A Raisin in the Sun | A Raisin in the Sun

At a glance:

Author: Lorraine Hansberry
First Published: 1959
Type of Work: Play
Type of Plot: Problem play
Time of Work: Between the 1940’s and the 1950’s
Setting: South Side of Chicago
Principal Characters: Mama (Lena Younger), Walter Lee Younger, Beneatha Younger (Bennie), Ruth Younger
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

According to Lorraine Hansberry’s stage directions at the beginning of the play, the action occurs sometime between the end of World War II and the 1950’s. The play is set in an urban ghetto and deals with the problems encountered by a poor black family as it tries to cope with the realities of life on Chicago’s South Side. It reveals the devastating effects of poverty and oppression on the African American family. Even before the play begins, Hansberry’s stage directions, both in tone and substance, suggest the extent of that devastation. The furnishings in...

A Raisin in the Sun | A Raisin in the Sun

At a glance:

The Play

Join eNotes