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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1116 Words5 Pages

The screenplay A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, is primarily about a working class family and their constant struggle to achieve their individual dreams. Throughout the story it becomes apparent that their individual dreams collide together. On the surface of the screenplay, it may seem that dreams are not something easily achieved, that they are not something one can just focus and devote a moment of your life on. Achieving a dream comes with years of hard work and devotion, leading to many reasons for deferring a dream which is once again shown in the story, but the most tantalizing detail about dreams that is depicted in the play is hidden under the surface of the main theme. Therefore, the theme delves deeper than dreams being …show more content…

In the play Mama says, “Well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home.” Mama talks about a piece of her dream here, she later elaborates on the dream. Mama is the representation of those who have to postpone and modify their dream. Her dream was to own a house with her husband, Walter, that had a garden she could take care of. But, she was unable to achieve this dream because she began having children and had to delay following her dream. Then her husband passed away and she was finally able to pay for a house for her children and grandchildren. Therefore, Mama was not able to follow her dream because she had to take care of her children, which meant spending money on food and necessities for survival; making Mama and her husband put off the dream because their children were more important. After the death of her husband, she received an insurance check which was when she finally was able to pay for the house, but it was bittersweet because she had to move on with her dream without her husband. Mama modified her dream by allowing herself to move on without her husband and buy a house for her children to raise their children in. Once again the screenplay depicts the idea that dreams must change and that dreams must be postponed for them to grow and become

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The Strength In Strong Mama's Beliefs

185 Words | 1 Pages

The playwright utilizes household rules, perseverance, and her plant to show us how strong Mama’s beliefs are. Mama’s stinginess in respect to household rules was evident when she slapped Beneatha for denouncing God. Mama demonstrates strength in her beliefs by not allowing Beneatha to impugn God in her household. Despite everything she’s been through, Mama maintains her beliefs, showing perseverance. This is evident throughout her adult life; as her dream of providing a nice life for her family never panned out.

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A Raisin In The Sun Walter's Dream Analysis

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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A Raisin In The Sun Analytical Essay

929 Words | 4 Pages

She forgives discretions and is just trying to do the best for her family. It isn’t until the dream becomes real and then is seemingly taken from her that you see her become very emotional and lets her strong walls down for a moment. In a brief panic of not being able to move she makes a plea to Mama telling her that she will do whatever it takes herself to get her family out of that small two bedroom apartment, and finally into a house

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What Does The Plant Symbolize In A Raisin In The Sun

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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A Raisin In The Sun Mama Character Analysis Essay

1089 Words | 5 Pages

This is seen by the actions she takes to get to her goal, statements she makes towards her family members, and how she responds to her family when they are troubled. Mama has lived in her apartment for a long time with her family and is about to get enough money to change that. An example of Mama’s motivation to achieve her goal is shown when Ruth, her daughter-in-law and Mama are talking about what Mama would do with the insurance money. Mama states, “Been thinking that we maybe could meet the notes on a little old two-story somewhere, with a yard where Travis could play in the summertime, if we use part of the insurance for a down payment and everybody kind of pitch in” (563). Mama is suggesting to Ruth of what could be a better future for her son and their family.

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Examples Of A Raisin In The Sun Assimilationism

452 Words | 2 Pages

This is a challenge because the family is having to make sacrifices and change their way of living so they can fit in with the other cultures. Overall, the family struggles to become used to the new culture as they strive to live on their own. The title “A Raisin in the Sun” relates to the dreams of each main character in different ways. This shows that like a raisin in the sun, if it's not pursued or fulfilled, it will be lost. This shows that if the characters don't fulfill and

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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1397 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout Act 1, Mama shows examples of how she is either living for past generations or the ones that follow her. In Act 1, Mama is either trying to help and live for her children and grandchildren or she is trying to live in the memory of Big

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Meaning To Achieve In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1521 Words | 7 Pages

Dreaming to Achieve In this day and age, everyone can dream, but what matters is what is done to accomplish those dreams. This separates the Dreamers from the Achievers. The achievers see an opportunity and they take it. The dreamers simply dream and wait for circumstances to fall into their lap. In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry tells the story of the African American Younger family living in poverty on the south side of Chicago during the 1950s.

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Hardships In A Raisin In The Sun

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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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

933 Words | 4 Pages

It’s all a matter of ideas, and God is just one idea I don’t accept. It’s not important”. Hansberry may have chosen to have Mama be in conflict with her two children to emphasize that, to Mama, her children are still her children even though they are adults. Her relationship with them, as described by Hansberry, gives her an heir of matriarchy over her household and family dynamic.   Money is a concept seen throughout the play and is a cause of great conflict for the family.

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Complex Themes In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1894 Words | 8 Pages

Published in 1959, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun handles complex themes through the development of multifaceted characters. Opening with Langston Hughes’ poem “A Dream Deferred”, we explore the concept of dreams, hopes, and plans. We’re introduced to the Youngers, a multigenerational African American family living in a tenement in Chicago “sometime between World War II and” (22) when the book was written. As the characters interact with one another, we learn about their individual dreams and delve into the ways they intersect with other complex issues, including race. While the tone is somber and the ending is fairly open, the curtain closes on a hopeful note.

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Walter Lee Younger American Dream

919 Words | 4 Pages

Mama dreamed about owning their own house and settling in life without worries. As the story played Mama still kept on working, she knew that it was an only way to keep her hopes high and buy a house leading to a better future. In the poem “Dream Deferred” the poet mentions that sometimes dreams “just say like a heavy load,” the dream of owning the house a long time wish and it could have been viewed impossible yet by preventing dream to defer Mama strived to save up money to buy this house of her own. She mentions, “ 'We was going to set away, little by little, don't you know, and buy a little place out in Morgan Park. We had even picked out the house, Looks right dumpy today.

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A Raisin In The Sun Dreams Essay

766 Words | 4 Pages

It is often said that dreams become reality when intentions become actions. In the Broadway play A Raisin in The Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry, Mama portrays just how much dreams define one’s character and affect the actions that follow. The play set in the 1950s revolves around Mama and her family: her daughter Beneatha, her son Walter, and her daughter in law Ruth, and the steps they take to achieve their different dreams. Throughout the play, it is apparent that Mama, also known as Lena, is on two different levels on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid. She consistently exhibits the characteristics of a person on stage 5, while still not feeling protected, for she is African American, thereby violating stage 3.

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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

881 Words | 4 Pages

A Raisin in the Sun depicts the struggles imposed upon the members of the Younger family in the 1950’s in the United States of America during a time of racial discrimination. Lorraine Hansberry reveals through each character individually, and together as a family, how race and gender have contributed to the situation this black family are in as well as the hardships they face while trying to gain respectability in their society as well as in their home. The play shows strong views of gender and how the Younger family members each have a different opinion in regards to gender roles and what it means to be a man or a woman.

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The Power Of The American Dream: Harlem By Langston Hughes

931 Words | 4 Pages

She too once dreamed that they would prosper and move to a larger home with more opportunities. On the other hand, the dreams of her children, Walter and Beneatha are flourishing. Mama gives up her dreams and financial security to see her children be able to fulfill their own dreams, passing the baton of the American dream to them. We can see this exchange happen again when Mama supports Beneatha at the end of her pursuit of George to secure her financial security at the cost of real love. This is likely because Mama understands like many what it's like to forfeit her financial security, goals, and beliefs for another person and doesn't want Beneatha

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