The manner in which Hansberry presents these problems and the skill with which she weaves them into the basic theme of the work attest the artistry of the playwright. “What defines a man?” is a critical question that Hansberry struggles with throughout the entire play. In many ways, the most debilitating affronts Walter faces are those which relate to his identity as a man, whether it be in his role as father, husband, or son.
All the family members are dreaming of having a better lifestyle after having this amount, but their dreams ended in smoke when the money seems to have gone as easily as it has come. Yet another symbol of nature or natural symbol is mama’s plant, which represents her care and dream for her family. When she first appeared on stage, mama moves straight toward the plant to take care of it. She states that the plant never gets enough light or water, but she takes pride in how it still grows beautifully under her hands. So much nature is composed in this description of the plant and this therefore reveals about mama and how caring she is; a natural quality of any mother.
Difficulities In The Play A Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry
Even though slavery had been abolished, colored people were not treated equally. The most significant scene which openly portrays racism, however, is the visit with Karl Lindner. Although he does not identify himself as racist, and although his tactics are less violent than some, he wants to live in an all-White neighborhood—and he is willing to pay the Youngers off to stay out of White neighborhoods. This type of racism is often dangerous because it is more easily hidden.
“A Raisin in the Sun” is the story of a lower class black family living on the south side of Chicago. The Youngers struggle socially and economically throughout the play but unite in the end to realize their dream of buying a house. Mama strongly believes in the importance of family, and she tries to teach this value to her family as she struggles to keep them together and functioning. Walter and Beneatha learn this lesson about family at the end of the play, when Walter must deal with the loss of the stolen insurance money and Beneatha denies Walter as a brother.
A Raisin In The Sun Themes Essay
The nourishment of Walker by Ruth is symbolized through nature; eggs and life between man and woman. Difficulities in the Play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry In the four years between 1861 and 1865 this country was in civil war over the rights and freedom of blacks in America. When all was said and done, the blacks won their freedom and gained several rights that made my day would make their lives better. Nearly one hundred years later, in 1959, Lorraine Hansberry wrote her great play, A Raisin in the Sun. Meanwhile when walter was losing over half of the inheritance money mama is buying a house that will fit their needs, is in a good neighborhood, and is in her budget.
In either case, you can also check our free essay examples for “A Raisin In The Sun”, which focuses on various relevant questions. Use quotes good from the book to support your ideas and don’t forget to mention the symbolism of dreams. Mama attempts to teach her family that money isn’t everything and tries to instill in them strong values, such as taking pride in themselves and their dreams. However, Mama does hold the insurance check very dear to her heart. In The Dead, Joyce’s Dubliners are trapped in monotonous lives of frustration and negativity. Obviously, Gabriel has been enduring a broken marriage because of the paralysis, a natural condition experienced by most of the characters in the book.
- These dreams result in conflict between the family and pose a question of whether Walter Lee and Beneatha’s intent for the use of the money is more important than the unity of the family.
- Some examples from the play are when the mama gave a speech to Beneatha about when to love someone.
- ” that here we can assimilate to Walter that needs to tell what he has been holding for so long and truly explodes towards this assimilationist who seems to consider himself above this fight.
- Civil Rights and the 1950s TheatreCivil Rights and the 1950s Theatre Civil rights was and still is an ever changing picture.
Mama has lived in poverty for her entire life, and it is because of this poverty that she lost her baby, “little Claude” . Ruth, however, has had the opportunity to raise a healthy son, and since she has never known any other way, she takes this for granted. Ruth does not view her unborn child as part of the family, and thus when determining what is in her family’s best interest, she fails to think of the baby. Ruth comes to the conclusion that bringing another child into their already crowded apartment would be unfair to her family. Mama, on the other hand, is grateful for being able to have the opportunity to give birth to a healthy baby, since she knows that at the time many African-American babies were dying from poverty, and just a short time before, from slavery. It is because of this that she strongly disagrees with Ruth’s decision to have an abortion.
Rather than pushing her away, family turned out to be the element that brought her in and encouraged her to find her identity as a mother. What describes family is not the people who are blood related or someone who has an obligation. Family is the people who play the largest role in shaping identity. Now, that identity can take the form of a number of characteristics in relation to family. No matter how adoring a family might be, with their newfound identity, it is not always in the best interest of the individual to stay close to home.