A Raisin in the Sun (Masterplots II: Drama)
At a glance:
- Author: Lorraine Hansberry
- First Published: 1959
- Type of Work: Family drama/social criticism
- Time of Work: The 1940’s, after World War II
- Setting: Chicago
- Principal Characters: Walter Lee Younger, Ruth Younger, Beneatha Younger, Mama, Lena Younger, Travis, Joseph Asagai, George Murchison, Karl Lindner
- Genres: Social realism, Family literature, Drama
- Subjects: 1950’s, African Americans, Discrimination, Segregation or integration, Family or family life, 1940’s, Yards or backyards, Chicago, Poverty or poor people, Inner cities or inner-city life, Success or failure
- Locales: Chicago, IL
The Play
A Raisin in the Sun opens at dawn, in the shabby South Side apartment of the Younger family, which will remain the sole setting of the play. It is Friday, and Ruth Younger, the wife of Walter, rises and wakes her ten-year-old son, Travis, who is sleeping in the middle of the living room. The living room has seen better days, as have the furnishings. In the rear is a kitchenette. To the left is the bedroom of Lena Younger, the matriarch of the family, and her daughter Beneatha. To the right is the bedroom of Ruth and Walter.
After Travis is sent off to...
[The entire page is 2969 words long]
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