A Raisin in the Sun and Modern American Families

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Many modern families need things; they are hard pressed to make ends meet. Fathers and mothers want to be able to provide a comfortable and privileged life for their children. Just as in real life, Hansberry portrayed the family interactions within the play A Raisin in the Sun with this in mind. The younger family represents any lower-class family in America, not just those of colored descent.
Every family deals with in-laws. Whether far away, or in the same house, in-laws affect a family, even after they have passed. In A Raisin in the Sun, the Younger family live all in the same apartment; the tiny space allows for a myriad of interactions daily between the family members. The parent to child unit of Walter, Ruth, and Travis interacts with Walter’s mom, and Ruth’s mother-in-law, every day. In Act 1, the reader is introduced to Beneatha, Walter’s sister, and sees the tension between Walter and her. “What do you want from me, Brother- that I quit school or just drop dead, which?”(AI SI L1164-1165). Beneatha feels as though Walter doesn’t want her to better herself by going to medical school and becoming a doctor. She feels persecuted and put down by her brother. The tension portrayed betwixt Walter and Beneatha is exemplified in all families- a sibling rivalry to see who can do better is a common theme in American families. This trial between siblings reflects modern though in that it trains children to be competitive workers; this continues into adult society by helping workers to be efficient so that they can compete for jobs in the modern workplace. Competition is a basic fundamental in a capitalistic culture such as American society.
Money is a problem for many modern families. Just as in the end of Act I Scene II, money can...

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...on in which he had to say no to his selfish wants in order to better his kin. This caused his mental state to progress to a point at which those around him considered him a true adult.
Money, coming-of-age, and in-laws are all problems faced across America by all races, not just African Americans. The play A Raisin in the Sun transcends race and instead merely uses the Younger family as an example for “every man”; they are merely a vessel for the story to progress. The Younger family could have been replaced by any lower-class family in America, even today, and except for the neighborhood not liking their race, the story could play out the exact same. Just many families have trouble making ends meet, the Younger family does. Hansberry portrays the Youngers as being just an example of an average American family.

Works Cited

A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry

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