A Raisin in the Sun | A Raisin in the Sun

At a glance:

Author: Lorraine Hansberry
First Published: 1959
Type of Work: Drama
Type of Plot: Family
Time of Work: 1950’s
Setting: Chicago, Illinois
Principal Characters: Lena Younger, Walter, Ruth, Beneatha, Travis, Joseph Asagai, George Murchison, Bobo, Karl Linder
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

Walter Younger, Sr. (“Big Walter”) died, leaving his widow, Lena, with a life insurance policy worth $10,000. Lena wanted to use the money as a down payment on a house in the suburbs so that her family could leave its crowded, shabby, Chicago apartment. Lena’s son, Walter, disgusted with his job as a rich white man’s chauffeur, wanted to invest the insurance money in a liquor store with two partners, Willy and Bobo. Beneatha, Walter’s younger sister, a college student, wanted to use part of the money to pay for medical school.

A Raisin in the Sun | A Raisin in the Sun

At a glance:

The Story:

Join eNotes