A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry and published in 1959. The play is set sometime in the 1940s or 1950s in Chicago’s Southside. The play tells the story of the Younger family (including Mama, her daughter Beneatha, her son Walter Lee, Walter’s wife Ruth, and their son Travis) about how they live in a poor financial situation and a society pervaded by racial hierarchy and how they fight against racism and financial difficulties that they encounter.

      The Younger family gets 10,000 dollars from an insurance company after Big Walter’s death, but they have different ideas on how to use the money: Beneatha wants to attend medical school to become a doctor, Mama wants to buy a new house, while Walter wants to invest a liquor store. After many altercations and conflicts, Mama decides to buy a new house in a white neighborhood and then gives the rest of the money to Walter. Walter invests in a liquor store and gives the money to Willy Harris, who disappears with Walter’s money. The family are shocked and depressed but finally become cheerful and excited as they are going to move to their new house.

      Dream is the most important theme of the play. Different characters have very different dreams: Beneatha’s dream is to become a doctor, Mama’s dream is to own a big house, and Walter’s dream is to earn more money by investing in a liquor store. Because of their different dreams, they have a lot of arguments and conflicts. By describing such arguments and conflicts, the play demonstrates that the differences in dreams can lead to divergence. None of their dreams could be realized without the 10,000 dollars that they received from the insurance company, which suggests the importance of money in the process of realizing dreams. Even if they have 10,000 dollars, however, it is also difficult for them to realize their dreams because of the racial hierarchy in society and racial discrimination surrounding the family. For example, Beneatha’s dream to be a doctor is mocked by Ruth because very few black people could become doctors at that time. If Beneatha were a white person, in contrast, it would be much more realistic for her to become a doctor. Therefore, it is harder for the Younger family to realize their dreams than it is for white people because of the inequality and discrimination against African Americans.

      A Raisin in the Sun reflects many African Americans’ life in the 1940s and 1950s. The play demonstrates the difficulties that African Americans encountered in their life, such as discrimination, racism, and financial difficulties. The book also illustrates the conflicts caused by the differences in dreams, the importance of money in realizing dreams, and the difficulties that African Americans faced when trying to realize their dreams.