Raisin in the Sun Play Response Essay

I thought the play â€Å"A Raisin in The Sun† was very good because it accurately displayed so many aspects of what life would be like in the 1950’s for African Americans. Full of conflict and racial tension, Hansberry creates a strong distinction between her different and unique characters. The main theme of dreams creates conflicts that are evident in the play because the family is aiming for an individual dream that seems to never happen; however, in the end, they get away form the individual dream and finally reach a common ground. Almost every character in Raisin in the Sun had a dream or goal, and it seemed like their dreams dictated their happiness or value in life. Walter is obsessed with becoming successful and rich in order to afford things for his family, why his sister Beneatha’s original dream to become a doctor ends up directing the choices she will make when she realizes that Walter has wasted the money to be put aside for her. Throughout everyone’s dreams and aspirations, it seems to me that Mama’s dream is probably the most important. For Mama, all she desires is to keep the family together. She realizes the importance of a strong and close family, and struggles to keep them together despite all of the failings and mishaps that the characters experience. To Mama, a strong and close family is the most important aspect of her life, and something she will constantly struggle to protect. I also found it very uplifting when the family is able to overcome all of the struggles and adversity, and still manage to reject Mr. Lindner’s offers to move out of the all-white neighborhood. In my opinion, this is the perfect conclusion to the play, as I believe it shows that Mama’s dream of having a strong and cohesive family is directly connected to the rest of the family’s goals as well. Despite the offers by Mr.  Lindner to help the individuals of the family in exchange for leaving the neighborhood, the family is able to put Mama’s dream in front of their own, which enabled the family to become a closer, happier family in the end, despite their individual struggles. While it seemed like the Youngers’ dreams were going to fester up and die, they were able to understand the importance of family that helped them to keep their dreams alive and achievable.