Imagine if you were a black family living in the 1950's during the height of racism and the civil rights movement. How difficult would your life be, and what obstacles would have to be overcome? In Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansberry, the Youngers family live in a rundown Chicago Black neighborhood and face many challenges throughout their lives, including racial discrimination and sexism. Hansberry's message talks about the importance of achieving dreams, awareness of racial discrimination, and family dynamics. Many of the characters in the play dream of being something better in life. Beneatha Younger tries to challenge beliefs about race, gender, and religion that her family believes in. She attends a local university and dreams of
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Mama wants to use it to buy a house in a white neighborhood. She fails to recognize that the new home is in a predominantly white neighborhood, and during the 1950's, this was almost unheard of, a black family moving into a white neighborhood. Mr.Lindner, a representative of the new neighborhood tries to persuade the Youngers not to move into the neighborhood. He bribes them by offering them money. He says to them, "I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities" (118). Lindner believes in segregation, and doesn't want blacks and whites living together. Ironically, before he says this, he states that the people living in Clybourne Park have worked hard to achieve their goals, and that they have a right to exclude certain people from their community. The Youngers have also worked hard, living on a day to day basis, so they deserve the same rights as the white families. The Youngers don't respond well to Mr.Lindner's remarks and he says, "Well – I don’t understand why you people are reacting this way. What do you think you are going to gain by moving into a neighborhood where you just aren’t wanted and where some elements – well – people can get awful worked up when they feel that their whole way of life and everything they’ve ever worked for is threatened" (119). The people living in Clybourne Park see the Youngers as a threat and that violence can occur. This is a reference to the numerous police and civilian threats that occurred during the Civil rights movement. Many blacks were hosed down by strong streams of water and attacked by dogs. Mr.Lindner foreshadows might what happen to the Youngers if they move in. Mrs.Johnson, the
Mama wants to use it to buy a house in a white neighborhood. She fails to recognize that the new home is in a predominantly white neighborhood, and during the 1950's, this was almost unheard of, a black family moving into a white neighborhood. Mr.Lindner, a representative of the new neighborhood tries to persuade the Youngers not to move into the neighborhood. He bribes them by offering them money. He says to them, "I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities" (118). Lindner believes in segregation, and doesn't want blacks and whites living together. Ironically, before he says this, he states that the people living in Clybourne Park have worked hard to achieve their goals, and that they have a right to exclude certain people from their community. The Youngers have also worked hard, living on a day to day basis, so they deserve the same rights as the white families. The Youngers don't respond well to Mr.Lindner's remarks and he says, "Well – I don’t understand why you people are reacting this way. What do you think you are going to gain by moving into a neighborhood where you just aren’t wanted and where some elements – well – people can get awful worked up when they feel that their whole way of life and everything they’ve ever worked for is threatened" (119). The people living in Clybourne Park see the Youngers as a threat and that violence can occur. This is a reference to the numerous police and civilian threats that occurred during the Civil rights movement. Many blacks were hosed down by strong streams of water and attacked by dogs. Mr.Lindner foreshadows might what happen to the Youngers if they move in. Mrs.Johnson, the