However, she conveys the message that money is not life, as Walter claimed it was. Rather, family, pride in yourself, and pursuing understanding your dreams are the things that are really important. The character that seems to express this view the closest is Mama. In Act I Mama tells Beneatha, “There is always something left to love. Even after all the mistakes Walter has made, Mama shows that love for your family, not money holds greater value.
- Mrs. Johnson is the Younger family’s nosy and loud neighbor, at the beginning of the play.
- An individual\’s response to conditions of internal and external conflict is explored throughout literature.
- Walter had the dream of buying his own liquor store so he could provide a better life for his family.
- In 2019 her piece, “I Love My Mother” was selected and performed by her at the fifth annual season of “Thinking In Full Color’s, which is an award-winning organization that empowers women of color through education and the arts.
- In the Journal of Black Studies scholar Richard A. Duprey points out that A Raisin in the Sun is “…full of human insights that transcend any racial ‘concerns'” .
- He also struggles with the oppression from within his own family; his mother’s reluctance to share the insurance money so that Walter can invest in a liquor store is seen by him as a great injustice.
Though Ruth is content with their lot, Walter is not, and desperately wishes to write my essay become wealthy. His plan is to invest in a liquor store in partnership with Willy and Bobo, his street-smart acquaintances. Is a play about Walter Lee Younger and his family who live in a small apartment in Chicago and chase after their dreams, written by Lorraine Hansberry. In conclusion, Hansberry shows Walters deep emotions by using punctuation, stage directions, and diction of dreams.
Major Themes In A Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry
A Raisin in the Sun displays a great recurring theme in life that many times the good of the few has to be sacrificed through the needs and propagation of the group. The character of Mr. Lindner makes the theme of racial discrimination prominent in the plot as an issue that the Youngers cannot avoid. The governing body of the Youngers’ new neighborhood, the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, sends Mr. Lindner to persuade them not to move into the all-white Clybourne Park neighborhood. Mr. Lindner and the people he represents can only see the color of the Younger family’s skin, and his offer to bribe the Youngers to keep them from moving threatens to tear apart the Younger family and the values for which it stands. Ultimately, the Youngers respond to this discrimination with defiance and strength.
He also expresses his resentment and all the negative feelings he has been holding for too long. Suburban home ownership became a barometer of American success in the 1930s and 1940s, with mortgage loans newly subsidized by the Federal Housing Administration. But Black and Brown citizens were systematically excluded, so most African Americans could not pursue home ownership until the 1950s. Placing Black people’s struggle to attain this marker of American achievement on Broadway, Hansberry accomplished a feat parallel to that of the family she portrayed. Both the Youngers and their creator encountered hostility for daring to reach for what the country defined as success.
Hansberrys Hope For America Through A Raisin In The Sun
He decides to degrade in his futile efforts to achieve his goals. Racism in A Raisin in the Sun is almost sickening to most people and i hope that more people see this play to help spread the word about how African American people were treated in the 1950s. Racism is still alive today through communities that want one color out of their neighborhood which is not right either.
These thesis statements for “Raisin in the Sun” offer a short summary of different elements that could be important in an essay but you are free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them. Using the essay topics below in conjunction with the list of important quotes from “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry at the bottom of the page, you should have no trouble connecting with the text and writing an excellent paper. Walter was unhappy having to squash his family into his mother’s small apartment having his son sleep on the couch. Walter struggled with his manhood due to his inability of being the breadwinner in the household.
Thematic Analysis Of Lorraine Hansberrys a Raisin In The Sun Analytical Essay
The Younger household is not a safe haven, especially for women who question male leadership. After years of labor, Walter Senior passed away, but from his hard work came an Insurance check that represented his dedicated life to his children. Mama’s nurturing personality is also represented in the play, this is symbolized by the way she treats the houseplant. Much the same as her family, Mama’s plant does not have the essential assets to prosper.
Being a father to Travis appears to be the role that Walter values the most. He sincerely wants to be perceived as honorable in his son’s eyes. Knowing the family has little money to spare, Walter gives Travis a dollar when he asks for fifty cents. Walter chooses the liquor store investment not just to make more money for himself, but also to be better able to provide for his wife and family.