Raisin In The Sun
March 11, 1959 was the first Broadway debut of Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun. The play was considered a racial milestone of the time. Stated by The Washington Post, “Its impact on an artistic level had a power like Brown v. Board of Education or Jackie Robinson. It was a moment in theatrical history both epic and serene” (Washington Post 1). A Raisin in the Sun is about a 1950’s African-American family trying to reach their dreams and obtain a better life for themselves. Lorraine Hansberry uses this play as a way to show the struggles of African-American families trying to move towards a better life. Walter Lee Younger dreamed of being successful and wealthy, and giving his family a better life. Walter explains to his family,
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The people of Clybourne Park did not want a black family in their neighborhood, and were prepared to buy the house back from the family. Mr. Linder, a representative of the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, tells Walter Lee, “Our association is prepared, through the collective effort of our people, to buy the house from you at a financial gain to your family” (Act II). The Youngers could take the money, leave the house, and accept the racism coming from the neighborhood, or they could keep the house and their pride. African American families struggled between keeping their pride and falling for temptations which could result in the opposite, such as the Youngers almost had. A Raisin in the Sun had allowed all people to view the average life of an African-American family in the 1950s. Lloyd Richards recalls in the Washington Post, “A white couple said to me, ‘I have never been in a black person’s home, and now you have permitted me to go into that home.’ It was also very important for black audiences because they could go see themselves onstage.” By viewing the struggles that the Youngers faced every day in the play, it gave an understanding to families not in the same situation. This play reveals the average life of an African-American family to all people who otherwise, would not have understood. Lorraine Hansberry uses the play, A Raisin in the Sun, as a way to reveal the struggles
The people of Clybourne Park did not want a black family in their neighborhood, and were prepared to buy the house back from the family. Mr. Linder, a representative of the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, tells Walter Lee, “Our association is prepared, through the collective effort of our people, to buy the house from you at a financial gain to your family” (Act II). The Youngers could take the money, leave the house, and accept the racism coming from the neighborhood, or they could keep the house and their pride. African American families struggled between keeping their pride and falling for temptations which could result in the opposite, such as the Youngers almost had. A Raisin in the Sun had allowed all people to view the average life of an African-American family in the 1950s. Lloyd Richards recalls in the Washington Post, “A white couple said to me, ‘I have never been in a black person’s home, and now you have permitted me to go into that home.’ It was also very important for black audiences because they could go see themselves onstage.” By viewing the struggles that the Youngers faced every day in the play, it gave an understanding to families not in the same situation. This play reveals the average life of an African-American family to all people who otherwise, would not have understood. Lorraine Hansberry uses the play, A Raisin in the Sun, as a way to reveal the struggles