Raisin In The Sun Challenges

The environment in which family lives can alter and refine the lives of its members. In the drama, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, the Younger family face many challenges, due to being an African American family, living in a small apartment, shortly after the World War II. These challenges vary from the amount of space in their living quarters, to even simply the abundance of racism. As a result of being an African American family during the 1950’s, the Younger family must cope with many vigorous challenges. One of the most demanding challenges was the Youngers’ living space. They lived in a crowded, small apartment. This crammed apartment held 5 people; Mama, Walter, Ruth, Travis, and Beneatha, leaving Travis to sleep on the
couch. Even when Ruth became pregnant, Beneatha said to her, “where is he going to live, on the roof?” (Hansberry 58). In this crowded apartment, Ruth knew as well as Beneatha that there would be no more room for another child, that is why she was originally planning on getting an abortion. In addition, Walter even mentions how he has “been married eleven years and [he] got a boy who sleeps in the living room-and all [he] got to give him is stories about how rich white people live…” (Hansberry 34). Walter understood what the family was going through and even recognized that his son slept in the living room and will never understand what it would feel like to be rich. The Youngers’ apartment is a very important symbol in this drama that represents all of the challenges that this family face. Another challenge that is constantly impacting the Younger family is the abundance of racism. When the family is finally free from their wretched apartment and moving to Clybourne Park, a society in which only white people live, they get a visit from the “Clybourne Park Welcoming Committee.” However, this committee is doing everything but welcoming them. In fact, representative of this committee Karl Lindner, states “Our association is prepared, through the collective effort of our people, to buy the house from you at a financial gain to your family” (Hansberry 118). This town has pooled their money out of pure racism to separate themselves from an African American family. This mainly effected Walter in that he was planning on allowing them to buy the house back after he lost the money for his family. However, Walter was able to walk away unharmed when he realized that the house that his mother bought would help his family. He states, “And we have decided to move into our house because my father-my father-he earned it for us brick by brick” (Hansberry 148). Racism could have completely changed the Youngers’ lives; however they were able to succeed even with the presence of racism eating them from the inside. Families are always being impacted by the environment in which they live, both positively and negatively. The drama, A Raisin in the Sun, demonstrates these impacts very clearly throughout the entire play. Being an African American family during this time period was very rough and the Youngers’ truly did demonstrate these challenges they faced well. Although this drama eventually comes to an end, the truth behind it still continues today.