a raisin in the sun
TRANSCRIPT
Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, is about an African American
family that fights an intense battle within themselves to responsibly use an insurance
check they receive. There are many serious under and overtones to the story. Several of
them include the importance of family, the value of dreams, and the need to fight racial
discrimination.
The Younger family shows an incredibly strong sense of family in A Raisin in the
Sun. They stay strong at all times, both the good and the bad. Even though they have
their fights amongst themselves, they pull it all together in the end. One point in the story
where their strength shines is when Mr. Lindner attempts to buy their new house from
them to keep black people out of that neighborhood. The whole family stood together
and told him that it was their house, and that they wouldn’t give it up for the world. In
fact, the whole reason behind Mama buying the house was to try and pull the family
closer together. Her intentions were clear when she told Walter, “Son---you---you
understand what I done, don’t you? I—I just seen my family falling apart today…We
was going backwards ‘stead of forwards…When it gets like that in life – you just got to
do something different, push on out and do something bigger…” Mama believes that by
buying that house she gave her family a better place to live, and “a big yard for Travis to
play in.”
Dreams and aspirations are also evident in the play. Every member of the
Younger family has dreams, and better yet, they all want to use their dreams to help the
family, but the only problem is that they all want to use Big Walter’s insurance check to
give them a jump-start. During an argument about her medical school, Beneatha says, “…
it’s Mama’s money.” Walter then says,
“He was my father, too!”
“So what? He was mine, too…but the insurance money belongs to Mama.
Picking on me is not going to make her give it to you to invest in a liquor store…”
Walter wanted to invest in a liquor store with his two friends, Willy and Bobo, but Willy
ends up taking all the money and running.
A Raisin in the Sun shows prejudice in some of its cruelest forms. Mr. Lindner’s visit
to their house representing the “welcoming committee of Clybourne Park” is a perfect
example. He arrives to basically inform them that the residents of Clybourne Park do not
want any black people moving in. When Walter hears his offer he is tempted to take it at
first, but then he realizes what his family would think of him for doing such a thing and
tells Mr. Lindner that he might call him later. When Lindner leaves, he discusses it with
the rest of the family and they decide that they would not give in to the racist hate
machine. Even through the horrible experience of racism, their family held strong.
Lorraine Hansberry uses many different themes and symbols in A Raisin in the Sun,
most of them relating to multiple characters. No matter whether it is Walter’s plans for
the liquor store or Beneatha’s medical school costs, the Youngers stayed together through
it all. They suffered the hate of an entire neighborhood, and then still decided to move
into it. More importantly, they stood strong through it all and helped each other through
it, which is what families should do. The Youngers are an ideal American family, and the
themes and values of their story should be commonly exercised today.