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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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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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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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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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696 Words | 3 Pages

The plant's survival and eventual flourishing reflect Mama's strength, faith, and the belief in the possibility of a better life for her loved ones. It serves as a tangible symbol of her resilience and her ability to persevere through adversity. Mama's plant can be connected to the theme of hope and the power of resilience. It shows the importance of nurturing one's dreams, tending to them with care, and believing in the possibility of growth and transformation even in the face of challenges. ‘’(Looking at her plant and sprinkling a little water on it) ‘’Got to admit they got spirit Bennie and Walter Like this little old plant that ain't never had enough sunshine or nothing and look at it.’’

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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1397 Words | 6 Pages

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1521 Words | 7 Pages

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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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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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Even without all the luck in the world, the family, as does the plant, continues to find a way to survive and keep moving forward. When Walter lost all the money, the family did not let the money define them, and they kept moving forward as the plant does with little nutrients. Henceforth, the Youngers ability to survive with what they have and keep moving forward bears a resemblance to the Mama’s

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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

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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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479 Words | 2 Pages

Mama also shows her generosity, as she implies that she has given up a lot of her material possessions to just see her child smile. Although she yearns to accomplish her own dream, she puts that aside to look after Walter and his sister, which shows her determination. Although she has struggled with accomplishing her dream for a while, she has not yet given up hope. Looking back to the time when she and her husband first started conceptualizing their version of the American Dream, Mama says, “(smiling) Hadn’t been married but two weeks and wasn’t planning on living here [in this apartment] no more than a year… But lord, child, you should know all the dreams I had ‘bout buying that house and making me a little garden in the back — (She waits and stops smiling.)

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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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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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