Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry explores the life of a black family during the Civil rights Era in the United States. They faced rough discrimination and poverty but receive an extensive amount of money from an insurance claim that had the potential change their lives. That is the shallow view of the play, in the light of analysis, however, the characters and objects represent much larger ideas. Mama’s plant is an important object that symbolizes not only the state of the family, but the condition of the people during the Civil Rights Movement itself.
From the very beginning of Act One it is evident that the family is tense around each other. Travis is “outraged” after Ruth refuses to give him the fifty cents for school, and Ruth

After Walter had lost the sixty-five hundred dollars Mama had trusted to him it appeared the Youngers were no longer going to make the move to Clybourne Park. Mama then ‘goes to her plant, which has remained on the table, looks at it, picks it up and takes it to the windowsill” symbolizing defeat(Hansberry, 139). The plant which -- symbolizes the state of the family -- is returned to its original lightless spot. The family is going to stay in their rayless apartment on the southside. The money was their sunlight; their hope and it was stolen. That changes, however, at the very end of the play. Walter realizes that they have to move into the house for their pride, for their father, for their happiness. On their way out “The door opens and she [Mama] comes back in, grabs her plant, then goes out for the last time” (Hansberry, 151). Just like the family the plant is leaving to soak up the summer’s blaze. The play never mentions what happens to the Youngers after this moment, but we can assume it’s good because they are finally going somewhere. The plant parallels the people of The civil Rights movement here, they are making progress and going places men and women never thought possible. They are receiving equality, opportunity, and sunlight. They have hope for a better future for themselves and their