Posted by Michael Addy (66.205.140.92) on June 23, 2005 at 7:41:38 p.m.:
Michael Addy
English 301
Jeanne Guerin
Essay 2 Rough Draft
5/23/2005
P1 In Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun," the main draw of the reader is the emotional struggle of the family for something more. The Younger family as a whole are dreaming of what the future holds for them with an innocence that has never confronted reality. There is a distinction, especially in the mind of Walter, between the "haves" and the "have-nots," and the only thing between those two is money. "A Raisin in the Sun" is not simply about the hardships that the Younger family has to endure, but it is about them coming to terms with a brutal reality and deciding their own fate from there once their dreams are gone. The setting is a physical manifestation and symbol of everything that the Younger family struggles with and their life as it is and the way that they wish that it is not. For most a home is a refuge and safe haven away from the world, but for the family in "A Raisin in the Sun," it is a constant nagging reminder of what they do not have and of their dreams that have never been realized. Hansberry uses the setting of the Younger house throughout "A Raisin in the Sun" to outline the plight of the family.
P2 In "A Raisin in the Sun," the setting of the house is symbolic to not only the reader, but also to the Younger family of their status in society. The family, no matter how much they try to avoid it, while living the house are constantly reminded of their status as lower class and looked down upon people. This is why moving for them is not a simple matter of moving for the sake of getting a better house. A new house for the Younger family represents a new life completely, but while they remain in the old house they are being suffocated by the constant reminder of the unfair situation that they are in because of their race. The house is in fact destroying the morale and hope of the family. This is why Ruth says near the end of the play, "but we got to MOVE! We got to get OUT OF HERE!!" (Meyer 1428) Ruth understands that as long as they are in their current house they will never change. She understands that their home will demoralize them and steal their dreams as it always has before. When the Younger family originally moved into their house, like most families they had a sense of hope, but after time that hope vanished and faded away only to leave the house as a reminder of those original "dreams deferred" and what could have been, and currently what never was.
P3 The house not only reminds the reader of the Younger families struggle, but it also serves as a representation of the Younger family themselves. In the opening description of the setting it says "And here a table or chair has been moved to disguise the worn places in the carpet; but the carpet has fought back by showing its weariness, with depressing uniformity, elsewhere on its surface." (Meyer 1372) With the very first conversation between Ruth and Walter the reader can already see the parallel between the house and the family. They are also worn thin and tired of living the life that they are. The Youngers have no hope left until the money comes and they are going to move out of this worn out and hopeless house. The new house that they are going to move into is following the new hope in them as long as they are not willing to settle for the life that they have.
P4 Although the reader is never introduced to the new house in "A Raisin in the Sun," it symbolizes a new hope for the family. When confronted with the reality of having lost all their money that held the dreams of the Youngers, they are faced with a choice. They are forced to decide between the weariness and hopelessness of their old house and the new hopeful life with their new house. The reality that they must face to acheive this dream however, is that it will not be easy. In fact, the money has nothing to do with the Younger's acheiving their dreams and until they decided at the end to keep their hope and have a new life regardless of the cost, Walter and his family never had a chance of acheiving their dreams anyway. The new house is the symbol of that life that they can live if they choose it. Although are people who do not want this new life for them they must take it anyway and the new house is the entire symbol of their life's struggle in "A Raisin in the Sun."
P5 Lorraine Hansberry has done a very effective job throughout "A Raisin in the Sun," of using the entire setting as symbolism of the struggle of the Younger family. The setting gives the reader an account of something that they all can relate to, in that their home itself was a constant thorn in the side of the family and it was at first deemed inescapable by them. The house was all encompassing in the play and the family could never get away from it, and it served as a constant reminder of what their lives are like. But even at the end of "A Raisin in the Sun," and all of the Younger's shattered dreams, there is a new hope through a new life in a new house. The transition between settings and the choice to move at the end is an extremely effective tool of symbolism and shows the reader that regardless of obstacles in one's life between them and their dreams, they, like the Youngers, must make the decision to press forward anyway.
Word Count: 1005