Segregation In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

“Mama-sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool quiet looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking bout things…sitting there turning deals worth millions of dollars…sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me’’- (1.2.226). A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry was published in 1959, develops the plot of an African American family facing a war against racism in the slums of Chicago.

Although she is happy with mama’s decision to buy a house, Ruth is more concerned with receiving the affection of her husband and keeping him happy than the consequences or the moral implications his decisions will have. Ruth maintains the apartment they live in and most of the time, goes along with whatever Walter says. This is where Ruth and Mama differ; Mama wants Walter to be happy but not at the cost of doing something morally wrong, Ruth will do whatever it takes to make Walter happy. We see this when Ruth is contemplating having an abortion in order not to complicate living arrangements in the apartment and to allow Walter the financial means to pursue his goals. She also intends to keep it from Walter so spare him the burden of having to make a decision like that. When Mama find out about the abortion, she is appalled and says, “…we a people who give children life, not who destroys them.” Mama also succeeds in expressing her rich values and nurturing nature in Act III, Scene Three, when it is discovered that Walter has lost the remainder of the insurance money when his liquor store investment partner disappears with the money. Beneatha goes into a rage and openly expresses her hatred and contempt for her brother, and says, “He’s no brother of mine.”(Hansbury 3.3)

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a play that displays housing discrimination in Chicago during the 1950s. Housing discrimination was partially an effect of the Great Migration. This was an event during the 1950s that resulted in about six million African Americans “migrating” from the south to the north, Midwest, and west regions of the United States. This caused the population of black people in major northern cities to increase rapidly. They are then only able to live in certain neighborhoods, which keeps their communities segregated.

She often doesn’t like conflict and is often the peacemaker in the house. Mama is known for her modesty and not caring what she does and does not have. “You must not dislike people ‘cause they well off, honey.” Even though it’s shown that Mama is more of a peacekeeper, she doesn’t take disrespect. “Mama absorbs this speech, studies her daughter and rises slowly and crosses to Beneatha and slaps her powerfully across the face.” Mama is the type of person that will put someone into place if it seems like they are getting out of place, which makes her impactful to the characters in the house. Lena’s humbleness, kindness, and judgement makes her an influence on the characters and the plot of A Raisin in the Sun.

Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is a play about segregation, triumph, and coping with personal tragedy. Set in Southside Chicago, A Raisin in the Sun focuses on the individual dreams of the Younger family and their personal achievement. The Younger's are an African American family besieged by poverty, personal desires, and the ultimate struggle against the hateful ugliness of racism. Lena Younger, Mama, is the protagonist of the story and the eldest Younger. She dreams of many freedoms, freedom to garden, freedom to raise a societal-viewed equal family, and freedom to live liberated of segregation. Next in succession is Beneatha Younger, Mama's daughter, assimilationist, and one who dreams of aiding people by breaking down

Lorraine Hansberry's 'A Raisin in the Sun' showed the different ideas that African American families had during the Civil Rights era. Hansberry used each member of the Younger family was to portray the

Mama says this after Beneatha tells Mama that there is nothing left in her brother, Walter to love. Mama’s dream of a better quality of life is deferred because she has carry the responsibility of tending to a family with so much indifference and of holding together the few pieces of her family left together.

A Raisin in the Sun was written by Lorraine Hansberry and is a play about an African American family who are struggling in the 1950’s to keep the family together. Although the play is portrayed in the 50’s many issues like the economy, racism, and family dynamics the characters had to face; these issues are still issues in the 21st century.

Mama really looks at herself as a strong women that could do anything a man could, if not better. She is built like a man and even dresses like one too. Without a doubt Mama could, and will always, provide for her family. Mama “can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man. One winter I knocked a bull calf straight in the brain between the eyes with a sledge hammer and had the meat hung up to chill before nightfall.” (Everyday Use pg1). As one could see, Mama is in fact very masculine, and could pull her own weight, physically and metaphorically. Mama isn’t skinny but, her “fat keeps her hot in zero weather” (Everyday Use pg1). Mama “can work outside all day, and breaking ice to get water for washing clothes” (Everyday Use pg1). Even though Mama is such a strong woman, there are many flaws, but not so much with her, more of her family. Her youngest daughter, Maggie, was burned in a house fire, which has left her broken and battered, and her oldest, Dee, was her bright child, who Mama always adored and loved. Maggie was always overlooked because she was never the pretty one nor the smartest one. Mama was so proud of Dee, because Dee is going to college to expand her knowledge and she had a bright

In the play A Raisin in the Sun Mama has the role of being a mother figure for all of the characters. She is a very outgoing women who loves her family. Overall, Mama wants her family to succeed in life. In addition, when it comes to momentous family decisions she does what she believes is best for everyone. However, other members of family sometimes have contradicting beliefs, which makes them feel like their house is matriarchal. I believe that their house is Matriarchal, but Mama’s decisiveness is for the best of everyone. In conclusion, Mama is not a tyrant because she makes decisions for the best of her family, the money belongs to her, and she wants to see her dream come true.

Mama concerns herself only with the fact that she and her family will own the house, and not have to dwell in the tired, old apartment on Chicago's Southside. In a sense, Mama's dream has "crust[ed] and sugar[ed] over like a sugary sweet" (Hughes Lines 7-8). Her dream has changed to fit the circumstances she must cope with. The character of Mama represents those who do not shrivel up and die just because their dream does.

Mama grew up in generation where grandparents had most likely been slaves. Her life was hard but unlike those of her parents or grandparents, she was given the privilege to work. She was finally given a way to sustain herself and her family, keep them afloat, all while in their modest cozy home. Taking from the fact that she most likely grew up with nothing it makes sense when you see how complainant she is. She’s simply thankful that her family can eat, for her that is enough. MAMA

Mama is also having to difficulties because of race,she is also struggling because of race . Mama is the mother of Walter and Beneatha, grandma of Travis and mother in law of Ruth. Mama has a plant that represent or symbolizes the younger family and she loves that plant a lot. One quote that shows that she is having trouble because of race, is “ The house they put up for colored in them areas way out all seem to cost twice as much as other houses . I did the best I could ’’ ( Hansberry 93 ). Mama means that in the black neighborhood they would have to pay even more than they payed in the white neighborhood. Also that people don’t want to mix blacks and whites together. Mama didn’t want to waste a lot of money so she bought it where the whites live so the don’t wasted a lot, they expect for dark skin people to pay more than whites should pay. Another quote that I found that relates to race is “ I see ... him … night after night … come in … and look at that rug … and then look at me … the red showing in his eyes … the veins moving in his head … I seen him grow thin and old before he was forty … working and working and working like somebody’s old horse … killing himself … and you you give it all away in one day ”( Hansberry 129 ). Mama is trying to say that in that time there was even less opportunities especially to a dark skin person like big Walter but big Walter did whatever he could to provide for his family even if it takes everything. Also

There is conflict through the remainder of the play between Mama and Walter because he blames her for the loss of his dream. Walter had a dream of investing in a liquor store. He thought it would make him millions of dollars, and allow him to provide for his family. Eventually, she decides to allow Walter to have control of the remainder of the money. She gives specific instructions to set-aside a portion of the remaining money for Beneatha’s education and the rest was for him to decide (107). She does not exert this control over her children for the sake of maintaining power, rather to continue to provide for them. She willingly relinquishes her power as matriarch and tells Walter “to be the head of this family from now on like you supposed to be” (107). Putting the happiness of her children before her own is what almost any mother would do.

A showy and occasionally inappropriate woman, Big Mama is just like Maggie in that both are married to men who cannot stand them. Big Mama is openly devoted to her husband, and throughout their whole marriage, she has stood by him. Despite Big Daddy’s frequent insults, Big Mama refuses to become offended and does not allow the marriage to fall apart. The difference between Maggie and Big Mama is that although Big Mama has a very hard marriage, she has had children and served her husband well. A “good” wife’s role was to serve her husband’s comfort and know her place. The man was the master of the house, and therefore it was inappropriate for the woman to complain to her husband and talk about her problems. Listening to the man was important because his conversation topics were the most important. A problem Maggie has is that although she wants to be an ideal wife and mother, she does not carry out all parts of the expectation. She is stubborn and against to taking into account what Brick wants, and she continuously complains and fights with him. Big Mama on the other hand is a piteous character in that she is so desperate to stay away from problems and argument that she embarrasses herself in order to avoid them. This is why, although Maggie and Big Mama share