Critical Analysis Of A Raisin In The Sun

Inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem, “Harlem” and her own experience, Lorraine Hansberry authored A Raisin in the Sun. Hansberry used the locale of South Side, Chicago where she was born during a time of social and political turmoil as the backdrop to her play. Through the lens of Marxist’s critical theory about contradictions building into social systems that lead to social revolution, Hansberry depicts issues related to racism and discrimination. Hansberry’s father was a successful real estate agent, but despite her family’s wealth, the law of Chicago required the Hansberry family to live in the ghetto South Side. Similar to the plot of the play, Hansberry’s father bought a home in a Caucasian neighborhood and after the family settled into their new home, a brick was thrown through the window almost hitting Hansberry (Plays and Playwrights, 1540). The law during this time segregated neighborhoods, and the family takes it upon themselves to reform the social system. Through reform and support from the National Association for the Advancement of the Colored People, the Hansberry family was allowed to continue living in their desired home.
Segregated communities are a commonplace in the play. Within Marxist theory, stable societies develop sites of

She captures the lives and aspirations of African Americans, who end up confronting their most fundamental challenges. Similar to Marxist’s ideology and the Younger family wanting change, the readers begin to thirst for reform and a system of social equality. The ghetto represents their social class, while the Caucasian neighborhood represents new beginnings. Although the play never indicates what happens to the Younger family after they move into Clybourne Park, one can only hope for a better outcome. Hopefully issues of racism and discrimination continue to cause reform, in which African Americans are one day equal to their white