This causes the Youngers to become closer and move in to the new house. When the inheritance arrives walter is has a nervous breakdown and leaves the house for a week or so and mama goes looking for him. Mama doesn’t like seeing her son sad so she eventually ends up giving walter half the money saying to put two thousand in a bank account for bennie his younger sisters schooling and to keep the rest for himself. The money that mama gave walter never gets put into a bank account and ends up getting stolen by his friend Willy Harris.Walter never gets to accomplish his dream of having a liquor store.

• The play begins with a physical description of the Younger’s living conditions, making specific references to the poor condition of the furniture.
• However, he later realizes he has been swindled out of every penny entrusted to him, having given it to an acquaintance who promised to speed up the liquor license process and then skipped town.
• Though today’s outlook upon all races has become very accepting, it does not diminish the hardships and personal tragedies that took place among the history of millions of African Americans in slavery and their descendants.
• She wants a big happy family that can live together in a big house, and Ruth got so happy when she found out mama bought a house.

Lena Younger is a 60-year-old matriarch, meaning she’s a woman who rules or dominates her family. Mama heavily relies on her unyielding faith in God and always puts her family first in all decisions. Ultimately, Mama believes that a man should run the household and is she is eager to demonstrate her confidence in her son’s ability to lead the family. Because of this, after using a portion of the $10,000 insurance check for the down payment on a house in a middle-class neighborhood, mama gives the remainder of the money to her son to keep for their future. Asagai is very intent on putting money towards missions and he thinks that money should be used to help the common good. Overall, Lorraine Hansberry discusses the concept of money a great deal in the play.

Themes

Poems by Langston Hughes will also be incorporated in the paper to better explain the black experiences before the II and Civil Rights Movement. Uncle Tom characters were common in both white and black productions of the time, yet no director before Micheaux had so much as dared to shine a light on the psychology that ravages such characters. By essentially bowing to the two white men, Micheaux implied that Old Ned was less than a man; an individual whittled down to nothing more than yes-man and wholly deprived of self-worth. Additionally, Hansberry develops female gender identity throughout the play by representing three generations of women. Lena assumes the headship of the family in her early thirties after the death of her husband, Walter Senior.

All through the play, Walter is the stereotypical African-American man of the mid-20th century. He serves as the head of the family who strives to provide for his family. Walter’s prime dream is to see and ensure the stability of his financial stability and that of his family . His aspirations are therefore not self-centered and are instead focused on the overall prosperity of the persons who are related to him. In the quest for economic progress, Walter encounters numerous difficulties and hitches, which cause him great frustration.

Revisiting Lorraine Hansberrys Most Famous Play In The Wake Of The Open Letter To White American Theater

Phyllis’ other talents include that of a writer and spoken word artist. In 2019 her piece, “I Love My Mother” was selected and performed by her at the fifth annual season of “Thinking In Full Color’s, which is an award-winning organization that empowers women of color through education and the arts. Having begun her jazz career in Europe, Phyllis was a very well-known vocalist in Italy. Especially noted are her collaborations with great Italian musicians like Tullio De Piscopo and Pino Daniele. She also has performed in several European jazz festivals and music tours, and her international performances include Germany, Italy, and the UK. Upon returning to the US, Phyllis continued her love of jazz with performances at various venues in New York, New Jersey as well as Washington DC. She is also a member of the Carrie Jackson Vocal Collective.

Hansberry conveys the message of oppression through the symbolic use of the setting being limited to the Younger’s living room. The play begins with a physical description of the Younger’s living conditions, making specific references to the poor condition of the furniture. Hansberry successful creates an image of poverty as well as creating a symbol of lost hope.

An introduction to the play by the Westport Country Playhouse, which staged a production directed by Phylicia Rashad in 2012. With the much-anticipated April 3 opening of a new Broadway revival starring Denzel Washington, “A Raisin in the Sun” is again in the spotlight — though for teachers the groundbreaking play has been a classroom staple for decades. First performed on Broadway in 1959, “Raisin” last appeared there 10 years ago, then starring Phylicia Rashad, Sean Combs, Audra McDonald and Sanaa Lathan, a production that was later adapted for television. The two above plays, together with the original, were referred to by Kwei-Armah as “The Raisin Cycle” and were produced together by Baltimore’s Center Stage in the 2012–2013 season. The 2013 play by Kwame Kwei-Armah entitled Beneatha’s Place follows Beneatha after she leaves with Asagai to Nigeria and, instead of becoming a doctor, becomes the Dean of Social Sciences at a respected California university.

Difficulities In The Play A Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry

The manner in which Hansberry presents these problems and the skill with which she weaves them into the basic theme of the work attest the artistry of the playwright. “What defines a man?” is a critical question that Hansberry struggles with throughout the entire play. In many ways, the most debilitating affronts Walter faces are those which relate to his identity as a man, whether it be in his role as father, husband, or son.