A Raisin in the Sun The Foundation of Family Essay

The idea of family is a central theme in Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun. Hansberry alludes to the Old Testament book of Ruth in her play to magnify â€Å"the value of having a home and family†(Ardolino 181). The Younger family faces hardships that in the moment seem to tear them apart from one another, but through everything, they stick together. The importance of family is amplified by the choices of Walter and Beneatha because they appear to initiate fatal cracks in the Younger family’s foundation, but Mama is the cement who encourages her family to pull together as one unit. The hardships of the family help develop a sense of unity for the Younger household. Walter and Beneatha’s relationship is very complex. The spiraling†¦show more content†¦Walter struggles in understanding who he needs to be for his family. He wants to take his place as the patriarch of the family, but he feels incapable of providing them with the lifestyle they deserve. This concern is always at the forefront of his mind, and it affects his attitude and outlook. The anxiety that Walter is dealing with creates confrontation with his sister. He fears that her dream will interfere with his own agenda of making a better life for his family. The severity of the tension becomes more and more apparent with Walter’s unwise investment. Walter is dealing with the burden that he has let his family down, while Beneatha is flabbergasted by the reality that her future has been snatched away from her, and she had no control over it. While reflecting on the situation, Beneatha remarks, â€Å" I sound like a human who just had her future taken right out of m y hands! While I was sleeping†¦.things were happening in this world that directly concerned me and nobody consulted me—they just went out and did things—and changed my life† (Hansberry 3.15). Walter and Beneatha’s individual issues with the outcome of the situation cause them to find fault with one another during a time when their family needs to pull together to get through such a financial hardship. Walter is in an emotional pit; his turning to alcohol and music instead of his family for support expands theShow MoreRelatedA Raisin In The Sun American Dream Essay1669 Words   |  7 PagesJames Truslow Adams in Epic of America, the American Dream is defined as â€Å"that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.† It is based on the foundations of the Declaration of Independence: the rights to Liberty, Life, and the Pursuit of Happiness (Ama deo, What is the American Dream?). People have the right to pursue their dreams and acquire a better life through sheer effort and motivation. At theRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Walter Younger From The Classic Play A Raisin Of The Sun 1108 Words   |  5 Pagesalways looked at as the head of the house. However, not every man can handle this position. Walter Younger from the classic play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, finds it very difficult to rise up as the man he’s supposed to be. The story shares the life of a family living in Chicago in a small apartment. It highlights mainly the financial issues the family faces which puts Walter in a bind. He faces obstacles and his actions determines his manhood but he tends to always fall short. TheRead MoreEssay on Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun951 Words   |  4 PagesA Raisin in the Sun A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, illustrates the timeless struggle for the furtherance of family values and morals with extreme clarity. The play follows the life of a small black family’s struggle to keep their dreams from tenants to owners alive. These dreams, and the struggles necessary to reach them, as well as coming to terms with the dreams that are out of reach, are the focus and driving force behind this story of every persons struggle to achieve goalsRead MoreLorraine Hansberry Is An African American Play Writer Who1583 Words   |  7 PagesLorraine Hansberry is an African American play writer who wrote the play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun.† The Play highlights the lives of a lower-class Black American family in the 1950s living under racial segregation and oppression in Chicago. The title of the play was inspired from the poem â€Å"Harlem† by Langston Hughes. The poem questions â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?† (Hansberry, 2013, p. 976). The protagonist, Walter Lee Younger, struggles internally withRead MoreGender Segregation And Gender Roles1170 Words   |  5 Pagesin society. This is evident in A Raisin in the Sun. In her A Raisin in the Sun, Han sberry makes use of gender roles as part of characterization and the plot; she does this by switching the roles of genders, showing the different views on gender roles, and the battle between the different opinions of gender roles. At the beginning of the play, the audience is told that a family of five lives in the small apartment. They know that it is a three generation family with a grandmother, her son and daughterRead MoreA Raisin In The Sun Character Analysis917 Words   |  4 PagesIn the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry the Younger family faces many conflicts. This is mainly because they are living in Chicago in the 1950’s. This was a time where many African Americans were discriminated, which caused the family to have many issues with money, jobs, and family. Two characters from the pay that help influence the plot would be Mama and Ruth. This is because of the roles they play, their conflicts, and their actions towards other character. Without the roles ofRead Moreâ€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†700 Words   |  3 PagesLorraine Hansberry used symbolism in her successful drama, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† to portray emotions felt in the lives of her characters and possib le her own. Hansberry set her piece in Chicago’s South Side, probably the early 1950’s. During this period in history, many African-Americans, like the Youngers, struggled to overcome the well-known prejudices that were far too familiar. The main scene, in this touching realist drama, is the home of the Youngers, an overcrowded run-down apartment. Read MoreLiterary Analysis of Langston Hughess A Dream Deferred1028 Words   |  4 Pageshappens to dreams that are not fulfilled. The poem starts with the line, What happens to a dream deferred? and this plainly asks what happens to dreams that have not been paid attention to. The next line in the poem is, Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun or fester like a sore and then run? meaning does a dream simply wither away until it is no longer prevalent, or does it sit and stew until it becomes unbearable enough that it is fulfilled out of convenience. The following stanza is, DoesRead MoreThe symbolism of the plant in A Raisin in the Sun1893 Words   |  8 PagesThe symbolism of the plant in A Raisin in the Sun One might ask how the scientific facts of the functional purpose of a plant would connect to a literary piece, especially the well-known play, A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry. The plant in the text symbolizes the foundation for the family, honest hope, and Mamas dreams. Symbolism is not a definition of an item, but represents something specific other than itself. Much like Mamas plant, it represents many meaningful ideas withRead MoreFalling Into The Trap Of Believing That Reaching One s Dreams1207 Words   |  5 Pagesmistake many make. This is prominent in the case of the Younger family from the short story, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, by Lorraine Younger. The story entails the journey of a colored family in a white-dominated society striving for their dreams. The Younger family believes they can achieve their dreams through overnight success, to blame others when their plans fail, and whenever there is guaranteed prosperity, to settle down. The Younger Family has many conflicting views on how to achieve their dreams,