A Raisin In The Sun Segregation Analysis

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Unconstitutional Segregation in A Raisin in the Sun After World War II, African Americans had unequal opportunities in many aspects of their lives. A Raisin in the Sun, a play by Lorraine Hansberry, mirrors the conflicts endured by African-Americans after World War II who were hoping to better their lives, but were still held back by the racism and bigotry of previous eras. Despite the legal barriers of segregation in the 1950s, black families were still being denied access to jobs, higher education, and particularly as it relates to the play, desirable neighborhoods in which to raise their families. At this time, black families, like the Youngers, basically had planned living arrangements from zoning issues. They were blocked from some …show more content…

In the play, Hansberry portrayed African American’s as having limited job options because of their race. Which is why, Walter worked as a chauffeur and Ruth was a maid. The set availability of career choices meant only having a limited amount of income. The five family members; grandma Lena, sister Berneatha, father Walter, mother Ruth and son Travis, all lived under one roof in a small apartment with confined living space. Three generations living together meant that they had to share a two bedroom apartment and also share the hall bathroom with the rest of the families in the complex (Domina 20). Walter reveals his feelings that he believes he is a failure by saying, “I got a boy who sleeps in the living room. . . and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people are” (Hansberry 950). In Teron McGrew’s article "The History of Residential Segregation in the United States and Title VIII” he says Marzenbaum, a creator of the zoning laws, thought that the single family home should be the main housing throughout the country and the owner could have a small garden with a space that is available to fresh air and sunlight (23). Hansberry must have read this statement in light of the fact that in the play when Lena looks for a house, she wanted the exact same features; she wants a normal house without her race interfering with her opportunities. The Younger’s dream of owning a standard home and being free from their rundown rental apartment came true but not without a fight from zoning, covenants, and racial steering

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