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A Raisin In The Sun Generational Gap Essay

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Generational gaps have been prevalent throughout history for hundreds of years; in today’s society, one of these gaps has been created by modern technology and the evolution of social norms. Around the time playwright Lorraine Hansberry conceptualized A Raisin in the Sun, a generational gap divided African American culture, with many young people trying to prosper in post-war, racist America. Hansberry’s play focuses on an African American family that is struggling to prosper in this hostile setting. Their family is segregated into Chicago’s South Side ghetto, and eventually, they buy a house in a white neighborhood after receiving an insurance check for $10,000. Throughout the story, generational differences are blatantly exposed while the …show more content…

As previously stated, Mama is an older woman in her sixties who was probably born in or around slavery. She even says to Walter, “‘...In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the North if we could and how to stay alive…’”(1520). During Mama’s generation, they were worried about staying alive and were actually actively persecuted, sold, and, often times killed because of their skin color. Mama says this because Walter really does not realize how good he has it compared to the generation before him. Sure, there are problems that still plague America and African American culture at this time, but at least the family can own an apartment and they are not the property of a white man. Another example of Walter’s seemingly ungratefulness of his situation comes in when he is complaining about his job. Walter says, “‘ I drive a man in a limousine...that ain’t no kind of job…’(1519)”. Walter is complaining about his job to Mama because he calls himself a ‘servant’ to other people. For Mama, she knows all too well what it means to be a servant to other people, but Walter does not understand the full weight of what he is saying. This creates a conflict between the two because it becomes a battle of values between the two; where one values freedom, the other values money and

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The use and knowledge of the social context helps show the impact it has in A Raisin in the Sun. Lorraine Hansberry uses the story to show her stance on not only the Civil Rights Movement but also being a feminist and women empowerment, both being firsts at the time. It is analyzed in the article To Be a Man: A Re-Assessment of Black Masculinity in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and Les Blancs written by Julie M. Burrel. Burrel states, “When examined at all, critics tend to view Hansberry’s portrayals of Black masculinity either as an unfortunate departure from her feminist concerns, or as indicative of her damaging representation of Black men(Burrell)”.

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Walter feels his job is more than unsatisfying, and can not make Mama understand, since her simplistic views are just like Ruths. In spite of his personal inadequacies with his job fulfillment, Walter shines in the end of the story with understanding and growth of his own fathers not so wonderful job. Walter seems to be reflecting on his own status as a

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I do not understand why Walter became so upset when he found out that Mama bought a house. Respond: If the Younger family were a white family, they would definitely have less financial and social problems. Every member of the Younger family has a low paying, labor intensive job. During the time period when this was written, it was difficult for black people to find high paying jobs, considering most of them were open to white people first and foremost.

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The quintessential image of the American dream is that of a house with a white picket fence and Mama thinks the house she buys in Clybourne Park will allow the Younger family fulfill that dream. It’s a symbol for belonging in America; it can also represent an acceptance of American cultural values, such as capitalism. In addition, it’s an emphasis on the Youngers’ value on family and the home because the Youngers rely on each other during hard times, and they are not afraid of what may happen in the new neighborhood they know they are not welcomed in because they know they have each other. Moreover, Lindner and the other residents of Clybourne Park who offer to buy the house the Youngers bought represent the discrimination against African Americans at this time, and possibly a reason black Americans, like the Younger family, need to fight for a sense of belonging. “And we have decided to move into our house because my father- my father- earned it for us brick by brick” (Hansberry 148).

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In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, and the play A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry, the setting’s are crucial in the development of the plot. The short story “Everyday Use” is set in the 1960’s, similarly A Raisin in the Sun is set in the 1950’s. These times are very rough for African Americans in American history as they faced lots of Racism and prejudice impacting their day to day life. Therefore in both stories the setting is detrimental to the development of the plot as it creates conflict resulting from the Racism and Prejudice. In A Raisin in the Sun Mr.Lindner is a racist white man who attempts to pay the Younger’s not to move into the all white neighborhood.

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Walter is upset and is trying to cope and make mama understand that him receiving the money from the white man to not to move in will of regain. “Men are expected to be breadwinners, yet providing for one’s family with little or no help has negative repercussions,” said lead author Christin Munsch. Mama was upset that he didn’t listen and that he lived up to the vision of how the whites seen them, Careless and destructive. This is why mama thought it to be all in her hands because Walter as man was distraught and she felt it was a women's jobs because they do everything else. This showed feminism by mama wanting to stay in control and Walter being a man wanting/feeling like he had to be the “breadwinner” because its a mans

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The way that Walter thinks is that if he had lots of money he would be better and act different, but sometimes people with too much don’t really act like they enjoy and also money never solves big problems but walter thinks it will. I believe that if you have too much money you think that everything is going so well at the moment and you don't care about spending money, but one day something could occur and you will lose all of so this just shows that no one should rely on money. In life you need to make sacrifices that could be should i spend money on an investment that could be helpful and help out my family in the future or if that I should buy something so I could help out my family instead of later. I believe that you should always help out the family when they are in need because something could happen and it could all go away. Having money should never define the person you are because you could be rich you could just be rude and not help anyone and be selfish and if you are wealthy you could have the nicest heart and be very helpful to people that are in need.

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Being the man of the household, Walter dreams of owning a liquor store and plans on using Lena’s money to do so. Walter is always after money and believes that the only way to succeed in life is with money. For example, when Walter is talking about the check, he says, “Mama, sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool, quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking about things, turning deals worth millions of dollars, sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me” (992).This shows how Walter wanted something more out of life and not just be a poor black man. Everyone in this family had dreams but no one supported each other dreams.

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In A Raisin in the Sun, the family is only able to move into a better home because of Big Walter’s death. The message is clear: black people are not allowed to succeed on their own merits, and advancing their situations comes at the cost of blood. Walter, powerless, says, “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.”

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Out of a family of five, three people work: Walter Lee as a chauffeur to a wealthy white family, Ruth as a housemaid, and Mama as a nanny to other peoples children. This is clearly necessary to afford basic needs as shown in their apartment, with “weariness [having], in fact won” (Hansberry pg.23). It is clear in Hansberry’s characterization that the members of the Younger family are dissatisfied with their station in life, albeit to varying degrees; Walter Lee in particular is very vocal regarding their poverty, as he states at one point: “I got boy who sleeps in the living room- and all I got to tell him is stories about how rich white people

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Walter was introduced as a man who cared about nothing other than his business. He had sacrificed his sister’s dream of becoming a doctor, and held the power to wipe out Mama’s dream for a better home. Walter sees the gender roles as boundaries keeping him from loosening up to his family. He is given the insight that men must be powerful, wealthy, and demanding for them to truly be the head of the household. However, Walter sees past these gender roles, and not only challenges these rigid roles, but he also regains his family’s trust along the

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