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A Raisin In The Sun Symbolism

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What if someone worked so hard, had all the traits to earn something, but yet still could not achieve their goals. This is the harsh, but true reality for African Americans during the 1950’s. During this period racial inequality was very relevant, and numerous African Americans encountered racism in their way of pursuing the American dream. In the play “A Raisin in the Sun" Mama's plant, the eggs, and the purchase of the house are used as symbols to represent the characters' aspirations and obstacles they face while finding their identity and chasing the American Dream. These symbols reflect the racial inequality and economic hardship experienced by the Younger family as they chase their version of the American dream. Through the use of symbolism, …show more content…

Mama's desire for a garden reflects her desire for a brighter future, despite the harsh reality of the Younger family's circumstances being lower class African Americans in a very segregated environment. She tends to the plant with love and care, just as she does with her family, and views the plant as a symbol of hope and resilience. The statement "Well, I always wanted me a garden …This plant is close as I ever got to having one." (Hansberry) highlights her desire for a better life. The Youngers have a very somber, dreamless mood at the beginning of the play. This can be symbolized through Mama's plant, “Lord, if this little old plant don't get more sun than it's been getting it ain't never going to see spring again." (Hansberry, 16) The plant's lack of sunlight and the desperate efforts to save it reflects the Youngers' initial sense of hopelessness and lack of direction. However, as the play progresses, Walter's dream for a better life sparks a change in the family's outlook, just as the plant begins to thrive under Mama's care. Overall, Mama's plant serves as a powerful symbol of the family's journey towards hope, a brighter future, and the American …show more content…

When Ruth dismisses Walter's ambitious plans for the future by saying "Eat your eggs, they gonna be cold." (Act I, Scene I), it portrays the struggle that African Americans go through while chasing their dreams in a country that is filled with systematic racism. The eggs represent the reality that many black Americans face, where their dreams are often not reached due to societal and economic barriers within the country. Walter's reaction to Ruth's lack of support illustrates the frustration that many people of color feel as they try to break out of this racial inequality. He believes that he needs a woman's support, and says “A man needs a woman to back him up.” (Hansberry) Walter also feels that colored women are part of the problem in society. Ultimately, the eggs serve as a powerful symbol of the challenges that black Americans have faced in their journey to achieve their

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121 Words | 1 Pages

Mama’s plant in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a symbol of Mama’s constant sacrifice for her children and how Mama’s children can succeed on little to nothing. Mama always provides tender care to her plant and her children and she pampers them both as much as she possibly can in order to make sure they are happy in the environment that they have been raised in. She gives everything she has and more to make sure that her children are doing well, but what she has is sometimes not nearly enough. It's very hard to be in a world full of wealth around you and not ever want that luxury for yourself, especially for the Younger

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825 Words | 4 Pages

There are many symbols in A Raisin in the Sun worth describing, but one that particularly stands out is Mama’s plant. It is old and barely a substantial piece of nature, yet it makes many vital appearances in the play. The small plant seems to personify Mama’s stubborn nature in its intent on survival despite its close to death appearance. It also represents Mama’s dream that seems close to being crushed, yet never dies. As a whole, the plant is an extension of Mama’s character and an important symbol in the play.

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708 Words | 3 Pages

Because Lily lacks a true mother figure in her life, she looks at Rosaleen, June, and August as her mothers. August makes a connection with

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831 Words | 4 Pages

In the play “A Raisin in the Sun,” the family explores many issues, both within their family and with outside conflicts. This play has a historical feel to it. In Chicago 's south side a black family is living in a run-down apartment. It takes the readers back to a time that many young people don’t know of, and a time that offers respect to older generations (1959). The play takes on a few social reforms.

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1105 Words | 5 Pages

She tells the story numerous times that she never planned on residing in the apartment for a long period of time, but intended on moving to a big house with a garden in the back (Act I, Scene I, 16). Through time, her dream deferred as many other things came up and her plant is as close as she ever had to a garden. Other than her own dreams, Mama knew that dreams were important to her family as well and the plant partly symbolized the hope that their dreams will never differ as hers had. There will always be hope for the family as long as the dreams, as well as the plant, stay alive and

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700 Words | 3 Pages

So this shows how mama's plant symbolizes her family and their well-being. Another example in Raisin in the Sun is Walter's desire for a better life and his goal for financial success, and the green hat shows that. Throughout the play, Walter's dreams of wealth and being respected often clash with his family's values and dreams. The green hat represents Walters' ambition and wanting a happy and successful life. It symbolizes his disconnect with his current life, his excitement to get out of his lifestyle, his social status, and lots more.

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451 Words | 2 Pages

Mama’s potted plant symbolizes many things, but the most prevalent is family. In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raison in the Sun, Hansberry uses a plant to represent family. Just like any living thing, a plant needs to grow, to be watered, to be cultivated, and to be nurtured. Here are some examples of how Hansberry symbolizes family with a plant. To properly care for a plant you must watch over it as it grows and water it daily.

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1500 Words | 6 Pages

In the play Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry takes place on the southside of Chicago where Walter and his family are racially profiled and show us how the survive throughout their struggles. The central struggles for the younger family in their search for the American dream is mostly poverty and being racially profiled against for their actions. Hansberry challenges the traditional gender roles and issues of dominance throughout the play when Mama gives Walter lee the rest of the money at the end of the play. He becomes all excited and was supposed to save some for himself and put the rest of the money to Beneatha 's education. Instead, he gave all that money to Willy another character in the play which later on that he stole from him.

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1127 Words | 5 Pages

Hardships of the Youngers In Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun, the characters of Mama, Walter ,and Beneatha are faced with hardships associated with their dreams being destroyed by discriminatory housing,racial inequality and lack of support from her family towards her education. In the play all the characters have some kind of dream. Mama wants to get a house for the family, Walter wants to have money to provide for his family and plans to do that with a liquor store, and Beneatha wants to become a doctor. Beneatha is going to school and at the same time she’s trying to discover herself,but her family is not supportive of this.

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1123 Words | 5 Pages

In his poem, he asked the question “What happens to a dream deferred?” Raisin in the Sun is an answer to his question. In her play, Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry uses Walter, Mama, and Beneatha to show the negative consequences that occur when you put off your dream. To begin, Lorraine Hansberry uses Walter to show the negative consequences that occur with putting off your dream. Walter Younger is a racist, sexist, selfish, dissatisfied man in his thirties who lives in a small two-bedroom apartment with the rest of his family.

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702 Words | 3 Pages

Reader Response: 3 “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, is a play about a black families experience in 1950s South Side Chicago. The story revolves around what happens to the family when Lena Younger, the matriarch of the family, receives a ten thousand dollar life insurance check upon the death of her husband. Everyone from the family has different plans for what they want to do with the money. Lena Younger serves as the head of the family. She is Walter and Beneatha’s caring mother so they and Ruth call her Mama.

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809 Words | 4 Pages

Even Walters’s wife Ruth didn’t believe in his dream to own a liquor store. She grew weary of his day-to-day pipe dreams. Walter quotes, “That’s is just wrong with colored woman in this world, they don’t know how to build their man up and make them feel like they somebody.

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732 Words | 3 Pages

The character purchased a house for her family to enrich and grow in life, regardless of the challenges they face just like the plant with little sunlight to survive. The family soon held together once they moved into their new house which also meant a new beginning. Susan Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun, themes identified are dreams and faith that each character signifies throughout the entire play. The family was slowly falling apart from the challenges that they faced that pushed their dreams away and faith was slowly leaving as well. Through these trials, Lena Younger did what she felt was the right and new beginning for her

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793 Words | 4 Pages

In the drama, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry the plant symbolizes the Younger’s dream as it evolves throughout the play. Meanwhile in southside Chicago dreams are either being crushed or pursued. The Youngers family are always facing society as they live in poverty. A family with such big dreams believes the only way for these dreams to come true is money. Mama received her husband's life insurance which was 10,000 dollars.

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466 Words | 2 Pages

In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Loraine Hansberry, both Walter and Mama have great dreams and encounter barriers on the path to achieving their dreams. Walter dreams of owning a liquor store and being able to better provide for his family, a dream that changes when he faces the barrier of his money being stolen by Willy Harris. Mama dreams of living in a real house with a garden and also encounters barrier of her money being stolen by Willy Harris. Walter dreams of owning a liquor store and being able to financially support his family. Walter’s dream is shown in act 1, scene 1 when he explains to Ruth how the liquor store he and his friends are buying will help their family have enough money to do more than just make ends meet (32,33).

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