“A Raisin in The Sun”
Act 1 Scene 1
Chicago South side is an area where many black people live. It is referred to as “the ghetto,” and is the poorest neighborhood in Chicago.
Walter’s business idea is called a fly-by-night proposition because the family perceives it as risky and unreliable.
The ledger: mama says “I don’t want that on my ledger,” indicating she is a religious woman who does not want God to list any negative balances on her spiritual record in Heaven.
Note: Ruth and mama appear to be the religious people in the family. Mama’s reference to the ledger and Ruth statement that Beneatha is “fresh as salt” is a referenced quotation from Mathew 5:13; and Luke 14:34-35
Beneatha’s name is indicative of a person suffering from low self-esteem. When she first meets Asagai (Nigerian), she tells him she is looking for her identity, something Asagai finds amusing because he has an identity--a nation, a tribe, a language.
Alaiyo: Beneatha’s nick-name, given to her by Asagai. It means “one for whom there isn’t enough food,” and is appropriate because Beneatha is skinny, which in the African culture is an indication a person is not having enough to eat.
Riding in busses: Jim Crow laws required the segregation of Blacks and Whites in public facilities. In the busses, Blacks sat in the back, but could sit in the front if there was no white person present, or if no white person needed the seat. If a white person entered the bus, the black person had to get up and go to the back of the bus.
Act 2 scene 1.
1. Beneatha continues to have identity problems, as she fans herself with an Oriental fan while dressed in Nigerian traditional clothing. Her hair has been adjusted to fit what Asagai labeled traditionally African.
2. George Murchison has a negative opinion of the average black person (79) as indicated by his statement to Walter – “Black brother, hell.”
3. George contrasts to Walter in that he doesn’t like beer. (It is what has plagued and brought about many failures in life and society.
4. Geroge says Walter is bitter (85). Is he right? What may be the cause of Walter’s bitterness?
5. In several instances, Beneatha changes her hairstyle (80, 85). What does this indicate? (struggle with identity).
6. George calls Walter Prometheus(86). Who was Prometheus, and why does Walter fit that label? Greek god who brought fire (destruction) to mortals. For this, he was punished by being chained to Mt. Caucasus. His liver was torn out every day by an eagle but grew back each night. This pain lasted for thousands of years –until Hercules killed the eagle and Prometheus was freed. Although Walter’s frustrations of establishing a business seem to devour him, his obsession with his dream restores his hope.
7. Ruth is excited about the new house (91-2). Walter is not. Why the difference of opinion? Why is Ruth so interested in a bigger house?
8. The statement “the lion is waking” was commonly used in African nations that were beginning to demand independence from colonial rule. The suggestive imagery (of a lion pouncing on prey) was unsettling to the colonial rulers. Walter and Beneatha can relate to this African struggle. They are black people struggling to rise above a white dominated culture, country, and economy.
9. Note that Beneatha’s confusion about her identity continues even after she gets the African robes. She doesn’t wear them quite right, and she fans herself—with an Asian fan, which contradicts her new ‘African’ identity.
10. Why is the house in Clybourne Park? Cheapest place to buy a house.
11. Compare and contrast Asagai and Murchison? (education, identity, relationship to Beneatha)
12. Owimoweh: Title of an African chant that refers to the elegant walk of the male lion, and used in the play to signify the rising African nations in colonial Africa.
The Purpose of “A Raisin in the Sun.”
Lorraine Hansberry wrote the play to criticize and display the true nature of the American culture, and the world. She also wrote this play and other writings because she considered herself a voice for the poor (voiceless) population in America and beyond.
Literary perspective:
The play is written in the Traditional European dramatic form: It is divided into three acts, each with its own scenes
The play is an absurdist drama: In absurdist drama, characters are connected with life experiences (déjà vu) they would otherwise not have experienced in real life.
Significant people for further research:
Malcolm X
Martin Luther King
Booker T. Washington