amount of money for my family,” (Hansberry 85). No one understands a mother's love for her family. In this case Mama has nothing but her family to protect and keep together. Times are hard but Mama chooses to stay strong. As Mama pushes on, Amanda Wingfield a fragile woman, is left to take care of her two children. Mrs. Wingfield tries her hardest to pushes her children in the right direction. Tom, Amanda’s son works to provide for his mother and sister, unlike his father. His mother is just too overbearing, wanting to control everything in his life, but he never understands why she is the way she is. “Oh I felt weak I could barely keep on my feet! I had to sit down . . . my hopes and ambitions for you just gone up the spot like that,” (Williams 16). Trying to force a way of life upon her daughter and son, Amanda does not want them to end up alone like she did. Her children disappoint her because her high expectations for her