Hansberry's Strong Willed Family example essay topic

... Or does it Explode? In 1951 Langston Hughes wrote a poem called Harlem about dreams that never came true. Hughes lists about a half dozen effects of these "deferred dreams" in his poem "Harlem" (Abcarian and Klotz 448) The poem does not just ask what happens to and what are the results of these dreams, but by naming it "Harlem" the poem becomes a social commentary on the people and impossible dreams of Harlem, and leads to further questions about why certain dreams would be impossible for these certain people. This poem, and these questions inspired a woman named Lorraine Hansberry to write a play titled "A Raisin in the Sun" after a line in the poem, "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" (Abcarian Klotz 448). Hansberry wrote "A Raisin in the Sun" with such a realistic plot and low expectations, that the eventual appreciation, and effect of her work was unexpected (Corley 1).

Hansberry's personal experience, inspired by so much history of a culture, expressed with impeccable characters, and flawless imagery and symbolism, presented the theme of the importance of the struggle to improve one's life (Gale 2). Hansberry was born in 1930, in south side Chicago, to a middle-class family, who later moved to a segregated white neighborhood. After breaking a "covenant law" by moving into a white neighborhood, the Hansberry's and the NAACP took the case to the Illinois Supreme Court. The court decided that the "covenant laws" were unconstitutional, and had them repealed, while the Hansberry's remained at their new home despite the harassment and threats by the neighbors (Corely 1). Experiencing her family's disregard for unjust laws, Lorraine was taught to challenge the rules. Hansberry did challenge the rules by writing the first play written by a black woman and be on Broadway, and became one of the great American dramas (Baraka 1).

Villano 2 This great piece of American drama is the story of the Youngers, a story similar to Hansberry's life. The Youngers are a family with a realistic problem, they have too many people in one apartment. A family of five living in a two bedroom apartment in south side Chicago, similar to Hansberry's childhood experience. Though the apartment was small, it was the Younger's home, and they had managed to piece their lives together, and find enough room for everybody. Just as Hansberry said about her experience growing up in south side Chicago, that having a million people in a cramped South side ghetto was actually protecting her "from some of the harsher and more bestial aspects of white-supremacist culture".

Despite the ever present symbolism in the house, the worn-out everything, the almost choking lack of natural light, and most symbolic Mama's dying plant, the Younger's tried to keep as many dreams alive, in what seemed to be a dying place. Having a father with the ambition to not only progress in life, and be a home owner in a better neighborhood, but being also willing to fight, to the Supreme Court, to keep it. This must have been a great inspiration to Hansberry, to be from such an ambitious family, and as well must have impacted her characters. Beneatha, the strong willed black woman with plans of being a doctor, to find what people need and fix them. Walter, the present "man of the house", with drive to become a great business man, and the ideas to back it up.

Walter's wife Ruth, being the best mother, and sensible house wife to her husband and her son, Travis. Travis the youngest of the house, who tried his best in school, though he slept in a living room. The focal point of inspiration in the house was Mama, a woman molded from Hansberry's own parents (Miller 2). Mama, and her husband before he died, spent their lifetime trying to make their own, and their children's life better than it had been. A very strong willed woman, from a very strong willed house, she was the most willed, wise, and confidant, but passionate and caring. This was a family that has struggled, and felt it was their time to have good fortune.

Good fortune being a $10,000 check, they received as life insurance after the Villano 3 death of their father. As Hansberry realized growing up, money does not end the struggle, though Hansberry's father could afford a home in a white segregationist neighborhood, they had to struggle legally to stay their. After the Illinois Supreme Court decided they could not be banned from any neighborhood because of race, they still struggled with harassment, and threats, but Hansberry's strong willed family, kept looking forward, not to be to concerned about the past or present, and held to their dignity (Corely 1). The Younger's mirror this after a man named Linder visits them and offers them a large portion of money to not move into this white neighborhood, this offer by Mr. Linder is not accepted.

Later in the story when the $10,000 is lost, the Younger's decide to have a talk with Mr. Linder, the first thought is that Walter will tell Linder that he would like to accepted the fore-mentioned offer, which would give them more money than the insurance check even had. When Walter understood how undignified that would be, and that he would only be pandering to a white man, which would just keep this white man above him. Walter decided the only dignified thing to do is to warn Linder that the Younger's will be in his town, and even though the money that bought the house is gone, and the struggle to make ends meet continues, the Younger's remain the proud, dignified one's, with the drive and determination to make it. The upbringing that Hansberry had, which was mirrored by her character's gave her the strength to write something new, and take a risk with something no one was expecting, this strength was seen as an inspiration from the play to the reader, and from the author to the dreamer.

When Hansberry first decided to write her play, she at the time was just a dreamer, to be inspired. Luckily for Hansberry, in the late 1950's, there was plenty going on in America which could inspire an author. After her schooling, Hansberry moved to New York, where she was politically active, wrote for liberal magazine, and attended many protests. The passion inside Hansberry was apparent, she obviously had a lot of very strong feelings on a lot of things, but just as her story is an inspiration, Hansberry Villano 4 herself needed to be inspired too. In 1951, writer named Langston Hughes, wrote a poem called "Harlem", both the poem and the author were inspirations to Hansberry. Originally, "A Raisin in the Sun" was titled "The Crystal Stair", which is a line in another Langston Hughes poem, "Mother to Son", but when Hansberry read "Harlem" she knew she had a new inspiration, that can be seen in the play (Gale 3): What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore - And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or does it crust and sugar over - like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like heavy load. Or does it explode?

(Abcarian and Koltz 448) Hansberry's story became concerned with the dreams of people, and the effects of the dreams, whether they can be made reality, or the negative effect of the disappointment of so many "deferred dreams". Besides the title "Harlem", there is nothing specifically ethnic about Hughes poem, it is universal, and has been a poem taught in schools across America because it is universal, though it does contain social commentary at the same time. Though the words "black,"African", or even "poverty", or "ghetto", the poem can be read as a commentary on much of black culture at the time, that so many people have dreams that will never be reality, because of their economic status, where they live, and the color of their skin. As a woman who's family struggled to leave the seemingly "dead end" life of the ghetto, this had a huge impact on Hansberry. As a writer and an Villano 5 appreciate of good literature, the ability of Hughes to write a timely social commentary, and still have it remain universally themed (Corley 1), also inspired Hansberry to challenge herself and readers. Hansberry took what history had taught her, and what previous authors had shown her, and began to focus it.

The affect of history and previous authors on "A Raisin in the Sun" can only be matched by the affect "A Raisin in the Sun" had on history and authors yet to come. When Hansberry decided to write a play she decided to write a social drama, not an "African American drama", she want to write something timely and accurate, but something that was, and would remain to be, "good art."A Raisin in the Sun" was written as a play, a play meant for people to enjoy, and to appreciate, and any other social affect was meant to never surpass the "art". Creating a play written by a black woman, staring a black cast, with out using stereotypes (Corely 1), and using in depth character development, granted Hansberry the ability to create a play with such importance to the American culture. The irony lies in the fact that Hansberry showed black characters as just characters, who happen to be black for plot reasons, but many people managed to see a new perspective on black culture from this play. It is like Hansberry tricked the audience, by writing a well thought out and well done play, who's characters happen to be black, many white people's perspective changed toward black people, even though the fact that the characters were black had nothing to do with the amazing writing and symbolism's of the play. Peoples appreciation for a well done play, began to allow them to appreciate a whole new culture they had never seen so "close-up" before.

By being subversive in a sense, to both blacks and whites, Hansberry brought her play as almost a meeting grounds for both blacks and whites at the time (Miller 1). It seemed like facts that many white people had problems with black people because they just seemed so different, they Villano 6 talked different, and lived in different sides of town, and not only were black people still looking for voices that could express almost a whole culture, theater was also still considered a very "white" place. Hansberry managed to get white people who enjoy good theater to see "A Raisin in the Sun" and leave with a new perspective on black culture by showing how similar blacks and whites really were. Black people that wanted to celebrate and / or experience this "play about black people" left inspired to go new places with their lives, to create "good art" too, and maybe with a new appreciation for the theater. All this happened by chance, all Hansberry was concerned about was writing a "social commentary about blacks that was good art". Hansberry's social commentary succeeded in being good art by using such intense character development, great imagery and symbolism, to express such a universal theme in such a new way.

There is no main character in this play, the only person that seems to stand out more than the rest is Mama, because she acts like a ring leader of sorts, but each character is developed with precise intensity so to create a living situation, and less of a story (Hansberry 1). Every character has their attractive qualities, and their unattractive qualities, which rounds each character out and add depth (Miller 2). It is said about Ruth that she "was a pretty girl, even exceptionally so", but that the years have worn disappointment into her face, it is like picturing a beautiful woman, who has been through so much, that the phrase, "she was a beautiful girl, it's a shame though... ". rings in her ears. Ruth's son Travis is also described as attractive, and handsome, a sturdy child of ten or eleven; a sturdy, handsome child who does not get enough sleep. Walter Lee, Travis' father, is a slender young man, an "intense" man, but also a erratic, nervous one, probably with some eccentrics about him. Walter is a man with dreams of success, but his dreams are of owning a liquor store, which is not the most respected job for a man with a family.

Walter's sister Beneatha also has dreams, dreams of being a doctor, she is a well educated woman enrolled in college, "as slim and intense as her Villano 7 brother", with a "well educated face". Beneatha has a problem with finding herself though, she acts intellectually superior to her family, she acts creatively superior to her sudor George Murchison, but yet hangs onto every word from her other sudor Joseph Assagai, and is willing to sacrifice parts of her life to get in touch with her African roots with him. In the end Mama the oldest character, Walter and Beneatha's mother, has the most idiosyncrasies about her. A graceful full-bodied woman, a beautiful woman "who wears it so unobtrusively that it takes a while to notice", of her early sixties. Mama is seen as strong, kind, curious, clever, with a strong stature but a soft voice, a very thorough round character. Each character is one people can relate too, all with good qualities, and negative qualities, which offers the play a very realistic approach (Abcarian and Koltz 868).

The apartment the Youngers live in is also very realistic, within the first description of the scene, the apartment seems like a normal Southside Chicago apartment, while still filling the reader with symbolism. The setting is described as having "indestructible contradictions", and goes on to explain how the pattern on the couch "has to fight to show itself". But weariness has fought back, and weariness, the weariness of old furniture and the weariness of the same small house in the same poor neighborhood is taking it's toll on the family, even though the family fight it. This is not only a description of the setting, but also of the story, even the sun light has to fight it's way through the one window "provided for these "two" rooms". The sun light is very important to the story, and adds to other already present symbols. The small light, sunlight, which represents all that is good, must fight to be seen in this apartment, but that small light shines down on Mama's small plant.

Mama's plant is the closest thing she has to the large garden she always wanted, the garden she dreamed of. This small Villano 8 plant reminds Mama of her dream, and that as long as she keeps at it, her dream can still live, and as long as the plant endures, so will her dream, fed only with the tiny sunlight, the little bit of goodness and life that makes it into the apartment (Abcarian and Koltz 867). This shows how a little bit of goodness can struggle and fight, and manage to keep a dream alive. When Walter is desperately for the last time trying to convince Mama to back his liquor store dream, and she gives her final "no", Walter crumples up the contracts he has been holding in his hand. The papers bring Walter closer to his dream of owning a business.

They represented a tangible form of his dream, just like the flower represented Mama's dream. When he crumples the papers, he gives up on his dream, and realizes without something to pursue in life, there is no point. He submerges himself in self-pity, does not go to work, drinks, and becomes a bit of a recluse. The "death" of Walter's dream has a profound effect on the story, not only did Walter feel loss, but he felt personally finished.

The feeling of being finished / washed up as a human, brings about the theme of play. Walter attempts to invest the money, and loses it all, but Walter understands that he still needs to be there for his family. If Walter's dream cannot immediately come true, by taking care of himself and his family, and accepting the role of "man" of the house, he can bring everyone's dreams closer to fulfillment. Walter needed to realize people depended on him and he still had a lot to live for, and struggle for. The struggle of a man to help his family to fulfill its version of the American dream. Conflict would occur when some one was denied, the dream might. ".. explode", the only conflict results in standing in the way of each other.

Even if at times the individual dreams clash, like Walter's and Mama's, or Walter's and Beneatha's, as long as the family worked and struggled together, it would work out fine. Mama's dreams took sixty years, and Walter's Villano 9 father never got to see his dream come true, but it is the pursuit, and the struggle to continue that mattered. This social commentary, from this "black" play, has a theme that in the end means the same thing to everyone, keep fighting for your dreams, without standing in the way of others... Or does it explode? David Villano 5/4/03 Villano 10

Bibliography

Abcarian, Richard and Marvin Klotz, eds. Literature: The Human Experience. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2002.
Baraka, Amiri. 'A Raisin in the Sun'; and the Sign in Sidney Bru stein Window. Nemiroff. New American Library, 1987.
Corley, Cheryl. A Raisin in the Sun. web 03 March 16. Gale and Thomson. Lorraine Hansberry. Gale Group. 2003.
Hansberry, Lorraine. Willie Woman, Walter Younger, and He Who Must Live. The Village Voice, Vol. IV, No. 42, 12 Aug 1959.
Miller, Jordan Y. Lorraine Hansberry. The Black American Writer: Poetry and Drama, Vol. II. Everett / Edwards, Inc., 1969.