Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

The civil rights movement brought enlightenment towards the abolishment of segregation laws. Although the laws are gone does segregation still exist in fact? “What happens to a dream deferred, does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?'; said, in a poem by Langston Huges. The story, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry showed segregation and its affects upon all races. This essay will show how Assimilationists and New Negroes fought for their own identity in the mid twentieth century. Whether they were being true to themselves or creating carbon copies of oppression was determined by one’s view upon society.

Passivity only prolonged sorrow against the battle against segregation. Mrs. Johnson in A Raisin in the Sun is passive to the actions taken upon her. In the story she acts like a strong person by saying, “Wilhelmina Othella Johnson does anything, whenever she wants!'; While in reality she is weak individual. The United States during World War 2 were submissive towards Hitler at first. This gave Hitler time to gain power and support of the people. If the Unites States had acted sooner towards Hitler the war would’ve ended quickly. This is a similar paradox to Mrs. Johnson’s attitude towards segregation and racism in the story.

Ignorance and propaganda were wide spread creating more and more assimilationists exponentially. Racism caused African people to hate themselves and there culture. Through this misunderstanding Black people wore different styles of clothing, adapted different tones in speech, and different goals in life. Walter in A Raisin in the Sun by Hansberry, wanted to buy a liquor store because he hated being a servant for the white man. In buying a liquor store he would create apathy and hate in the black community by the alcoholism that his store would create. Through Walters own financial success would be the failure of hundreds of others. Propaganda and Hatred towards the Jewish population left some Jews hating themselves. They thought that it was there fault for being Jewish and developed groups of anti-Semitic Jews, destroying the there own culture.

The battle against racism was fought with the help of many people. Beneatha in the story, A Raisin in the Sun by Hansberry, was always trying to find herself within the story. Whether it would be the guitar lessons she would take or the clothes she would wear, it all meant something to her.