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A Raisin In The Sun Essay

1533 Words7 Pages

During the 1950s and 1960s, African Americans faced numerous challenges as they fought for their rights and sought to fulfill their aspirations in a racially divided society. Lorraine Hansberry's play, "A Raisin in the Sun," explores the dreams and values of the Younger family as they navigate the obstacles of poverty, racism, and generational differences in pursuit of a better life. Mama is an elderly widow and the matriarch of the Younger family. Mama's problem is the struggle to provide a better life for her family and maintain their values and dignity. Walter Lee Younger is Mama's son and the protagonist. Walter’s struggle is the tension between his dreams of financial success and the moral dilemmas that arise from his choices. Beneatha …show more content…

"You know, it's strange. It's the first time in my life l've had something that's just mine...! don't know if I can make you understand." Mama's dream of buying a house symbolizes her desire to establish a stable home and improve her family's living conditions. Her values emphasize the importance of family and providing a nurturing environment, as seen in her determination to make a better future for her children and grandchildren. "Son - I come from five generations of people who was slaves and sharecroppers- but ain't nobody in my family never let nobody pay 'em no money that was a way of telling us we wasn't fit to walk the earth." Mama's refusal to accept the money offered by Mr. Lindner reflects her pride and refusal to compromise her family's dignity. Her values are deeply rooted in her African American heritage and the struggle for equality and self-respect. "There is always something left to log, And if you ain't learned that, you ain't learned …show more content…

The quote also reflects the gender dynamics of the time, with Walter's wife, Ruth, dismissing his dreams as unrealistic and urging him to focus on more immediate concerns. It underscores the conflicts between personal aspirations and the practicalities of urging him to focus on more immediate concerns. It underscores the conflicts between personal aspirations and the practicalities of everyday life. In summary, Walter's dreams in A Raisin in the Sun reflect the values of his character and his generation, emphasizing the pursuit of financial success and the desire for a better life. His aspirations embody the hope for upward mobility and the belief in the transformative power of economic prosperity. However, his dreams also face challenges and conflicts, illustrating the complexities of pursuing personal aspirations in the face of societal barriers and familial responsibilities. Beneatha's dreams in A Raisin in the Sun reflect her character's values and the values of her generation, highlighting the pursuit of education, self-discovery, and cultural identity. Beneatha aspires to become a doctor and explores her African heritage.``i'm going to be a doctor.

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A Raisin In The Sun Critical Lens Essay

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When observing the male characters, thematic influences that shape their idea of freedom are status and wealth, from analysis of the text it is evident that it provides the men of these stories with a sense of masculinity and power. Taking a look at Walter’s relation to wealth in A Raisin in the Sun, it demonstrates that he believes that the more leisure and free spending his family has, the more of a man it makes him. When Walter, his mother, and his wife, argue over their spending and finances, Walter states, “Well, you tell that to my boy tonight when you put him to sleep on the living-room couch … Yeah—and tell it to my wife, Mama, tomorrow when she has to go out of here to look after somebody else’s kids” (1.2.191).

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Walter overcomes the societal strains of success and consequently learns the values of pride and

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Walter still believes that it is him against his mother and family, where he has to sacrifice everything but Beneatha can sit and bring nothing to the table. Repeatedly, Walter is left alone in the dark while his family enjoys themselves, or so he believes wholeheartedly. When Mama reveals the news about a new house, she explains it is possible to buy a house “[because] it was [Big Walter] who [gave] [Walter] the house - in [Big Walter’s] way” (91). While not supporting and understanding Walter’s ambitions in life, Mama went ahead and fulfilled her dream and Beneatha’s. Another pattern emerges, where Walter is seen as unsatisfied and shaken by the fact that Mama preaches about wanting what is best for her children, and he is compelled to harshly explain his unjust treatment for his sacrifice.

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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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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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Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor, is often affected by some of her family members’ decisions. She begins to lose hope, thus enabling her to become a realist.

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Mama, the overseer of the family seeks to find something for the whole family to enjoy. Mama uses her late husband's insurance check to buy the family a brand new house, and her son Walter is not happy about it: “Son - I just tried to find the nicest place for the least amount of money for my family,” (Hansberry 85). No one understands a mother's love for her family. In this case Mama has nothing but her family to protect and keep together.

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Despite an individual’s race, demographics, and origin, most people have the desire to live a prosperous lifestyle. In many cases, to achieve this prosperous life, one must endeavor to overcome great obstacles. For instance, the characters in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, a play about a black family who all have aspirations of obtaining the American Dream, expect their goals to come easily. Achieving any goal is difficult but for these characters, racial boundaries make their dreams harder to achieve. Walter and Beneatha are all adamant about accomplishing their goals; however, they fail to notice their own characters flaws that stand in their way.

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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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