A Raisin In The Sun Racism Analysis

In the play A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry introduces a family trying to move up in the world but has trouble doing so because they are racially opposed by society. Starting in the 1890’s the Jim Crow Laws were used in the South as a way to oppose African-American giving them a status called, “separate but equal.” They mandated segregation of public schools, public transportation, public facilities including restaurants, bathrooms, and drinking fountains. In the 1950s African- Americans were starting to fight for equal rights and were starting to make headway. Some people did not like this and started to retaliate by burning down and bombing African-American houses or intimidating them by burning crosses in their yards. Finally, in

Critical Race Theory is the examination and interpretation of society’s behavior in dealing with race, class, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, etc. In A Raisin in the Sun, Walter had to deal with situations like white privilege, microaggressions, institutionalized racism, social construction, and intersectionality. By having to deal with these conditions, Walter fought to become “a successful man”. He wanted to be like his idea of a successful white man of the times with a nice house in the suburbs, a car for him and his wife, and be able to let his son go to any college he wants to. Walter just wants to try to be equal to white people, but racism keeps pushing him down. It won’t let him get a good job or house, be able to have a car, or allow him to live the way he wants to live. Because of all these stressors, it forces Walter to make a risky business decision that costs him most of his father’s life insurance money. Racism caused Walter to risk every dollar he owned and he lost it all. Later, he almost lost his own dignity by pleading with Mr. Lindner for his money back, but Mama saved him from doing it. Walter and the Youngers decided to move to Clybourne Park to live Walter’s dream of trying to live with the same privileges of white people. Racism beat Walter down to make rash decisions that didn’t always turn out well for him, but eventually he prevailed with his family’s victory of moving out of their old, ratty apartment. In Clybourne Park Walter and the Youngers will almost for sure have to deal with racism, nevertheless hopefully they prevail from that