A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry’s famous play, while having a familiar title, is a story I was unacquainted with until recently. The ease of reading it was influenced by having just tackled the much more complicated Hamlet, but more than that, I was instantly captivated by its vivid, intimate portrayal of a variety of accessible characters. Each of these characters’ strengths and weaknesses is displayed in an ordinary manner, making it a realist drama, with the ups and downs of life captured in dialogue I could almost hear right off the page. The conflict in the story which is most compelling is the old vs. the new, the status quo vs. the desire for change, which can be seen in several places. The Younger’s apartment, which years ago was seen as a temporary stop on the way to their new home, is “tired…all pretenses but living itself have long since vanished from the very atmosphere of this room” (Intro, p. 431). Yet they continue living in it, with all the frustrated hopes and delayed dreams. “And didn’t none of it happen,” Mama says (p. 443). Why not? It certainly wasn’t from lack of effort. If hard work alone were enough, Mama would have had her house long ago. I believe it was due to their resources being consumed by daily needs, racial encumbrances, and, foremost, the all-consuming task of raising children.
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