Marvin Vaca
Professor Eszter Szalczer
ATHR 121Z/Play Analysis

16 April 2012
A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry, playwright of “A Raisin in the Sun,” was born in 1930, but tragically died at the young age of thirty-five. Her shocking death was a huge loss for the American drama community; she seemed to be in line for a very promising career. Hansberry was raised in Chicago and her family was of middle-class. However, her father always wanted a better life and he spent most of his existence in search of this. Her father died in 1945 and it was around that time when Hansberry first attended college. She wanted to be a visual artist before becoming a playwright. Eventually, Hansberry moved to New York and met a playwright named Howard Nemiroff who she would ultimately marry. This is when Hansberry wrote “A Raisin in the Sun” and propelled herself into the dramatic limelight. “A Raisin in the Sun” was first produced on Broadway in 1959 and it embodied the struggles ad triumphs of Blacks in America. The title of the play was taken from one of Langston Hughes’ poems and is, to this day, one of the most popular plays in American drama. “A Raisin in the Sun” is a play that focuses on the lives of the Younger family. The Younger’s live in South-Side Chicago and the drama starts off with the family discussing the $10,000 dollars they are in line to receive from the insurance policy that Mr. Younger left in case he died. Mr. Younger passed away, but made sure his family would be in good hands; however, the problem arises when each character has different visions for how to use the money. Walter, Mr. Younger’s son, wants to open up a liquor store with his friend. Beneatha, Walter’s sister, wants to use the money so that she can go to medical school. “Mama,” Walter’s mother, wants to use the money so that she can move the family into a bigger house. She believes that is what her husband would have wanted. The play begins to progress and tension fills the house because of the money. Ruth, Walter’s wife, agrees with Mama about moving into a new home because they all live in a cramped tenement. There is no room for their child to grow and there are simply too many people in one apartment. Walter really believes that he can start a successful business by investing in a liquor store, but Mama finds the idea ridiculous and does not really support him. This drives Walter insane because he feels like since he is technically the new man of the house, he should be trusted with making decisions of this nature. The turning point of the play occurs when Ruth gets pregnant. The fact that there is not a suitable living space for the baby causes Ruth to really