Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

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Raisin in the Sun A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, takes place in Chicago’s Southside during the 1950s. This play is about an African American family’s life and their struggles that include segregation and discrimination. This book was based off of parts of Lorraine Hansberry’s life, so some of the trials and events that happen to the Younger family in this book are similar to the author’s. In this play, every character has an influence on the plot, but the two characters that have the most influence are Walter and Mama, based on their actions, dialogue, stage directions, and conflicts. Both of them have a big impact on the plot development of the story. Lena Younger, most commonly known as “Mama”, is very impactful to the plot of the story. She believes in her …show more content…

In the story, Mama tells her grandson, “…what do you think your grandmamma gone and done with that money…She went out and bought you a house!” Not only did Mama buy a new house, but it is in a white neighborhood. This is surprising because during that era, blacks and whites were separated, and trouble might occur if they lived near eachother because of racism. When Mama tells the family where the home is located, Ruth says, “Clybourne Park? Mama, there ain’t no colored people living in Clybourne Park.” Mama did not think about the location and that it might cause problems later on with racism. She bought the house because it was cheaper and nicer than houses in black neighborhoods. Mama told her family, “Them houses they put up for colored in them areas way out all seem to cost twice as much as other houses. I did the best I could.” Buying the house caused arguments and problems in the family, but Mama did not mean for that to happen. She bought it out of kindness and love for her family, and did not mean any harm or to cause trouble when she bought it. When Mama bought the house, it changed the whole plot