A RAISIN IN THE SUN

Set in the aftermath of World War II, the Younger family is facing its own war against racism in the
Chicago slums. Americas complicated history of racial tension between black Americans and white
Americans is ingrained into the Youngers everyday lives. Single mother (and grandmother) Lena
Younger, her daughter Beneatha, and her son Walter (plus his wife Ruth and their son Travis)
squeeze into a run-down two-bedroom apartment. According to our count, thats five people in a
space built for three.
Not only do these characters feel confined by their physical home space, they also feel restricted by
the social roles theyve been assigned. For example, socially-progressive Beneatha (Bennie) studies
to become a doctor, despite the financial strain it puts on the low-income family. Walter works as a
chauffeur for a white man, but he dreams of opening a liquor store with his buddies and making
more money for his family. His wife Ruth draws no attention to her own desires, cleaning up after the
rest of the family members as well as the houses where she works. Toward the beginning of the play,
we learn that Ruth is pregnant, which only complicates the family situation. The family is not affluent
enough to provide for another life, so Ruth prepares to abort her child.
But the Youngers have a chance at a new beginning. Ten thousand dollars is coming in the mail, and
Lena must decide what to do with it. Bennie hopes for tuition money, Walter hopes for the down
payment on his liquor store, and Ruth just wants her family to be happy. Then three huge events
happen: 1) Lena decides to buy a house for the familyin a white neighborhood, 2) Lena entrusts
the rest of the money to Walter, advising him to save a good amount for Beneathas schooling, and
3) Walter loses all the money in the liquor store scam. Morale goes from the highest of highs to the
lowest of lows.
When a white man, Karl, comes to buy out the Youngers new house, Walter figures that giving in to
The Man is the only way to get some money for his family. In the plays climactic moment, Walter
must decide between standing up for his familys rights and standing up for his ego and role as the
breadwinner of the family. Fortunately for the Youngers, and for Broadway history, Walter sides with
his familys rights and declines Karls offer. The family will move into their new home.

iterary Devices in A Raisin in the Sun

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

The plant that Mama keeps near the apartments sole window is barely surviving because it lacks
adequate nourishment. Sound like anyone else we know? Yet she is completely dedicated to the
pl...

Setting
The ApartmentHansberry welcomes us into the tiny apartment of the Younger family. This place is
really cramped, especially with five people living in it. On stage we see the kitchen, which is so...

Genre
A Raisin in the Sun was part of a broader movement to portray the lives of ordinary, working-class
African-Americans. The genre of Realism captures ordinary life, and A Raisin in the Sun definitely...

Tone
Life is rough for the Younger family, and Hansberry's use of somber tone is appropriate to that. At
the same time, however, she injects a heavy dose of irony and sarcasm. Did you notice how
Hansber...

Whats Up With the Title?

Hansberry names the play after a line in the poem "Harlem" (sometimes called "Dream Deferred"),
by the great Harlem Rennaisance poet Langston Hughes. In the poem, Hughes asks: "What
happens to a dr...

Whats Up With the Epigraph?

What happens to a dream deferred?Does it dry uplike a raisin in the sun?Or fester like a sore--And
then run?Does it stink like rotten meat?Or crust and sugar over--like a syrupy sweet?Maybe it just...

Plot Analysis
The Youngers, living in the Chicago slums, wait for an important check in the mail.The play opens
with the five members of the Younger family working their butts off, living in a cramped roach-infe...

Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis

Five family members crowd into a three-room, roach-infested apartment Sounds pretty wretched to
us. The Younger family doesnt have much except for dreams. Walter dreams of a great business
c...

Three Act Plot Analysis

The Younger family awaits a check in the mail. This Holy Grail will fulfill their respective
dreams.Lena announces shes bought a house in a white neighborhood; a totally-not-racist-at-all (r...

Trivia
A Raisin in the Sun was the first show to make it to Broadway that was written by an African
American woman (Lorraine Hansberry). It is also the first show on Broadway with a Black American
directo...

Steaminess Rating
Beneatha goes on dates and Ruth is pregnant. Thats about as sexy as things get.