Analysis of A Raisin in the Sun

The era during which a drama is written can altogether change or exemplify certain motives, that if written in another time, would not only be misread but could also possibly be entirely unrecognized. It is during the era of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, that two prominent dramatists, Amiri Baraka and Lorraine Hansberry, sought the perfect opportunity to create plays that brought forth, with earnestness and directness, the great trials faced daily by African-Americans throughout the United States. Through their two protagonist's interactions with a representation of the white race of that time, Walter Lee's handling Mr. Lindner in A Raisin In the Sun, and the oppression of Clay caused by Lula in The Dutchman, the very the nature of white and black relations and racism in America, and the responses to the oppression, that these two characters come to symbolize the great Era that their creators belonged to. While the overall plot progression of A Raisin in the Sun circulates around many characters and their motives, goals, and ways through which they work to move past obstacles, it is most important to note from the beginning, that this play is destined to be formulated through Walter. It is his decisions, dreams, errors, and ultimately, his pride that must be examined and put on trial throughout the entire ordeal. Before, an examination between white and black race relations can be made, the character of Walter Lee must be studied, in order for the reader to understand the makeup of the man through which the drama is displayed. From the onset of the drama, Hansberry uses Walter as her ideal African-American man searching for his idea of the Great American dream, something very common to all Americans of the time. He is a man that dreams big, and while working his job hard, is not satisfied with the life he has been living. The obstacles faced in his reality are noted early on as he states, “Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: