An Analysis Of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Everyone dreams of having the perfect life. For hundreds of years, America has remained the land of opportunities. The American Dream is simply what lured millions to start the lives in America. It’s theoretically the basis of American life. However, in post World War 2, the American Dream seemed to be only targeted to white males. The American Dream seemed unattainable for racial minorities. Not only was life hard for non-white Americans, women also had a difficult time fulfilling their dreams. White males reigned supreme while everyone else was left in the dark. A Raisin in the Sun does a stupendous job of painting a picture of what hardships and injustices non-whites and women faced in the segregated 1950’s. A raisin in the sun focuses on

a family struggling to live during segregated America. The play depicts their societal issues as well as their internal issues.

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun pertains to how societal views can greatly impact a person’s choices or lifestyle. A Raisin in the Sun deals with the Younger family faces discrimination based off of something that they can’t control, such as race and gender. During the time of the play, inequality was the norm. Injustice was completely inevitable, unless you were a white male. The author clearly depicted how prejudice can have a lasting effect on people. Society’s mentality can alter a person’s life, which is completely inhumane. Each member of the Younger family has their own personal dream. Each Younger’s individual dream reflects on their psychological wellbeing. However, the difference in their dreams creates a conflict among the family. A Raisin in the Sun focuses on the idea that humanity has tendency to dream big even when times seem bleak. The Younger family faced racism, sexism, and domestic endeavors within their household, but their dreams for a better life seem to keep them

going.
Sexism is having prejudice towards a person based off their gender. Sexism is primarily expressed towards women, but it affects any person of any gender. Sexism is closely linked with stereotypes of gender roles. For years, men have perceived women to be nothing more than housewives. Sexism ties in with the belief that one gender is superior to another. Women have faced discrimination off of something they have no control over. Being sexist was normal in the mid twentieth century. It was expected of women to be mindless and completely dependent on men. Society picked out what life a women was expected to have. Women had very little freedom to be who they wanted to be. It’s only imaginable how this affected women. Women have lived in a world where being a free-minded individual is discouraged. Of course this has had a lasting negative effect on the way a woman views and lives her life.
Three women are represented in A Raisin in the Sun, Lena, Beneatha, and Ruth. Lena had big dreams for her family. However, all of her dreams were linked to her family’s well-being instead of her own. She put her family’s prosperity in front of her own, which can be connected to sexism. She is conforming to the idea that women should be completely devoted to her family. Lena’s lack of personal aspirations is a form of gender conditioning. Walter's wife, Ruth is like Lena in a sense. She also is a victim to gender conditioning, but she is not as lenient towards her husband like Lena was. She vocalizes her frustrations and problems with her spouse, Walter; however, she still seeks to please him. She supported everything Walter did, and defended his sexist mentality by telling Beneatha not to antagonize him so much. In a way, she fell under the idea that every woman should her husband through anything. Beneatha was the least tolerant of expectations and treatment of women. Beneatha was constantly challenging her Brother Walter's sexist view and male supremacy. She was a feminist and had no time for the ignorance of society, especially men. Through these three women, Hansberry skillfully illustrates how women's ideas about their identity have been affected by sexism. Beneatha want to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. Beneatha also didn’t care for marriage, this shocked her family. Lena and Ruth shared a more traditional view on marriage and gender roles. Both characters fill the typical female roles as domestic servants.
Racism is a touchy subject that has been major issue ever since its initial startup. Racism is the hatred towards a person or population of a certain race. The United States has taken huge leaps in equality, but there is still a long ways away from completion. Racism has always existed in America. When the nation was in its younger years, people owned people. People of the African American descent were considered property under the eyes of the law. How insane is that? Progress was made since then, but racism has only evolved. In the 1950s, whites and blacks were segregated to the point where they could not go to the same schools or even use the same bathrooms. Throughout A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry criticizes the state of America in the 1950’s and early 60’s. It is fairly obvious to the reader that the author, Hansberry, experienced racism first hand growing up. It was clearly reflected in her literature.
The setting of A Raisin in the Sun is a form of racism on its own.

The Younger’s lived in a ghetto in Chicago. Due to segregated housing, most African Americans were stuck living in the ghetto. However, the family was worried about Lena’s decision to move. They were to move to Clybourne Park, which was a white neighborhood. The younger family hesitated to move to an all white neighborhood. The fear of discrimination caused them to have doubts about moving into a better home. Their hesitation to move, allowed the separation between the blacks and whites to further persist. Their residents at Clybourne Park did not want a black family to move in, so Mr. Linder offers them a deal to stay out of the neighborhood. When Walter Lee begged Lindner for money, he was playing into the role of the inferior black man to a superior white man. Lena scolded him for conforming to the racial

stereotype.
The American Dream is basically what America was founded on. People live their whole life trying to accomplish what they see as their own “American Dream”. A Raisin in the Sun shows that a person’s dreams and aspirations for a better life are not altered by their race. Instead, people of all racial backgrounds can dream big. The American Dream differs from person to person, but the idea of dreaming for a better life is pretty much universal. A Raisin in the Sun shows how an African-American family struggling to live in the segregated times of America dreams of changing their life around.
The “American Dream” differs for each member of the Younger family. For Mama, the “American Dream” is simply giving a better life to her kids. She has come to realize that the only real success in her life can come from her family, and she would do anything for them. On the other hand, Walter's dreams were constructed around the idea that he is a failure. He is married and has a child, yet he still resides with his mother. Walter wanted to be wealthy. He thought becoming rich would prove to everyone and himself that he is not a lost cause. However, after his dream of being rich blows up in his face, he discovers that his American dream revolves around self-respect and family. Meanwhile, Beneatha dreams of becoming a doctor. She saw it as the ultimate goal. However, Beneatha was a woman of color living in the segregated 1950’s. The chances of her becoming a doctor seemed slim, but that didn’t stop her from dreaming. When Walter looses the money, Beneatha lost all hope in her dream and becomes filled with self pity. It takes a friend, Joseph Asagai, to remind her about what really matters in life. With that reminder, Beneatha begins to realize that her success may not depend upon some kind of outward achievement but with her future. Like Mama and Walter, she, too, begins to see the value of family and the importance of keeping her family together. So, the whole Younger family’s American Dream eventually became becoming stronger as a family.
As the “man” of the house, Walter serves as both protagonist and antagonist of the play. Throughout the entirety story, Walter makes mistakes that hurt the family, but he ultimately becomes the hero. The plot shows how evolves as person and realizes the importance of family. Walter is the stereotypical mid-twentieth-century African-American male. As the man of the house, he is expected to be the foundation of the family, but he often failed to do so. With every obstacle the Younger’s faced, Walter believed money would solve it. He dreamt of opening a liquor store and “getting rich quick”. However, things did not go his way. Eventually, he realized that he cannot help his family out of the mess he made for them. He realized that buying the house is more important for the family than becoming wealthy. However, Walter is faced with another obstacle when Mr. Linder makes a deal with him. Walter makes the right choice and refuses Mr. Linder’s offer. His refusal was the turning point for his character. He became somewhat of a hero after he realized what was really important, family.
A Raisin in the Sun explained how racism impacted peoples’ lives. It shined a light on how racial discrimination was experienced differently by many people, but all in all it had some effect on people’s lives, usually in a negative way. Hansberry’s did a superb job depicting life in segregated America, and she did it in a way that was enjoyable yet informative. The play remains a powerful story, teaching readers about race, discrimination, gender roles, family, hope, and of course, the American Dream.
Over the course of the play, it is evident how the each character evolves as an individual. The plot first shows how each character had the own personal dream and what they did to achieve it, whether it be becoming rich or a doctor. When their plans does not go as they intended, each Younger realized what was really important. They realized that no matter of the outcome of their future, their family would always be there for them. The Younger’s realized the most important thing was family. It took each Younger going out on their personal endeavors to realize the importance of family.
A Raisin in the Sun has made its mark in theater history. It was the first play written by an African American woman to ever be on Broadway. A Raisin in the Sun changed American theater forever. It explains racism through the experiences of a powerful family that has to face the struggles of racial and social discrimination. Throughout the play, you learn about many family morals. A Raisin in the Sun has taught millions about how love and trust conquers selfishness.
Although, everyone’s dreams are exceedingly different from one another, however they somehow fulfill the nature of the American Dream. As Hansberry’s play explores both the glories and failures of pursuing the American Dream, she also proves any sort of success comes at a great price. Hansberry showed the world through her literature that racism and sexism do have a negative effect on a person lives, but it does not stop them from dreaming.