Family Struggles in a Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

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Recommended: underlying tensions between the characters in the book raisin in the sun by Lorraine Hansberry

“Raisin in the Sun”, by Lorraine Hansberry, gives insight into the lives of an African American family living in Chicago post World War II. They play revolves around the struggles of the family as a whole, as well as, of the struggles of the individual family members. The major villain at work in the drama is the society in which the family lives in. The society in which the Younger’s live brings them down before they even have the chance of following their dreams or becoming successful. The dreams of the family have been “deferred” and are now “drying up like a raisin[s] in the sun”.
In this piece, the Younger family is beaten down before they even have the chance for success. Throughout the duration of the play, the family lives in a small two-bedroom apartment that is “tired” and infested with cockroaches, on the Southside of Chicago. The apartment was originally meant to be temporary as Mama and Big Walter moved in immediately after their marriage. Like many other they had the “American dream”, the dream of owning ones house; however, this dream never came to be and the family is still living in the same apartment decades later. Walter and Ruth, the next generation, also shared this very same dream in the beginning of their marriage, but like Mama and Big Walter, they were never able to make anything of it. The inability to pursue their dream and utter lack of fulfillment influence the two main characters, Ruth and Walter, differently.
In Ruth, the impact is subtle. Unlike the her husband she is does not loudly voice her opinions and thoughts. Ruth often serves as a mediating presence and has a quieter air about her. Nonetheless, Ruth too feels the hopelessness of her situation. The fact that her son sleeps on the coach i...

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...this event, Walter is “dead inside”.
Ultimately, villainy of the novel is overcome, to illustrate the greater meaning of the working. The two events that signify this accomplishment are Ruth decision to finally keep the baby and the final scene of the play when Walter decides to tell Mr. Lindner that the family is going to be moving into the house. These events are significant because they represent a new sense of optimism for the family’s situation. A baby is a symbol of life, hope and a new beginning. The decision to move into the house is also symbolic. The house is a manifestation of the dream that both Momma and Big Walter had, as well as, Ruth and Walter. It symbolizes a new beginning, and an opportunity for a better life. This completes the works. The great meaning of the work is the challenged posed by achieving one’s dream in the face of great adversity.

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