Group 1

While there are many themes that run throughout the first and second Acts of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry there are a few that seem to stand out. One of these themes is the constant reminder that many of these character’s have unfulfilled dreams. The second is the prevalence of money and how it affects the characters’ lives, especially in lieu of their father’s life insurance check. The third is how many of those dreams seem to be materialistic, which may foreshadow a potential “family is what’s most important” reconciliation among the characters. Among all of them, these three themes remain constant throughout these latest readings in class.

The first relevant theme is the constant reminder that all of these characters have unfulfilled dreams. With Walter it’s his liquor store, for Beneatha her studies of medicine, and for Mama it is she and her late husbands dream of owning a nice middle-class home. Everyone in the household has some greater goal that they wish to achieve but seem to have some sort of barrier holding them back whether it be money, work-ethic, or the racial tension at the time. Their father’s life insurance check is seen as a saving grace to these characters as well as a way to break down the barriers that have held them back up to this point.

In A Raisin in the Sun money seems to be one of the most discussed topics throughout the play. Money looms over each character's dreams, once again confining them to the simple life the oppression in America gave them. Walter is desperate for the money his mother gains, yearning to create a new life for his family. Yet, what Walter does not understand is that by trying to become something of himself, he also brings his family down with him. The constraints built by discrimination confines all the characters to a life that deviates from what is truly important; family. Perhaps Walter’s fight for a new life of money and materialistic things allows for the family to fight for a “place” within their constraints. But, at the same time, the prevalence of money in their family also tears them apart. In a fit of anger Walter screams to Ruth saying, “we all tied up in a race of people that don’t know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies!” (Hansberry 87). Walter strives to find some solidarity by breaking this “tied up” race, yet is only consolation is the money in his future, rather than the people surrounding him.

Lorraine Hansberry creates a textual climate in which a poor Chicago family is constrained by race, and yet also displays the complexities of familial relationships that white Americans can relate to. Themes of unfulfilled dreams, the pursuit of material success, and the lure of money pervade the narrative and partially obscure the bonds between characters. Through bringing to light not only the problem of race but the inner struggles of family life, Hansberry reveals the commonalities of people and imbues her play with a raw emotionality rife with humanity.