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Rising of Spirit in Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry in her play A Raisin in the Sun, written in 1959 raises the questions of racism and racial segregation in the contemporary society. The theme of physical, social and moral confinement is one of the major topics arisen by the play A Raisin in the Sun. The action of the play is set in the small apartment in the poor South side of Chicago owned by the Younger's family. "Weariness has, in fact, won in this room. Everything has been polished, washed, sat on, used, scrubbed too often.
All pretenses but living itself have long since vanished from the very atmosphere of this room. " (Hansberry, Act 1, Scene 1, pg. 3) The apartment is small, shabby and dark, because it has only a few small windows. Five member of the family occupied this tiny space: Mama, Beneatha, Walter, Ruth, Travis, and recently deceased Big Walter. During the whole play, the action never moves from the apartment, and this creates the image of physical confinement and monotony. The setting frames the play and highlights the despair of the main characters, their attempts to escape from this the boundaries of their apartment.
The confinement of the apartment resulted in the weakening of the family ties, in near collapse of a family, which used to be friendly and close. The younger members of the family worry only about their own needs and disregard others. Joseph Asagai, suitor of Beneatha, very correctly viewed this situation in the following phrase: isnt there something wrong in a house a world where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of a man? (Hansberry, Act 3, pg. 124) Walter is planning to start a liquor business: a business transaction thats going to change our lives... Thats how come one day when you bout seventeen years old Ill come home... Ill pull the car up on the driveway...
just a plain black Chrysler, I think, with white walls no - black tires (Hansberry, Act 2, Scene 2, pg. 83) Walter is deep in dreams about his new profitable business, he stopped paying attention to his pregnant wife and he quarrels with his mother over money. When Walter learns that his mother made a down payment for the new house; he becomes outraged and say that she robbed him of his dream. Beneatha is planning to become a doctor, and she is rather selfish because when she learned that Walter lost all the money, she decided to disown him. Mama is the only person of the family, who does not think about herself but about each member and the whole family.
She wants to buy a new bigger and lighter house in good neighborhood for all family, she gives Walter money for his business and she wants to save some money for Beneatha's education. Mama symbolizes the spiritual light that helps the family to see their mistakes and find strength for life changes. At the beginning of the play Mama makes Beneatha to repeat: "In my mother's house there is still God" (Hansberry, Act 1, Scene 1, pg. 37) At this scene the author shows the reader, that Mama is the light for the family, because where is the God, there is the light and hope. This becomes evident from the following scenes, when the reader learns, that Mama always follows the Christian values, she does not approve of liquor business, abortion and she does not find happiness in money, because they cannot return her husband.
Mama draws her strength in her faith. Mama forgives all faults of her children, even when Walter loses the money. "There is always something left to love. And if you ain't learned that, you ain't learned nothing" (Hansberry, Act 3, pg. 135) Joseph Asagai is another character who represents spiritual light, which shines on the Younger's from the outside of their atmosphere of confinement. All through the play Joseph Asagai influences Beneatha, who changes her outlooks.
Asagai helps Beneatha to learn and accept her African background. Joseph draws his faith in his African roots, traditions and culture. He helped the family to get over the loss of money. In my village at home But I will teach and work and things will happen, slowly and swiftly.
At times it will seem that nothing changes at all... and then again... the sudden dramatic events which make history leap into the future. And then quiet again. Retrogression even.
And I even will have moments when I wonder if the quiet was not better than all that death and hatred. But I will look about my village at the illiteracy and disease and ignorance and I will not wonder long. (Hansberry, Act 3, pg. 124) Joseph Asagai tells the Younger's that fails always follow people in their life, but if they give up, they might never know success. The theme of racism contributes to the idea of confinement. The Younger's are African Americans, who live in Ghetto. In the late fiftieth of the twentieth century, the Ideas of racial segregation were very strong in America. African Americans had to use separate entrances at public places, travel on the separate places in the transport and live in separate neighborhoods.
White neighborhoods very usually explode in riots when African Americans took up residence among the white people. Living in African American Ghetto left its mark on the Younger's. If apartment was something like moral prison for the Younger's, Ghetto was a moral prison for all neighbors, it sucked all hopes and happiness from people and was making them jealous and unfriendly, like Mrs. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson envied the decision of the Younger's to move into the white neighborhood and harassed them with troubles.
Mr. Lindner, the representative of the white neighborhood at which the Younger's bought the house is another symbol of the confinement. He does not want to African Americans among white people, he reminds the apartment, at which the play is set and the Ghetto with its rats that suffocate the will of people. The title of the play A Raisin in the Sun symbolizes the life and spirit that can only in fresh air of freedom. We know that for the Younger's family the new house is like fresh air and light. Materially it will give them the feeling of comfort and space and emotionally it will give them the sense of new changes for the better.
Walter already showed that he changed for the better, when he refused to sell their new house. "He finally came into his manhood today, didn't he? Kind of like a rainbow after the rain... " (Hansberry, Act 3, pg. 141) The reader knows that the emotional closeness and spirits of the family will bloom like Mamas potted flower, which she took to the hew house. Bibliography 1. Hansberry, Lorraine.
A Raisin in the Sun. Random House: New York, 1959.
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