Raisin in the Sun
Film and Text analysis
Luis Vega
Nick Zimmerman
Mason Becker
Dylan Erlewine
English 3
Period 2
THESIS
In the play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry, the American dream is obtainable because throughout the play it shows that family struggle to obtain there American dream.
Theme
The overall theme of the play in our opinion is racial discrimination because when Mama buys the house in Clybourne Park, the people over there send over Mr. Linder to tell them, "That for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities" (Hansberry 118). This shows how other people, specifically white people, put down and shove away the Black people away from opportunities.
Conflict
The conflict during the play was man vs. society because Walter tries and face the world by himself only to be shut down by society itself, "Gone, what do you mean Willy is gone? Gone where? You mean he went by himself," (Hansberry 128). Here Walter was in denial because he had given all the insurance money he received by Mama to Willy and Willy had just used him and Bobo to get more money. Where in the film the background music and the dull setting of the scene made it show how bad the situation had gotten.
Characterization & Quest for the American Dream
Walter is a hard working African american for his family trying to obtain the American dream. His dream is to be able to support his family as much as possible, "Just tell me, what it is you want to be -- and you'll be it.... Whatever you want to be---Yessir! You just name it, son... and I hand you the world" (Hansberry 109)! For Beneatha, she is young minded and inexperienced, yet she wants everything for herself instead on relying on others, "I have never asked anyone around here to do anything for me" (Hansberry 37)! Mr. Linder is a man from Clybourne Park who wants his neighborhood to be free of African Americans,"That for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities" (Hansberry 118).
Symbolism
Walter's eggs represent how their family doesn't have enough money to afford a good breakfast and how they're stuck being poor, "DAMN MY EGGS---DAMN ALL THE EGGS THAT EVER WAS" (Hansberry 34). The insurance check that was given to mama gave hope and new opportunities for the family, "That's a whole lot different from having it come and being able to hold it in your hands... a piece of paper worth ten thousand dollars.." (Handberry 68). The sunlight from the movie come in after all the chaos had happened and Walter finally became a man a the sunlight shine on him which shows his joy for once.
Works Cited
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Vintage, 1994. Print.
A Raisin in the Sun. Digital image. MovieGoods - Large Poster View. MovieGoods. Web. 23 May 2012. <http://www.moviegoods.com/large_detail.asp?http://www.moviegoods.com//Assets/product_images/1020/224508.1020.A.jpg>.