“A Proud-Acting Bunch”: The Issues of Suburbanization and Class Stratification in “A Raisin in the Sun”

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America experienced an explosive period of suburbanization after World War II. The suburban “home represented a source of meaning and security” (May 24) to those seeking refuge and comfort after a tumultuous time of war. Among those migrating from the cities to the suburbs were middle-class African Americans, who sought a suburban life that both “express[ed] and reinforce[d] their newly won social position.” (Wiese 101) However, this middle-class migration from urban areas left behind working class African Americans such as the Younger family of Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play “A Raisin in the Sun.” While the Younger family of “A Raisin in the Sun” finally realize the suburban dream of a home with “three bedrooms… and a nice big basement” (Hansberry 92), the decision to move from urban Southside Chicago is not encouraged by the other African Americans of the play; rather, the Younger family is met with disrespect and derision. Hansberry uses the characters of George Murchison and Mrs. Johnson to illustrate class stratification amongst African Americans during the post-war period. The scenes with these particular characters highlight the class conflict that occurred within the African American community throughout this period of suburbanization. Before seeing how class differences play an important role in “A Raisin in the Sun,” one must examine the location in which the play takes place. Hansberry defines the play’s setting as “Chicago’s Southside, sometime between World War II and the present.” (Hansberry 22) The play was written in 1959, prior to the civil rights movement in America. Even so, this post-war timeframe “exemplified a new wave of black suburbanization” (Wiese 100). As more African Americans made the transition fro... ... middle of paper ... ... Americans during the post-war period. While the working class Younger family makes the move from the inner city to the suburbs, it is without the encouragement from any other working or middle class African American characters in the play. The experience of the Youngers characterizes the class conflict felt by many African Americans during the suburban migration. Works Cited Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Vintage Books, 1994. Print. May, Elaine Tyler. “Containment at Home: Cold War, Warm Hearth.” Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era. By May. New York: BasicBooks, 1988. 16-36. Print. Wiese, Andrew. “‘The House I Live In’: Race, Class, and African American Suburban Dreams in the Postwar United States.” Ed. Kevin M. Kruse and Thomas J. Sugrue. The New Suburban History. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2006. 99-119. Print.

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