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Social Issues In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1123 Words5 Pages

A Raisin is in the Sun is a complex and deeply nuanced literary production created by playwright Lorraine Hansberry in 1957. The play’s success was unprecedented given the time period it was first performed in; in 1959, there had not yet been an African American centered play that had been successful in the way A Raisin in the Sun was.
Time in the context of bringing to Broadway the first play by a black (young and unknown) woman to be directed, moreover, by another unknown black “first,” in a theatre where black audiences did not exist—and where, in the entire history of the American stag, there had never been a serious commercially successful black drama! (Nemiroff, 6)
This fame can be attributed to the way the play handles universal issues of family, gender, and poverty, but also uniquely ethnic inspired problems of cultural identity, beauty, and equality in America. It is in directly addressing widely relatable social issues that Hansberry’s writing inspires social progression and change. A Raisin in the Sun calls for social …show more content…

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Hansberry, Lorraine, and Robert Nemiroff. A Raisin in the Sun. Vintage Books, 1994
History.com Staff. “Great Migration.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010, www.history.com/topics/black-history/great-migration. Accessed 10 Mar. 2018.
Nemiroff, Robert. "Introduction." Preface. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Vintage Books, 1987. 5-14. Print
“Racial Segregation in Post-Reconstruction America.” Historic U.S. Events, Gale, Detroit, 2017. U.S. History In Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/BT2359030557/UHIC?u=pocono_moun_shs&sid=UHIC&xid=9989b820. Accessed 10 Mar. 2018.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "A Raisin in the Sun." Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 12 Mar.

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Compare And Contrast The Movie A Raisin In The Sun

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The play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry debuted on Broadway in 1959, and the movie was made in 2008. “A Raisin in the Sun” is about the Younger family, the fifth generation of lower-class African-Americans living in Chicago’s Southside. They are faced with problems such as racial discrimination, poverty, and conflicting dreams. As the family decides on how to spend the insurance check of $10,000 from Walter’s father’s death, these problems cause many conflicts to rise. Reading the 1959 play and the 2008 movie, I have realized certain similarities and differences in how the story plays out.

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“People share a common nature but are trained in gender roles”- Lillie Blake. In A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry not only are social and economic issues of African Americans displayed, but also the changing gender roles of the mid-twentieth century. The characters through their ethics and values show a clear split in their way of thinking. A gap in age and values from Mama to Beneatha shows that the play showcases the change in gender relations and establishes the character’s identities. Gender plays a crucial part in establishing and defining the characters, setting the time period and way of life, and showcasing the struggle between culture and modernity.

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In the play A Raisin In the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, many characters in the younger family express their black culture in the first two acts of the play. However, other characters in this play also express different forms of black culture. Asagai and Mrs. Johnson represent two different cultures in the play, but also affect this culture greatly as a whole. Asagai’s and Mrs. Johnson’s divergent cultural views and background highlight the many viewpoints in black culture.

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Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a masterpiece of American literature that explores the causes and effects of racial discrimination in America. The play is set in the 1950s and follows the story of the younger family, an African-American family living in a small apartment on the causes of racial discrimination that are depicted in the play lead to the effect of the Younger family’s struggle to achieve their dreams. One of the main causes of racial discrimination in Raisin in the Sun is the economic inequality faced by African Americans in the 1950s. This is evident in the Younger family's living conditions, as they live in a cramped apartment with limited opportunities for social and economic mobility.

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Through the use of the historical lens, looking specifically at the economic struggles, the struggle of unequal opportunity, and the housing covenant that African-American’s faced in the 1950’s, Hansberry’s message of A Raisin in the Sun is revealed: the perseverance of an ethnic minority in a time of racial discrimination. A Raisin in the Sun is set in a time of great racial discrimination, the 1950’s in the united States. This featured racism towards those of color or non-caucasians, and the struggles commonly faced by the African-American family is shown through the eyes of the Younger family through the writing and experiences of Lorraine Hansberry. Of the three major struggles the Younger family faced, the most prominent in Act one is that of financial disability. This is best shown through the working lives of the family.

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A Raisin in the Sun addresses major social issues such as racism and feminism which were common in the twentieth century. The author, Lorraine Hansberry, was the first playwright to produce a play that portrayed problematic social issues. Racism and gender equality are heavily addressed throughout the play. Even though we still have these issues today, in the 1950’s and 60’s the issues had a greater part in society. Racism and gender have always been an issue in society, A Raisin in the Sun is an important piece of American history during that time period.

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In a patriarchal society, women are encouraged to focus on their family and its well-being. Most often, women achieve this by caring for the children and the home. However, in the play A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry suggests that women do not have to focus on the family. Instead, they can prioritize their own well-being. Hansberry exhibits these ideas through two female characters, Ruth and Beneatha.

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Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun presents the rise of feminism in America in the 1960s. Beneatha Younger, Lena Younger (Mama) and Ruth Younger are the three primary characters displaying evidences of feminism in the play. Moreover, Hansberry creates male characters who demonstrate oppressive attitudes towards women yet enhance the feministic ideology in the play. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, with the feminist notions displayed in the play, women can fulfil their individual dreams that are not in sync with traditional conventions of that time.

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The situation of the Younger family in Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is an interesting. An African-American family of five, in 1950s Chicago, is trapped in a too-small apartment, struggling to make ends meet. The father of the family, Walter Younger Senior, has recently passed away, having left behind a ten thousand dollar life insurance check. Each person in the family wants to use the money for something cause.

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