A Raisin In The Sun

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In this essay A Rraisin InThe Sun I will be discussing symbolism in the play. Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. The symbolism that I would mostly be focusing on in this essay is Mama’s plant and Beneatha’s hair. Both of these symbols are significant in this play because it represents who the characters are in the play and their purpose. Mama’s plant represents both her care and her dreams for her family. Beneatah’s hair represents who she is and why it is a major motif in the play during the time the play sets. The Younger apartment is the only setting throughout the play, emphasizing the centrality of the home. The lighting seems to change with the mood, and with only one window, the apartment is a small, often dark area in which all the Younger’s often feel cramped in. While some of the play’s action occurs outside of the apartment, The home is a galvanizing force for the family. The play A Raisin in the Sun is essentially about dreams being carried out into reality during the mid 1900’s. The main characters in the play struggle to deal with the oppressive circumstances that rule all of their lives. The title of the play, references a conjecture that Langston Hughes famously posed in the poem “A Dream Deferred.” He wrote about dreams that were forgotten or put off, and what can happen to them if they are not ambitiously followed. He wonders whether those dreams shrivel up “like a raisin in the sun.” in the play, every member of the Younger family has a separate self asserted individual dream, Beneatha wants to become a doctor, for example, and Walter wants to have money so that he can afford things for his family by opening up a liquor store. The Younger’s struggle to attain these dreams throughout the play, and much of their happiness and depression is directly related to

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