A Raisin in the Sun

 

Shirley J.                         Adult Fiction/Play                   Discrimination, determination    

A Raisin in the Sun: A Play by Lorraine Hansberry   176 pages

A raisin in the sun is the story of a black family struggling to get by, with dreams for a better life.  Held back and held down by racism, the question is which is better?  To get over on Mr. Charlie for all the wrongs done to them or to take the path of determination to make a way in spite of the hateful treatment and rise above it showing the man black people will endure no matter what.   Mama stands for right and the latter wins out in this true look at what it takes to survive the indignities of racial prejudice.   Wonderful characters and dialogue in this work of fiction that speaks the truth.    It was first performed on the stage in 1959 but is just as genuine in 2022 as it was then.  A tour de force then and now.   The title was taken from a Langston Hughes poem titled, "Harlem" which says that "a dream deferred might dry up like a raisin in the sun" this play is filled with the dreams and hopes of these characters and is a beautiful realization in the end of what you want truly can be.  Amen.