A Raisin in The Sun Story

A Raisin in the Sun, like other stories in Chicago, suffers considerably because of discrimination. Racism reaches privileged families like the Youngers. Lorraine Hansberry, playwright of A Raisin in the Sun, paints a vivid picture of life in this hot Chicago where tempers of xenophobia explode into conflict. Since discrimination was common in this era, the Youngers, an African-American family in the play, have to be careful with their decision to move to the “White neighborhood.” Hansberry’s 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun demonstrates the racial tension and problems the Youngers face.

One racial issue the Youngers face every day is money. For example, Walter explains how making money always comes with a catch: “Baby, don’t nothing happen for you in this world ‘less you pay somebody off (Hansberry 33).” “Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we have in mind costs seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be ‘bout thirty thousand, see. That be ten thousand each. Course, there’s a couple of hundred you got to pay so’s you dont spend your life just waiting for them clowns to let your license get approved(Hansberry 33).” “He’s mine, too–and Travis grandfather–but the insurance money belongs to mama (Hansberry 38).” “Have we figured out yet just exactly how much medical school is going to cost?” As a result, the Youngers face many racial issues regarding money because of them being a lower class than whites, money is not easy to come across.

Another racial issue the Youngers face is housing. For instance Mama points out to him that it’s different when a man has his own home rather than living with his mother: “Walter Lee-It makes a difference in a man when he can walk on floors that belong to him (Hansberry 92).” For this reason, the Youngers face many issues dealing with housing.

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