Racial Contrast

The characterization, the only white character in the series, as a timid and indecisive individual at first struck me as slightly off-putting. It seemed as though the author herself was making use of such a weak character to almost unfairly make the main characters of the play seem to be stronger figures by contrast. However, on further consideration, I feel that she may have instead been using such a characterization to make his character seem all the more devious, coming as a wolf in sheep's clothing. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and Lindner states that he has the best of intentions. Any thoughts as to any other intentions the author may have had with such a character?

Mama's Plant

Throughout the entire play there is the consistent mentioning of Mama's plant. She talks about it in the beginning of the play and continues to bring it up in the discussions of moving to the new neighborhood. At first light, in the early morning she pulls out her plant and recoginize it as the start to a new dream for her family. Mama talks about how there is always something left to love in the last act of the play. Does the plant symbolize something that Mama can still hold onto and love? What else could it represent?

Contrasting Significance

Per Sammy:

In Act Two, Scene Three, Walter loses the money that is entrusted to him. This reminds me of Bigger before he gets sentenced to the death penalty. Both signify that there is still not a lot of hope for the African American man at this time due to the continuing segregation. However, at the very end of the book it shows that the family is still moving to the primarily white neighborhood to their new house. So what do you feel these two contrasting circumstances are supposed to represent?

Limited Knowledge

Per Alidz O:

In class, Professor Schaub talked about cultural mixing and diverse knowledge. Schaub described Beneatha as a college student who brings new ideas into her family. However, when she dresses up as a Nigerian woman and begins to dance to "African" music, we see that Beneatha has only limited knowledge about what it means to have a Nigerian identity. I wonder, why would Hansberry do this? To have her cutting-edge figure appear ignorant is an unusual choice.

Comparing Furnaces

Per Jack J:

I believe Walter and Bigger Thomas are similar in that they both offer typical persepctives through the eyes of an

African-American male during the middle of the twentieth century. He and Bigger both struggle with feeling responsible for their

families, and because of this pressure, both characters come to an unfortunate conclusion; to make quick riches in order to be

happy. What is it about Walter, that gives him the strength to venture away from illegal activities? Does he have a stronger

family? Is he loved in ways Bigger is not? I believe the level of desperation in Bigger exceeds that of Walter's, and I also think

the fire raging inside of Bigger is an emotion Walter does not feel.

Constraining Forces

There are many similarities between Native Son and A Raisin in the Sun. One of these is a large conflict between the Blacks in the south side of Chicago and the white community. In both of these books some force is restraining the blacks to living in the designated area of the south side. In Native Son this force is the real estate companies along with Mr. Dalton and in A Raisin in the Sun it is the Clybourne Park Improvement Association with Mr. Linder. Why do you think both authors used this as a large source of conflict, and why do you think they gave a face (Mr. Dalton and Mr. Linder) to the problem? Also, do you think that this would still be a source of conflict if the author's had set the book in another major city such as New York?

A Title Speaks 1,000 Words

The title of this play obviously invokes the thought of a person being trapped under pressure. Just like a raisin in the sun, this person will dry out and will eventually become only a shadow of what they once were. The question is this: up to this point in the play, who do you think is "the raisin in the sun"? Is Mama the raisin due to all the pressure put on her due to the $10,000? Is Walter the raisin due to his enormous amount of frustration? Or is this whole family the raisin? In my opinion, the family as a whole unit is the raisin because they are all being put under pressure (with the decisions involving the money and the move to an all-white neighborhood). So, who do you think the raisin is, and what is the "sun" that is drying them out?