A Raisin in the Sun
Film Analysis
English 3 - Analysis: A Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hassberry
Charles Collins
Cody Norman
Sean
Marvin
English 3- Period 4
Thesis
In Lorraine Hansberry’s Play A raisin in the sun Attainability of the American dream is prevalent as the family moves into their new home, and though they struggle, the bond of family is what helps bring them full circle to the dream.
Theme Analysis
The Most Common theme of the play is the theme Importance of family and Man struggles against Human Nature. No matter how many times Walter and his family fight they are always willing to step out for one another, especially mama. Mama has sacrificed a lot for her family, from money being given to her to just giving great advice to her son Walter to make him step up as a man and think about his life and thoughts, in which she tells him “Your wife say she going to destroy your child. And I’m waiting to hear you talk like him and say we a people who give children life, not who destroys them –(she rises) I’m waiting to see you stand up and look like your daddy and say we don’t give up on one baby to poverty and that we ain’t going to give up nary another one...I’m waiting” (Hansberry 238). Mama tells her son to step it up and realize that he will not give up on his wife or soon to come child, that getting rid of the baby him and Ruth are living for just to lighten family issues. Walter faces difficulties in which he has been put in Man struggles against Human Nature. Of course bad decisions are mad but Walter has seriously lost trust in which he can’t trust others or other can’t trust him. Walter makes bad decision, he lies about going to work, he takes the money that was given from Mama and is supposed to be used to put into the account of Beneatha for medical school. But he trusts the wrong person in which he gives the money to Willie Harris, an old friend who he hopes to travel to Springfield with but trust and choices take a change for the worst when Willie Takes off with the money leaving Walter in a horrible situation
Conflict
Man vs Self
Walter Talks of his families struggles in which he wants to use Mama's Insurance check to help his family and get them from living in a apartment, sharing a bathroom with other families. When His wife Ruth tells him to eat his eggs, he reacts in a direspectful manner.
A Raisin In The Sun - This Is Business
Characterization & Quest for the American Dream
Walter lee younger
"You wouldn't understand yet son but your daddy's gonna make a transaction . . . a business transaction that's going to change our lives. . . . That's how come one day when you 'bout seventeen years old I'll come home and I'll be pretty tired, you know what I mean, . . . And I'll pull the car up on the driveway . . . just a plain black Chrysler, I think, with white walls --no--black tires. More elegant". Walter explains to his son Travis how one day he will own a business and he will become wealthy.
Ruth Younger
"Honey…life don’t have to be like this. I mean sometimes people can do things so that things are better…You remember how we used to talk when Travis was born…about the way we were going to live…the kind of house…(She is stroking his head) Well, it’s all starting to slip away from us" (133) Ruth and Walter lose sight of their dreams but both are still hoping for a change in their life.
Lena Younger (Mama)
"Of course, baby. Ain’t no need in ‘em coming all the way here and having to go back. They charges for that too. (She sits down, fingers to her brow, thinking) Lord, ever since I was a little girl, I always remembers people saying, "Lena – Lena Eggleston, you aims too high all the time. You needs to slow down and see life a little more like it is. Just slow down some." That’s what they always used to say down home – "Lord, that Lena Eggleston is a high-minded thing. She’ll get her due one day!" Mama blames herself for having big dreams.
Symbolism
Walters eggs
Walter then employs the phrase to illustrate how women keep men from achieving their goals—every time a man gets excited about something, he claims, a woman tries to temper his enthusiasm by telling him to eat his eggs. Being quiet and eating one’s eggs represents an acceptance of the adversity that Walter and the rest of the Youngers face in life. Walter believes that Ruth, who is making his eggs, keeps him from achieving his dream, and he argues that she should be more supportive of him
Mama's plant
Mama’s plant represents both Mama’s care and her dream for her family. In her first appearance onstage, she moves directly toward the plant to take care of it. She confesses that the plant never gets enough light or water, but she takes pride in how it nevertheless flourishes under her care. Her care for her plant is similar to her care for her children, unconditional and unending despite a less-than-perfect environment for growth. The plant also symbolizes her dream to own a house and, more specifically, to have a garden and a yard.
Kitchen window
This small window, which provides the only natural light coming into the apartment, represents the Younger family's hope for a brighter future.
Each of these items, Walters eggs, Mama's plant, and The kitchen window all are symbols used in the movie to visualize the American dream for the families hopes and dreams. Walter eggs are just used in the movie to lead to why he and his family are struggling and he wants the insurance money that will come in the mail for mama. when his wife finally tells him to eat the eggs he say "damn these eggs, damn all the eggs there ever was". Mama's plants symbolizes Mama's hopes for the future, in which the plant really symbolizes the children in which she treats the plant like a child. The kitchen window expresses is a representation of the families hopes for a brighter future.
Conclusion
In conclusion we stated in our thesis that "In Lorraine Hansberry’s Play A raisin in the sun Attainability of the American dream is prevalent as the family moves into their new home, and though they struggle, the bond of family is what helps bring them full circle to the dream." In our presentation we explained the themes and symbols used in the movie. As you can see we broke down each theme and symbol in which we have proven them within each part of the presentation.
Work cited
A raisin in the sun. Screenplay by Lorraine Hansberry. American Broadcasting Company (ABC), 2008. Film. Directed By: Kenny Leon, Phylicia Rashad, Sanaa Lathan, Audra McDonald, Sean 'P. Diddy' Comb, David Oyelowo, Bill Nunn, John Stamos, Alexandra Cheron, Ron C. Jones, Emily Swiss, Justin Martin, Elle Downs.
Hansberry, Lorraine. A raisin in the sun. Chicago: Vintage Books, 1959