A Raisin in the Sun portrays the daily life of the African-American family, and the topic itself is a component of a modern play. The issues in the film and original piece concern racism, social struggle, and other relevant matters that people faced both in the 1960s and still encounter today. In the second act, the following scene occurs:
Mama: Son—how come you talk so much ’bout money?
Walter (With immense passion): Because it is life, Mama! (Hansberry and Nemiroff, 76)
Such a dialogue represents the worries that ordinary people go through and suits the model of a modern play described by M. H. Abrams.
A Raisin in the Sun provides thoughtful insights into the society of that time. Before the play, in Broadway tradition, the African-American community frequently was displayed cheerful and lively. However, Lorraine Hansberry demonstrated that reality differs from the fiction world. The concept of mimesis is one of the central implications of the original play, and its primary objective is to show the real world as it is. For instance, at the beginning of the A Raisin in the Sun, Walter wonders, “The things I want to talk about with my friends just couldn’t be important in your mind, could they?” (Hansberry and Nemiroff 30). The scene represents the anger and discontent of the family members, and, unfortunately, is something that might frequently be seen in the real world.
While the film adaptation generally follows the flow of the play, there are some differences between them. For instance, some of the music themes chosen in the movie feel inappropriate. Additionally, the movie has some dialogues that were absent in the original play. Summing up, I enjoyed reading the original text of the play more than the film adaption but that is probably due to personal preferences and not because of the movie itself. Nevertheless, the film might have a more powerful impact on the contemporary audience due to the convenience and effectiveness of movie-watching compared to reading.
Work Cited
Hansberry, Loraine, and Robert Nemiroff. A Raisin in the Sun with an Introduction by Robert Nemiroff. Vintage books, 1994.