Raisins Are My Favorite

I must admit that thus far, Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is definitely my favorite work of literature that we have read in class this year. This piece carries the most emotional charge of all the pieces we have read thus far. These raw emotions derive largely from a theme focusing on man's desire to pursue a better life, much like the theme of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. Unlike Williams' play, however, Hansberry's play openly expresses the characters' search for a better life. When they discuss the insurance check, each member of the family divulges the dream for a better life which they hope to achieve with a portion of the insurance check. The Glass Menagerie never actually openly discussed its characters' dreams, which weakened its strength in comparison to A Raisin in the Sun.

Also present in A Raisin in the Sun are strong racial overtones which accurately reflect the troubles faced by the play's contemporary audience. Hansberry's play carried so much power primarily because of its groundbreaking nature; not only was the play the first written by a black woman, but it also was one of the first to openly discuss discrimination through the perspective of black people. Because of these reasons, there simply seems to be something about A Raisin in the Sun that sets it emotionally apart from the rest of the literature which we have read in class this year.

Nobody Knows... (p 1119 Question 4)

In her play A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry builds dramatic suspense through slightly unconventional methods. Normally, suspense is developed due to an inconsistency between the audience's knowledge of a situation and a character's knowledge of that situation. Suspense occurs because a character is acting upon knowledge that the audience is not privy to, creating intrigue and curiosity from the members of the audience who seek to find out what that unknown knowledge is. However, in A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry causes the audience to feel suspense for the exact opposite reason.

The suspense in this play resolves around Walter's decision of whether or not to sell their newly purchased house. The audience is held in suspense as they wonder whether Walter will maintain his pride or accept a less fortunate fate. The key to this suspense, however, is that no one else, Walter included, knows which Walter will choose. Indeed, it is not until he mentions his own father and realizes his father's sacrifice that Walter realizes that he "come[s] from people who had a lot of pride" (p 148). Up until that moment, no one knows what Walter will choose, creating an increasingly suspenseful buildup to the plot's climax and denouement.

A Matter of Pride (p 1119, Question 1)

For the most part, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun employs realistic conventions. The plot evolves within the normal, realistic context of the Youngers' apartment. The family's financial and social situation, their mannerisms and actions toward each other, their hopes and dreams--all of these are very much realistic and true to African American culture in Hansberry's time. Hansberry wrote this play to reflect upon the status of her people at the time of its writing; in order to serve this reflection proper justice, she entrenched the plot within reality.

Near the middle of the play, however, Hansberry briefly departs from reality through Walter and Beneatha's African ritualistic dance. Thus far in the play, the Younger family has acknowledged their African heritage but has not done much to show interest or pride in it. This lack of African culture vanishes, however, through the fervid (and in Walter's case, drunken) dancing to the Nigerian tribal music. This scene presents the audience with a significant glimpse into the strong pride held by the Youngers for their African heritage. Though they may not openly show their pride in their culture, that pride is still very much present.

Breaking Out

My main issue with Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" lies in attempting to decide Laura's fate at the conclusion of the play. Obviously, the opening up and subsequent re-closing of herself to Jim causes a change of some sort within her. Williams, however, is unclear as to if this experience brings Laura to a maturation and a bit of confidence and strength, or if it causes her to seclude herself even more into her glass menagerie. Personally, I believe that Laura will become at least partially independent. This choice to accept her fate and take charge is reflected in her giving the glass unicorn to Jim. The unicorn symbolized her own feeling of being "freakish" (p 1283). When Jim accidentally breaks it, Laura is surprisingly at peace with it; Jim, a representation of reality and acceptance of oneself, breaks the unicorn, who is symbolic of Laura's own feeling of inferiority and her use of her physical condition to excuse her inability to make proper connections. Now, however, she accepts that her excuse is gone, leaving her just like everyone else. While Tom may remain plagued by guilt for leaving Laura and Amanda, Williams indicates that Laura will do just fine without him.

A Break from Fantasy (p 1290, Question 9)

Jim’s personality is certainly an interesting one, especially when looking at his treatment of Laura. Jim certainly seems to be the most genuine and cheerful of the four characters in the play. Unlike Tom and Amanda, who coddle Laura and treat her differently, Jim talks casually and sincerely with her. In fact, Jim seems to open up to Laura at an immensely fast pace, speeding up the supposed courtship and even kissing her. It is in the aftershock of that kiss where we learn the likely reason for his rushed interest in Laura: he is engaged to be married. Although Jim makes it clear that he is in love with fiancée, he naturally is slightly fearful of this commitment. This fear is focused under the light of Laura’s admiration of him. Laura allows Jim to reminisce about the time in his life when he was successful, when he “was bound to succeed in anything [he] went into” (p 1227). Jim feels attracted to Laura because she provides him an opportunity to dream of what could have been.

In the end, however, Jim sets himself apart from the family by being able to snap out of his delusions and move on with his life. He quickly leaves to pick up his fiancée and departs from the family’s life, assumedly forever. The other three characters, however, remain stuck in their own respective delusions: Tom’s dreamy delusion of being a successful poet; Amanda’s nostalgic delusion of the glitz and glamour which she experienced before her husband’s departure; and Laura’s desperate delusion of solitude and comfort amid her glass menagerie.

Tom's Guilt (p 1289, Question 3)

Tom's dilemma lies between his obligation to family and his obligation to self. Tom feels obligated as the man of the house in the absence of his father to provide for his mother and sister. At the same time, however, Tom wants to seek his fortune as a poet. He feels pinned down by his familial obligations and trapped by his controlling mother. This leads to a great amount of resentment toward his mother, who desperately clings to her son and attempts to manipulate him so as to prevent him from acting like his father and leaving the family. Without attempting to do so, Laura embodies Tom’s obligations to his family; while Amanda constantly reminds him of his responsibility, it is Laura’s mental and physical state that forces Tom to remain. He believes that Laura is mentally unstable, and responds accordingly, often acting extremely gently and cautious around her.

Ironically, it is Amanda’s controlling attempts to keep Tom at home that drives him to leave. Amanda’s accusations against Tom of drinking and lying to the family, despite the fact that he is the one providing for the family, ultimately wear on him. When he is fired from his job, he feels he is unable to provide for his family and leaves to seek his fortune elsewhere. In a rather poetic ending, Amanda’s actions—made out of fear of Tom leaving the family like his father—cause Tom to leave as she feared. By leaving however, he never truly resolves his dilemma, as indicated by his final soliloquy that details his regret and guilt. In avoiding his dilemma, Tom attempts to escape from it, yet he soon learns that he cannot escape his own guilt.