A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry was a play based on Langston Hughes poem A Dream Differed, about an impoverished colored family living in Chicago during the 1950’s that receives a check of insurance money because of their grandfather’s death. It is then one large debate between Walter, his wife Ruth, his mother and his daughter Bennetha about what to do with the large sum of money they just collected. Walter is ambitious with his dream for using the money; he wants to invest it into a new liquor store that is a high risk high reward situation. The other three women are strongly against that idea, his mother and Bennetha want to use it to pay for Bennetha’s medical school expenses and Ruth would like to save it and live a better life where they are now. Amidst the chaos the mother (Lena) goes out an buys a home for all of them to live in, because all of them plus Walter’s son Travis and another baby that is on the way are all living in one very small apartment building. But the house is in an all white neighborhood and could be potentially dangerous for them to live in. The white neighbors offer to buy their house because they don’t want any colored people living near them. At first the family refuses but then Walter call them up because he wants to get the money. But when he arrives Walter makes a large speech and doesn’t take it he flat out refuses him and keeps the house for the family to own. This was completely against his ideas previously but it saves the families sanity. Overall I think this play wasn’t terrible but I am not raving over it, the conflict between Walter and his family just seemed to keep going and going with no end in sight. But I did like the ending how he turned around. I think you would like this play if you are someone who would enjoy something with family struggles but then a fairy tale ending.
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