In 1959, a play by the writer Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, was successfully staged for the first time on Broadway. This play was chosen as a research subject due to its importance for the theater industry and the overall American culture. This work combines well all significant social problems that are relevant at all times. In particular, it illustrates the significance of ethnic identity and its way of integration into society.
The protagonists confront obstacles that invaded America in the middle of the last century. In particular, a definite bias based on belonging to a different race. They also face a severe dilemma on how to preserve their culture and traditions in a white privileged society without losing the sense of self-dignity and alliance. The work raises serious topics about a woman’s place in the family, the complexity of self-identification in a distant environment, and diverse forms of integrating into an alienated community (A Raisin in the Sun. Drama for Students 139). Despite the humorous tone of the narrative, the play provides a serious theme for reflection: the undeniable importance of ethnic equality, traditions, and self-dignity preservation.
The work had a huge significance to the theater and American culture. The performance of this play happened to be a resounding triumph, with all the famous theater critics proclaiming it the Best Play of the Year. With this accomplishment, Hansberry proclaimed the absolute breakthrough of the Black drama onto the American stage (Mhayyal). The famous American publicist James Baldwin wrote in his review that the American theater had never seen such a true story of the life of a Black family (qt. in Lorraine Hansberry Papers, 5). Many previous plays about the life of Blacks: In Abraham’s Bosom (1927) by Paul Green, Big White Mist (1938) by Theodore Ward, and “Mulatto” (1934), directed by Langston Hughes, were unsuccessful.
This kind of play, for a long time, was considered second-rate material for the entertainment of the public (Wilkerson). Like many of her colleagues, Hansberry had to break through the barrier of misleading stereotypes about Black people, who were often dismissively presented as grotesque characters. A Raisin in the Sun has finally succeeded in carrying the severity of ethnic injustice and imperfection of the social structure, which was truly overwhelming for the progressive twentieth century.
For a more careful examination of the play, it is essential to get familiarized with the biography of the writer and the main features of her civic beliefs. Lorraine Hansberry used many ideas from her cultural background and life wisdom to convey them in performance, where she managed to reveal her spirit and personal beliefs on things. Both of Lorraine’s parents were closely associated with the Black civil rights movement and were well acquainted with the most prominent Black intellectuals of the time. The girl who grew up on these ideas proceeded to strive for equality, participating in various actions and demonstrations in support of ethnic minorities.
In 1951, Hansberry moved to New York and became a journalist for the African American newspaper Freedom Newspaper, where she covered serious topics, including a horrific number of racist crimes (Wilkerson). The writer decided to resist the system by interacting with an audience, and the Broadway stage also turned out to be the most convenient and peaceful platform for this purpose. The play got a wide acknowledgment and eventually made viewers look at the life of Black families from a different angle.
The performance is distinguished by a variety of main characters and central plot lines. The play is written about a family of African Americans striving to achieve the American Dream in a society where all favors are against them. The main characters include the married couple, Walter Lee and Ruth Younger, forced to live under the same roof with Walter’s mother, Lena, and his sister Beneatha due to an overall desperate financial situation. The action begins with the Younger’s family awaiting payment of ten thousand dollars on Mr. Younger’s life insurance policy. Each character has a dream and idea of how to spend insurance money.
Financial instability and an inhospitable community make all family members feel misplaced and uncomfortable. All protagonists follow the thorny path of self-identification in a white privileged society and search for a place in life. At the end of the performance, all the characters understand the ultimate value of strong family ties and traditions (Hansberry). They are heading for a new life in the White quarter with the hope of a bright future, despite all possible prejudices from neighbors.
The central idea of the play has to be precisely viewed through the critical lens of ethnic studies. During the twentieth century, the life experience of African Americans in America changed dramatically. The work edited by Dorsch reveals all the severe issues of racism, bigotry, and the importance of self-identity in the play (139-140). Lena’s story was started during a period when severe racial discrimination predominated, so Blacks had few chances to reach their dreams. However, the other family members, Walter, Ruth, and Beneatha, grew up in a society where the remains of oppression and slavery have almost left the consciousness of young people.
They have the opportunity to get an education, a decent profession, and choose a life path for themselves. Despite the apparent hope of achieving these privileges, they face constant discrimination and severe financial instability caused by ethnicity. For example, a family is not allowed to obtain a house in the White quarter; someone tries to acquire their apartment to avoid the disturbance among White neighbors (Hansberry). The play shows that such injustice can force a person into a confrontation with their ethnic dignity and morals for a peaceful life.
The play determines the dispute between recognition and rejection of ethnic identity. In a society that is distinctly negatively disposed towards other ethnic groups, a person may have various diverse paths. The writer pointed out the opposition of different approaches through two of Beneatha’s admirers. Traditions conflict with the abandonment of own culture in favor of an uncertain future within the white privileged society. One young man is represented as a fully assimilated Black American who denies his African origin in every possible way. He is rich and educated but impudent and does not care about anybody with related concerns.
King, in his review, calls this image slightly grotesque, as if aimed at the conscious creation of a precisely negative character (56). The second admirer honors his roots and has a dream to leave for Nigeria to pursue medicine. It is no coincidence that these two images are sharply contrasted in the play; both take a radically different approach to life and confer Beneatha with complex choices. The girl chooses the second young man, thereby emphasizing the moral of the play and the main idea of the importance of preserving ethnic self-identification.
The work includes the concept of the “black” dream and disagreements due to the generation gap. Looking at the wishes of Lena and her children, one can see the gap between generations and their concept of a peaceful future. The woman remembers well the time of great oppression and misfortune towards Black people, so her biggest dream is a safe shelter for the family. However, in the 1960s, African Americans were much more likely to own a home. Walter already grew up with this chance and had a very different goal of becoming a successful businessman. Beneatha is a feminist black woman who is willing to compete for medical education and social acceptance.
Walter’s wife has a more dramatic dream – to save the life of an unborn child; the challenging financial situation pushes Ruth to have an abortion. Elena once lost her child due to severe poverty; she understands Ruth’s feelings and supports her desire to keep the child (Hansberry). From these notes, the exposed connection between the motives of the protagonists and their cultural and ethnic origins can be considered.
The plot presents the confrontation between American Dream and the harsh reality. The American Dream is the well-known belief that everyone who lives in the United States has a great chance to achieve any dream through hard work and dedication. Fulfilling this dream demands an honest work ethic and heartful dedication; these features persist timelessly. However, in reality, almost everything is strictly determined by the socio-economic status of a person. It raises a reasonable question about the place of justice and equal possibilities for a good life in a society where the color of skin can be crucial in determining education or housing.
Mhayyal provides a comprehensive analysis of all the characters’ visions through the concept of the American Dream. He notes that all characters have very conventional desires that are challenging to fulfill only because of their different ethnic group (Mhayyal). The harsh injustice and constant anxiety on this matter are felt throughout the play and lead to tense and rejecting family interactions. Each family member overly focused on the personal American Dream rather than the overall happiness of the family.
The play questions stereotypes of 1950s America as a country full of fulfilled housewives with a fine home and all comforts. The women in this play represent three generations of Black women who continue to believe in a better future for themselves. They continue to work hard and fight despite constant pressure from their own family and society. Lena is the voice of prudence; she gives heartful care and support to the whole family. She directs everyone on the right path and encourages them in every thinkable way.
Ruth also encourages her husband despite evidence of neglect and even sending her on abortion. Beneatha represents a youthful and rebellious generation, leading towards equal rights regarding society and within the family. While the intentions of women vary by subject, they all attempt to enhance their social roles. Although some people have already received the freedom of action and choice, Black women still had a challenging way to declare their rights (A Raisin in the Sun. Drama for Students 138). The play also shows the gender side of the imperfection of society.
For some readers of the work, the precise attention to the ethnic problem in the performance A Raisin in the Sun may seem obscure. At first glance, the story was written by a Black writer for Black public entertainment. The story is quite easy to sense and has a happy ending, where everyone is settled and happily moves into a brighter future. However, in this case, you cannot neglect the biography details of the creator, the time of writing the work, and the multiple messages deliberately embedded in the plot.
None of these components were coincidences or made no sense. Lorraine Hansberry has mentioned that she does not separate herself as a civilian and an artist (Wilkerson). It determines a valid part of her audacious civic beliefs and opposition in all of her work. The play was another way to announce these ideas to the general public from the wide Broadway stage. Her beliefs were heard and allowed people to recognize the unfair fact that the prevailing system was exceptionally brutal towards vulnerable people without any social protection.
In the context of this performance, the importance of choosing a specific title for the work needs to be discussed. Almost all studies and reviews of this play draw a parallel between the title and the story itself. There is a straight line in the text where Walter says that dreams of a Black American can dry out as easily as raisins in the sun. The work, edited by Dorsch, fully describes the essence of this metaphor and the importance of using it in the title (140).
However, another association with the central characters is quite reasonable. An irritable society can resemble the scorching, fierce sun, which takes away any positive sensations from all family members and turns them into something harsh. Walter does not care about his mother’s prayers and takes money for his needs. Beneatha roughly rejects to acquire religion even for the sake of her mother, and so on. All protagonists experience a feeling of empathic thirst and exhaustion, as if under the burning sun. The title of the work is a direct reference to the dreams and feelings of the main characters.
The performance A Raisin in the Sun proposes several debatable topics concerning the freedoms and rights of ethnic minorities in the white-privileged society. Each protagonist of the play has a dream, which somehow has a direct bearing on the origin and lifestyle of the owner. All protagonists are characters with a pronounced gray morality; they manage to combine positive and negative traits. The play examines how Black Americans have managed to interact with American society in the past century and reveals multiple broken patterns of cultural bias and denial. In addition, the work explicates the influence of a woman’s place in the family and society.
To better understand the play, it needs to be viewed in conjunction with the author’s biography, her equality campaign, and the bold ideas for the Black civil rights movement. This performance remains relevant to this day in connection with the talented staging and discussion in the artistic form of rather acute social topics.
Works Cited
Hansberry, Lorraine. “A Raisin in the Sun”. Vintage books, 1994. Google books. Web.
King, Eric S. “African Americans and the Crisis of Modernity: An Interpretation of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun“. Ethnic Studies Review, vol. 41, no. 1-2, 2018, pp. 53–60.
Lorraine Hansberry Papers, Sc MG 680, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The New York Public Library. Archives&Manuscripts. Web.
Mhayyal, Basaad Maher. “That is the Dream. American Dream in Lorrain Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun”. Annals of the Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, vol. 46, 2018. Web.
Wilkerson, Margaret Buford. “The Sighted Eyes and Feeling Heart of Lorraine Hansberry.” African American Review, vol. 50, no. 4, 2017. Gale Literature Resource Center. Web.
“A Raisin in the Sun.” Drama for Students, edited by Kristen A. Dorsch, vol. 37, Gale, 2020, pp. 129–152. Gale eBooks. Web.