A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry | Symbols

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Professor Kristen Over of Northeastern Illinois University explains the symbols in Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun.

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Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun explores the effects of racial segregation on a black family living on Chicago's South Side during the 1940s.

The Youngers await the arrival of a settlement check following the death of the family patriarch in a work accident. Their various ideas about what to do with the money reflect the class struggles dividing black communities.

Son Walter wants to invest the money in a liquor store, while matriarch Mama deposits some of the money on a house in a white neighborhood. The ensuing conflicts illustrate the racial and economic disparities that defined black life in that era.

American writer and playwright Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun was first performed on Broadway in 1959. The success of the play helped pave the way for black playwrights and actors in professional theater.

In Hansberry's childhood, her family’s harassment in a white neighborhood led to a court case that helped end racially restrictive housing laws.

The play contains many powerful themes, such as the generational gap, expectations and dreams, and race relations. Important symbols include music, Mama’s plant, and Beneatha’s hair.

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