A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry English 10 – Unit 3 Ms. Daigle

Symbol: Beneatha’s (Natural) Hair After Joseph Asagai refers to Beneatha’s Caucasian-style straightened hair as “mutilated,” Beneatha reevaluates the significance of her “assimilationist” hairstyle and decides to cut her hair and wear it in its natural form. While Ruth, Walter, and George Murchison are flabbergasted by Beneatha’s abrupt decision to wear her hair “all nappy like that,” Beneatha sees her new hairstyle as a way to distance herself from “the dominant, and in this case oppressive” mainstream culture and to fully embrace her African heritage. With her natural hair, Beneatha proudly and visibly expresses her racial identity. Her decision foreshadows the “Natural Hair” movement that many young African Americans embraced in the 1960s, which championed the beauty of African-American hair.  Bottom line: Beneatha’s hair symbolizes her pride in her African roots

Symbol: Mama’s Plant Mama’s unending devotion to her small houseplant signifies her constant care for her family and her attention to its dreams. “Growing doggedly” in a small pot by the apartment’s kitchen window, Mama’s plant has “spirit,” despite the fact that “this little old plant . . . ain’t never had enough sunshine or nothing.” Like the plant, the Youngers have struggled to overcome the circumstances, such as racial prejudice, that curb their growth and social mobility. In the final moments of the play, Mama picks up her plant… [Spoiler Alert in White Font:]and leaves the South Side apartment for the last time, showing that this symbol of perseverance will accompany the family as it faces new challenges in Clybourne Park.  Bottom line: Mama’s feeble plant symbolizes her family’s deferred dreams for a better future, which have struggled to survive under the strain of life in Chicago’s South Side.

Symbol: The Insurance Payment Big Walter died. (Sacrifice???) $$$ = possibility to make the surviving Youngers’ dreams come true Racial prejudice prevented Big Walter from obtaining a house and a fulfilling job during his own lifetime Money = freedom Bottom Line: The insurance payment symbolizes the efforts that generations of African Americans made to give their children’s dreams a chance for success. It also shows the extent to which racism limited African Americans’ opportunities for social advancement. Lastly, it gives purpose to Big Walter’s death and epitomizes the hope and dignity of the Younger family.

Symbol: The Apartment

Theme: Gender & Feminism “Gender is not built into our genes…” – Judith Lorber This play anticipated the rise of feminism & Sexual Revolution that transformed American life in the 1960s Hansberry considers several controversial issues: Abortion (illegal in 1959) (Ruth) Value of marriage (Ruth, Walter) Morphing gender roles (Beneatha as a Doctor) Bottom line: Considering controversial issues helps characters shed light on their own identities as well as influences society during the 1960s.

Theme: Money Money = a constant source of conflict for the Youngers How do the characters view money? Mama, Beneatha, and Ruth

Theme: Race, Discrimination, and Assimilation

Theme: Dignity & Pride

Theme: Dreams