raisin in the sun

A detailed Summary of raisin in the sun


In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, four major characters struggle to hang onto their quest for the American Dream. Cramped in an apartment in the slums of Southside Chicago, the Younger family have discovered that the idea that hard work will purchase a house, a safe neighborhood, and a future for their children, is not working. Despite their perseverance as domestics or as a chauffeur, their chance for growth seems as dismal as the only natural light which "fights its way through" a single window in the kitchen(Hansberry 24). The author uses Langston Hughes' poem "A Dream Deferred" as a preface for her play. It captures the effect of each character's battle wit the dreams held up too long.

In the first line of Langston Hughes' poem, it asks the question, "What happens to a dream deferred?


I remember just as well the day me and Big Walter moved in here. Hadn't been married but two weeks, and wasn't planning on living here no more than a year. We was going to set away little by little... and buy a little place out in Morgan Park. We had even picked out the house. (44)

Throughout the story, Mama's only ambition was to do everything in her power to insure that her family will have everything they need to live a happy and meaningful life.



Some common words found in the essay are:
Morgan Park, Sun Mama's, Southside Chicago, Scene Act, Act II, American Dream, Dream Deferred, Langston Hughes', Raisin Sun, Dream Cramped, raisin sun, american dream, dream deferred, hansberry scene act, hughes' poem, hansberry scene, langston hughes', mama's dream, scene act, throughout story, langston hughes' poem,

Approximate Word count = 563
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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