A Raisin In The Sun Essay

Malik Brown

10/15/13

5^th period

A Raisin in the Sun

A Raisin in the Sun has many symbols and themes. I’ve chosen three to write about. First there is the theme of the American dream. This theme is well represented in this story.  Another theme is poverty. This theme is visualized because of the setting is south side Chicago, where poverty is everywhere. One symbol in this play is Mr. Linder, a rascist white man standing as an obstacle or test to the Youngers. All of these that I’ve listed have a lot of significance and importance to the play.

    The American dream is a very obvious theme in this story.  The Youngers all have dreams that that they want to come true. Mama wants a garden for her plants. Beneatha wants to go to college to become a doctor. Walter wants to be the man of the house and to be able to give his family what they want. Everyone has an American dream in this family. And they strive to make them all come true.

    Poverty is another theme that is strongly represented in this story. The family struggles from the beginning until the ending. Walter struggles to keep the family fed and sheltered. He goes to work every day, also his elderly mother. Walter personally wants more for his family and wife. So the check from his father’s insurance is very important to him. So he comes up with different schemes to get his family out of poverty.

  The symbol of racism, Mr. Lidner, is a strong symbol in this story. He represents an obstacle or test for Walter and the rest of the Younger family. He offers a big amount of money to them, bribing them to keep out of his all white neighborhood. Walter has a choice to make, will he choose to keep his pride and move into the house his father worked so hard for, will he lose his dignity and take the money from Mr. Lidner to keep his all white neighborhood clean of Negros. In the end he makes the right choice, and finally becomes the man of the house.

  A Raisin in the sun depicts all of these symbols and themes throughout the play. The American dream is what defines the Younger family. Poverty is the reason they dream for more. Mr. Lidner represents the hate and racism of the whites in that time. Altogether, A Raisin in the Sun was a very inspirational story to me. I’m happy that I don’t have to go through the same struggles the Youngers did.