Wednesday, April 30, 2008

A Raisin in the Sun Themes

The Value and Purpose of Dreams
A Raisin in the Sun is essentially about dreams, as the main characters struggle to deal with the oppressive circumstances that rule their lives. The title of the play references a conjecture that Langston Hughes famously posed in a poem he wrote about dreams that were forgotten or put off. He wonders whether those dreams shrivel up “like a raisin in the sun.” Every member of the Younger family has a separate, individual dream—Beneatha wants to become a doctor, for example, and Walter wants to have money so that he can afford things for his family. The Youngers struggle to attain these dreams throughout the play, and much of their happiness and depression is directly related to their attainment of, or failure to attain, these dreams. By the end of the play, they learn that the dream of a house is the most important dream because it unites the family.

The Need to Fight Racial Discrimination
The character of Mr. Lindner makes the theme of racial discrimination prominent in the plot as an issue that the Youngers cannot avoid. The governing body of the Youngers’ new neighborhood, the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, sends Mr. Lindner to persuade them not to move into the all-white Clybourne Park neighborhood. Mr. Lindner and the people he represents can only see the color of the Younger family’s skin, and his offer to bribe the -Youngers to keep them from moving threatens to tear apart the Younger family and the values for which it stands. Ultimately, the Youngers respond to this discrimination with defiance and strength. The play powerfully demonstrates that the way to deal with discrimination is to stand up to it and reassert one’s dignity in the face of it rather than allow it to pass unchecked.


Analysis

"A Raisin in the Sun," by Lorraine Hansberry was a play that depicted the real life struggles of a black family trying to make a living among their oppressors. This family was a representation of black families during the time period of the '50s and '60s. Hansberry addressed many issues within the play including feminist views, racial identity, racism, and abortion rights. The most important issue in the play is the value of one's dreams. The play's focus was on all of the character's personal dreams. They were so focused on their dreams that they stopped working together as a family and began falling apart. In the end, everyone put their dreams aside and was happy just to be family. Hansberry implies that in order for blacks to make it during the time period in which the play was written, they should work together as a family unit first, then shoot for their dreams. Then, they will make it even further.

Racial discrimination is one of the bigger themes too. When Mr. Lindner pleas with the Youngers not to buy the house, it demonstrates back then how the white society viewed a black family trying to better themselves. The strain about their decision continued to pick the family apart, just how discrimination in the '50s and '60s picked families apart. The family's ultimate decision to stand up to Mr. Lindner and buy the house shows why blacks stood up for themselves and their rights during the Civil Rights Movement. Hansberry is saying that in order to move along in life we all must face obstacles, but it is up to us whether or not we look past the obstacle and move along. In this case Hansberry demonstrates that we must look past the obstacle by facing it and then overcoming it. This attitude of standing up for oneself was used frequently during the Civil Rights movement.


Embodiment of the Period

This play captures the spirit of the Civil Rights movements because it shows how a black family lived during the time period of the movement. It also teaches moral lessons that were used during the Civil Rights movement, such as chasing your dreams, sticking with your family, facing racial discrimination in a positive way, and even the search for racial identity.

The biggest motivator of the Civil Rights movement was the dream for blacks to be treated equally. Everyone put aside their own personal dreams to come together and achieve the bigger dream. This concept is what "A Raisin in the Sun" was structured. The Younger family was motivated by their own personal goals, but in order to get what everyone truly wanted, they had to place aside their dreams and work together.

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