Themes in A Raisin in the Sun

    For the reader, A Raisin in the Sun points out the hardships of a family in Chicago. The play shows the dreams of the family to overcome poverty and live a life that supports all of them. Beneatha wants to become a doctor but she cannot afford the tuition to go to medical school. Ruth is pregnant and needs financial support in order to raise the child. Mama struggles to feed her family and wants to do more to help her children achieve their dreams. Travis is a young boy that wants to be like the rest of the children at his school and not be considered different. Walter wants to be the man his wife wants him to be and the one who provides for his family.
    The main theme in A Raisin in the Sun is dreams, which the family struggles to achieve. Beneatha’s dream is to become a doctor and help people in need. Beneatha says, “ Oh, I probably will… but first I’m going to become a doctor…” (page 50, Hansberry). The author shows how families in the 1960’s struggle to do what they want to achieve due to the situations they are in. The family struggles with oppression as white people look at them differently and tell them that they are less than them. Ruth’s dream is to build a happy family and find a better place to live. Ruth says, “ Well, I ain’t got no fifty cents this morning.” (page 28, Hansberry). The author shows how the family cannot afford the 50 cents that Travis needs for school. The family’s dreams are at its highest peak when a $10,000 check comes in the mail. Mama says, “ Ten thousand dollars.” (page 43, Hansberry). The author shows how dreams can come a reality when this check comes in the mail. The family comes to a dilemma due to the fact of who the money belongs to. 

 

Stage Directions

In A Raisin in the Sun, the stage directions add characterization to the play. The stage directions provided by the author show what the characters do in everyday life. The stage directions also allow the reader to imagine the movement of the characters. For example, Mama is shown to be the head of the house by she cooks and cleans the house. The author writes, “ Mama (Folding bedding).” (page 40, Hansberry). The reader connects to the play by the characters do things that they do in their everyday life. The author is providing background so the reader can follow the storyline. At the beginning, the author provides the time, setting, and the characters’ actions. The author writes, “ Time: Sometime between World War II and the present.” (page 24, Hansberry).

As the reader, the stage directions provided insight into what is going on in the play and characters’ minds. Hansberry writes, “ Ruth (Affecting tea-party interest) Is he now? Poor thing.” (page 26, Hansberry). I agree with this stage direction as the author is showing how Ruth is annoyed and wants Walter to leave her alone. She is pregnant and overwhelmed by her own concerns. The stage directions provide the reader with what is going on in the play and draw the viewer in by providing humor. The author writes, “ (BENEATHA comes in, brushing her hair…).” (page 46, Hansberry). I agree with this stage direction as it shows how Beneatha is frustrated by the incessant cleaning Ruth does. The reader visualizes this scene in their mind to understand the deeper meaning behind the action.

The playwright could have staged it by having different characters do different actions. Ruth could have come in brushing her hair while Beneatha could be the one cleaning. The story could have taken place in Alabama as the civil rights movement originated there. The roles could have been switched such as Mama could be the one who wants to medical school while Beneatha could be the one in charge of the house. Travis could have gotten the 50 cents from Ruth while Walter could go back to school. The mood would be more uplifting as the family achieved their dreams. Beneatha would go to medical school to become a doctor and the family would earn enough to move into a proper house. The author could have written it differently by having the characters do different actions such as Ruth could have been cooking pancakes not eggs. The play would draw the viewer’s attention by the characters would do things they usually do not do due to their gender roles.

      

The Untold Story

The play, A Raisin in the Sun, is an untold story of a family who lives in an apartment in Chicago. The family struggles to make a decent income as they live in a society that looks at them differently. Travis asks Ruth for 50 cents that she doesn’t have. Beneatha wants to become a doctor but doesn’t have enough money to afford the tuition. Beneatha says, “ I mean it!... Does he pay tuition?” (page 50, Hansberry). The author is showing how dreams sometimes cannot be reached due to certain circumstances. Women do not have the same rights as men and are seen as the ones who take care of the family. Mama in A Raisin in the Sun cooks and cleans as her children go to school.

The story in A Raisin in the Sun is being told by African Americans that lived in the 1960’s. They struggled as people put them down and would not hire them due to the color of their skin. African Americans were lynched and accused of crimes they did not commit. The civil rights movement showed the country that they would not stop fighting until they got equal rights and were able to achieve their dreams. Beneatha’s dream is to become a doctor but she does not have enough money to go to medical school and get the training she needs. Beneatha says, “ Oh, I probably will… but first I’m going to become a doctor…” (page 50, Hansberry). The author is trying to tell the story of how African Americans have to work harder in order to achieve their dreams. It is untold because people assume that African Americans are just lazy and do not have motivation but the author shows her audience that they have intrinsic motivation to do what they want to achieve in life.  

 

Kaffir Boy

In “Kaffir Boy”, division between races is shown in this piece. White and black people are separated as one thinks it is better than the other. They each go to different schools and hang out in different social groups. The author says, “I gazed through the window and for the first time in my life saw white schoolchildren.” (line 2, Mathabane).  Children were not treated equally as they were bullied and not seen on the same level. Families taught their children to hate opposite races and has been passed on from generation to generation. The author says,” At the next bus stop, we got off, and crossed the street when the robot flashed green.” (lines 26-27, Mathabane).  Buses, restaurants, and public restrooms separated blacks and whites.

 In addition, white children were taught not to play with black children as their parents told them not to do it. The author says,” ‘I don’t play with Kaffirs,” the white boy declared. “At school they say we shouldn’t.” “ (line 118, Mathabane). Parents and schools have planted a seed in their children’s head that tells him that they shouldn’t be allowed to socialize with other people that are out of their range. African Americans have had less opportunities as they are put down and get low-income jobs.  

In the 1960’s, African Americans were targets for racial discrimination and hate crimes. Activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. fought for peace among all people and bring America back together. Nonviolent protests didn’t show much progress as people went to violence and hurt many people. Schools were integrated as laws by the Supreme Court were lifted. Today, people still face racial discrimination as they are not treated with respect and involved in attacks. Society still puts ideas in people’s heads that some people are incongruous and should not be treated as well. 

  

"The Stolen Party"- Acts of Racial Discrimination

“The Stolen Party” is about Rosaura’s and her mother’s battle with discrimination. Rosaura is invited to a party but is the one that is running the party behind the scenes. The author says, “Rosaura was the only one allowed into the kitchen.” (lines 38-40, Heker). She is not seen as one of the other children and pointed out as different. Rosaura is seen as lower than the house guests since she is her mother’s daughter and they are of the lower class. The little girl asks her about who her mother is and why she is there while she is not seen as Luciana’s friend. The author says, “ ‘No,” said the girl with the bow, “you are not a friend of Luciana because I’m her cousin and I know all her friends. And I don’t know you.” (lines 47-48, Heker).

Nonetheless, the characters in “The Stolen Party” have put Rosaura in a separate category since she is the employee’s daughter. Senora Ines treats her like a servant since she is seen as poor. The author says,” Instead she rummaged in her purse. In her hand appeared two bills… “Thank you for all your help, my pet.” ‘ (lines 134-136, Heker). Rosaura is judged by the guests for not fitting in and being as rich as they are. Gender roles are also present in the story as a blue bag is for a boy and pink bag is for a girl. Girls such as Rosaura are supposed to be cherry and helpful while boys are supposed to be strong and do dirty jobs such as taking out the trash. The boy in “The Stolen Party” is seen as not manly as he is afraid of the monkey the magician has. The author says, “ ‘You mustn’t be so unmanly, my friend,” the magician said to the fat boy.” (lines 92, Heker).  

In modern society, minorities are seen as lower than most other citizens as they get lower jobs such as coal mining or chicken faming. Racial discrimination has been part of society as people of color are seen as causing trouble and not making something of themselves. In “Danger of a Single Story’, the author is guilty of judging Fide and his family as she thinks that they can’t make anything as they are poor. Stereotypes are a way of seeing people in certain aspects such as thinking all people from the Middle East are terrorists. Americans put people that come from different places from across the world in different categories such as poor, dangerous, or uneducated. African Americans are seen by the police force as the ones who start trouble and are unfriendly when they aren’t as people get to know them. Society needs to learn how to embrace diversity and love one another to build a brighter future.  

Social Pressures on Women

In society, women are seen as taking care of the children and being in charge of the house chores such as cooking and cleaning. The author says, "...this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard..." (line 18, Kincaid). Women today are seen as fragile and weak and can't make a difference in the world. They are expected to smile and act polite to everyone they meet. The author states,” …this is how you smile to someone you don’t like all…” (lines 19-20, Kincaid). Women are also seen as the ones who take care of their husbands and do their laundry. The author says, “…this is how you iron your father’s khaki shirt so that it doesn’t a crease…” (lines 14, Kincaid).

Men have social pressures such as going to work and making money to support their family. They are seen as strong and smarter than women as they do better on standardized testing. In addition, the job for men back in the 1900’s was working at a factory. The author says,” …after all you are going to be kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread?” (line 36, Kincaid). In today’s society, men and women have more opportunities such as being a lawyer and a doctor and going to college. Women back then didn’t have the opportunity to go to school as they were expected to do house chores and be trained to be the woman of the house.

In modern society, women are fighting for their rights such as the recent March on Washington. They protested Trump’s presidency by going on the streets and holding up signs to show that their voices will not be silenced. The marches took place in major cities like Washington D.C and Los Angeles. Women want to rise up above social standards and voice their opinions. Also, women want to be seen as equal as men by getting equal pay and involved in political decisions. Men suppress women by telling them what they can and cannot do and don’t have a voice on political manners. Women have risen up such as being elected for Congress and educated. Also, they have changed the way people see the world as they get in the armed forces, become doctors, and involved in helping people around the world.