Themes of A Raisin in the Sun

There are a number of elements connected to Lorraine Hansberry's drama A Raisin in the Sun that made it a groundbreaking piece of drama when it first played to theater audiences in the 1950s. It was certainly groundbreaking in that it was the first play ever produced on Broadway written by a black woman. The play revolves around the conflicts within the Younger family, but also external to the African American family living in racist America. The play was groundbreaking because it showed details of black family life to white audiences on a level never before seen in popular entertainment. The play was also groundbreaking during this era because of its primarily black cast, but also because of its themes that imply whites have cheated African Americans out of their piece of the American Dream. From candid expressions of hostility toward whites to criticizing run-down tenement conditions, this analysis will discuss some of the groundbreaking elements in A Raisin in the Sun.

In the play, a central theme appears to be that of deferred dreams. As Ardolino (181) notes, "The title comes from Langston Hughes' poem, which compares a dream deferred too long to a raisin rotting in the sun." The Younger family has waited too long to realize their dreams. Living in a harsh and hostile society of racism, Mama Lena nurtures her troubled children as surely as she nurses her prize possession, a spindly plant that gets only fits of light from the apartment's one windo

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n theater. Mama's strength in nurturing her family will prevail, as Ruth ultimately chooses to have her baby. Mama also trusts Walter and gives him the money to buy his dream, but he is duped by a con man and loses the money. Despite this, Mama shows her powerful love that is the glue that keeps African American families surviving in harsh conditions when she forgives him. No matter how angry or upset one might be with her children, Mama maintains "there is always something left to love. And if you ain't learned that, you ain't learned nothing" (Hansberry 129). The cramped, run-down tenement conditions of the Younger overcrowded apartment were also groundbreaking in their impact. The Youngers are about to move into their own house, a long-cherished dream, but the neighborhood to which they plan to move is all white. A Mr. Lindner arrives one day, sent by the neighborhood homeowner's association, to try to bribe the Youngers not to move into the neighborhood. Showing blatant efforts by whites to oppress and discrimination against African Americans was also groundbreaking in an era where segregation was still the norm. Walter, having lost the money Mama gave him, is tempted to take Lindner's offer. Mama's fierce

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