The Youngs appear to be a representation, and an inspirational symbol for African American families in 1950s America as Walter chooses to stand up against social normalities and oppression. It is, as put by Judith E. Smith, “a plotless story, in the way that life itself never seems to offer much in the standard notions of plot” . To achieve dreams, and make a stable life, the presence of money helps greatly. But because of the society and human status African American people lived in, in the 1950s, it was extremely hard to pursue dreams and create a bountiful life. Lorraine Hansberry represents this idea in the award-winning play, “A Raisin in the Sun.” The play portrays the story of a poor family, the Youngers, residing in a small apartment in the southside of Chicago. During Act I and II, the Youngers eagerly await a $10,000 Insurance check, following the death of the hard-working Walter Senior.
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- Mama, deeply offended and disappointed in her daughter, is unable to Click Through to the Following Page control her anger.
- The family seeks to move into a home in a White middle-class neighborhood.
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All the family members are dreaming of having a better lifestyle after having this amount, but their dreams ended in smoke when the money seems to have gone as easily as it has come. Yet another symbol of nature or natural symbol is mama’s plant, which represents her care and dream for her family. When she first appeared on stage, mama moves straight toward the plant to take care of it. She states that the plant never gets enough light or water, but she takes pride in how it still grows beautifully under her hands. So much nature is composed in this description of the plant and this therefore reveals about mama and how caring she is; a natural quality of any mother.
Racial Discrimination In A Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry
Even though slavery had been abolished, colored people were not treated equally. The most significant scene which openly portrays racism, however, is the visit with Karl Lindner. Although he does not identify himself as racist, and although his tactics are less violent than some, he wants to live in an all-White neighborhood—and he is willing to pay the Youngers off to stay out of White neighborhoods. This type of racism is often dangerous because it is more easily hidden.
The play explored the decision that uth had to make because her economic conditions dictated that she could not afford another child. In addition, Beneatha’s prospects of becoming a doctor and getting married were also explored in the play. This issue was extremely relevant at the time as some women were beginning to work outside the home.
Lee Odom
Lena Younger, a.k write me an essay online.a. Mama is a down-to-earth, hard-working black woman who doesn’t suffer fools. Mama has dedicated her life to her children and struggles to instill her values in them – with mixed results. One of Lena’s most poignant moments might be when she admits to Ruth that sometimes her children frighten her. Except for the face-slap moment, Mama is mostly kind and patient with her family. Her nurturing personality is symbolized by the way she treats her houseplant. Just like her family, Lena’s plant lacks the necessary resources to flourish.
Mama has lived in poverty for her entire life, and it is because of this poverty that she lost her baby, “little Claude” . Ruth, however, has had the opportunity to raise a healthy son, and since she has never known any other way, she takes this for granted. Ruth does not view her unborn child as part of the family, and thus when determining what is in her family’s best interest, she fails to think of the baby. Ruth comes to the conclusion that bringing another child into their already crowded apartment would be unfair to her family. Mama, on the other hand, is grateful for being able to have the opportunity to give birth to a healthy baby, since she knows that at the time many African-American babies were dying from poverty, and just a short time before, from slavery. It is because of this that she strongly disagrees with Ruth’s decision to have an abortion.
One can say that Hansberry’s motivation for her plays come from her personal experiences of being a black sheep. Hansberry could compare herself to a black sheep due to the objectivity she faced because of the color of her skin and later on her sexuality. A Raisin in the Sun gives a perspective of the Black experience in the 1950’s. The Black experience in the 1950’s reflects the freedom struggle of the civil rights movement. These experiences developed the fear of failure despite achievement, yearning for wealth and the pursuing of the American Dream. Family melodrama is an ever-evolving genre as it is subject to changes that occur within society.
“A Raisin in the Sun” is the story of a lower class black family living on the south side of Chicago. The Youngers struggle socially and economically throughout the play but unite in the end to realize their dream of buying a house. Mama strongly believes in the importance of family, and she tries to teach this value to her family as she struggles to keep them together and functioning. Walter and Beneatha learn this lesson about family at the end of the play, when Walter must deal with the loss of the stolen insurance money and Beneatha denies Walter as a brother.