What Is The Metaphor Of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Lorraine Hansberry’s carefully selected words in the play A Raisin in the Sun, prove to be a metaphor of the Younger’s past, present, and future life. During this time in American history it was hard for black people to make a name for themselves, and they were almost never seen as equals to white lives. As Hansberry describes the house in which the Younger’s live, she is always describing the struggle that they face. She starts this by saying “The Younger living room would be comfortable and well-ordered room if it were not for a number of indestructible contradictions to this state of being” (Hansberry 23). One could assume that has Hansberry speaks of the living room she is actually speaking of the lives of the Younger’s. Therefore as we

first get introduced to the Younger’s we can already vividly see that they have faced challenges in their life, and it probably goes back to their ancestors. Not only this but the challenges that are spoke of seem to be permanent and never ending, almost like the Younger’s will always face them and these barriers with never be broken.

The reader can see that if the obstacles that the Younger’s face could be torn down then they would be able to live complacent in their lives. Moreover Hansberry as selected words like “comfortable”, and “indestructible” to make it clear to the reader that the lives of the Younger’s have not been easy and a lot of what they struggle with will most likely never change. The battles that the Younger’s face can be further understood when Hansberry states, “Now the once loved pattern of the couch upholstery has to fight to show itself from under the acres of crocheted doilies and couch covers which themselves finally come to be more important than the upholstery”(Hansberry 23). If one were to look back on this part after reading the book it could be clearly seen that the playwright was trying to inform the reader that the Younger’s were going to step out of the box. They do this by buying a house that is in a white neighborhood. They were loved and nothing was ruined but now that they want to try at a better life they will be beaten down and torn

apart. One could see from this that the Younger’s are like the upholstery and the common belief of them or what is said about them is the crocheted doilies or patches.

Furthermore whatever if being said about the Younger’s is what is heard more and the true identity of the Younger’s and the kinds of people they are is not seen and is not understood. Together with this Hansberry as chosen these words to express to the reader that one's true identity can have the possibility of being hidden by rumors and what the popularity of people believe. Additionally, the reader is informed about how the life of the youngers will be when one reads,” but the carpet has fought back by showing its weariness, with depressing uniformity, elsewhere on its surface” (Hansberry 23). From this one could predict that even though it has been hidden eventually people will see that the Younger’s are hardworking people. People will begin to see they are just like everybody else in the neighborhood and do as much for the community as any other family. One could see that the Younger’s will fight for people to see this quality in them and they will surpass all the negativity and rumors around them. Has Hansberry finishes her introduction she says “Weariness has in fact, won in this room” (Hansberry

23). This thus furthers the point that eventually people will see the true challenges the Younger’s face and how much harder their life is because of it. One can assume that their hard work will pay off and soon enough they will be understood. The Younger’s will always face challenges in their life but it is their constant hard work that in the end will prevail. Lorraine Hansberry does a spectacular job in discreetly providing metaphors throughout the whole introduction educating the reader on both the living conditions of the Younger’s but also their entire lives.