Posted by Tatyana Lazukova (24.23.55.15) on June 23, 2005 at 10:06:13 p.m.:
Tatyana Lazukova
Jeanne Guerin
ENGWR 301
Essay 2 Draft
June 23,2005
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a full-length play. It consists of three acts and includes 10 characters and moving men. The author uses acts to demonstrate changes in setting, time, characters and their mood. Act I and act 11 are further divided into scenes. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry includes all elements of drama which contribute to the theme of the play. The theme, the essential idea of A Raisin in the Sun is that hopes and dreams can be thwarted by a lack of economic opportunities. Through the exposition and pyramidal pattern, the author clearly demonstrates that hopes and dreams of the Younger family have changed and twisted due to the poverty.
Exposition is a device that gives the reader the necessary background about the characters and their circumstances. In A Raisin in the Sun the author employs several ways to inform the reader about characters and their backgrounds. Lorraine Hansberry uses stage directions at the beginning of the play to describe the poor apartment where the Younger family lives, to introduce the characters and provide their backgrounds.
The author informs the reader that too many people for too many years lived in that apartment. The reader instantly learns that the Younger family is poor, because “a table or a chair has been moved to disguise the worn places in the carpet”(1372) in their apartment. Lorraine Hansberry vividly describes the small kitchen area to indicate the lack of financial opportunities. The reader understands that another sign of the poverty is the fact that Walter and Ruth have to use the breakfast room as their bedroom. The author of the play states that even the look of the furniture in the living room reveals that the family members are tired from these poor living conditions. Lorraine Hansberry summarizes the description of the living room in one sentence by saying that “weariness has, in fact, won in this room.”(1372) The reader can picture the worn out apartment of a poor family with very little economic opportunities. However, the author of the play finds it important to notice that a long time ago all furniture for this apartment was selected with care, love, taste and pride. This observation underlines the author’s idea that financial obstacles changed everything in the lives of the family members.
The author of the play also uses stage directions to send the reader the message of disappointment and hopelessness by describing Ruth, Walter’s wife. The reader can picture that Ruth used to be a pretty girl, “but now it is apparent that life has been little that she expected, and disappointment has already begun to hang on her face.” (1373) As we can see, stage directions at the beginning of the play are very essential for understanding the theme of the play. Stage directions introduce the characters and their circumstances, clearly reveal their financial situation and indicate little hope for escape from the poverty.
Dialogue is another component of exposition used by Lorraine Hansberry to demonstrate how elements of drama contribute to the theme of the play. Dialogue between the characters describes their dreams, reveals their personalities and values and demonstrates the relationship between the family members. In act 1, scene 1 the dialogue between Ruth and Lena Younger reveals Lena’s dream to have a home with a garden. Smiling Lena told Ruth about the dreams Lena “had about buying that house and fixing it up and making me a little garden in the back . And didn’t none of it happen.”(1383)
Dialogues throughout the play demonstrate that Mama is the head of the family and she tries to keep her family in line. It seems that Mama’s actions, views and opinions dominate in the play. She makes all decisions and expects every family member to live under her rules. The reader has the feeling that every character of the play must obey her.
Through the dialogue in act 1 scene 1 , the reader learns that Lena Younger is a very religious women. She hits Beneatha when Beneatha tells her that she does not believe in God. Mama tells her that if Beneatha lives in her house she must believe in God.
Dialogue between Ruth and Walter in act 1, scene 1 demonstrate the tense, unhealthy relationship between them and the financial difficulties they experience. The author of the play demonstrates that Walter wants to talk to his wife about himself and his dream. “See - I’m trying to talk to you ’bout myself-and all you can say is eat them eggs and go to work.” (1378) The author demonstrates that Ruth clearly indicates no interest in the conversation by asking Walter to leave her alone and saying “Honey, you never say nothing new.”(1378) This makes the distance between Ruth and Walter even bigger as Walter believes that Ruth doesn’t know how to support him.
The pyramidal pattern consists of: rising action, crisis and falling action. Rising action everything that leads to the crisis . In A Raisin in the Sun the rising action is the conflict, character’s argument about money. Crisis is created by the conflict. Conflict is the struggle between characters. In A Raisin in the Sun characters struggle about the coming check. They argue about money because everyone has a different opinion about what to do with it. Walter wants to invest money into his business, Ruth dreams about new home, Beneatha needs money for medical school. Crisis is result of the conflict and it is at the top of the pyramid. Crisis in A Raisin in the Sun is Walter’s decision to invest money into his business. Falling action follows the crisis and leads to the end of the play. In A Raisin in the Sun the falling action is family’s moving in the new home.