Raisin In The Sun Plant

A Raisin In The Sun is a play written by esteemed author Lorraine Hansberry. This theatrical work describes the arduous struggles of an African American family in a racially segregated society of the 1950’s. Mama, the matriarch of the family is the mother of two adult children with different ideas in life. She receives life insurance for her deceased husband in the form of a ten-thousand dollar check. This check divides the thought processes of her family. Her and her children want to use it for different purposes, and this causes conflict, and much tension. Mama, in the midst of the conflicting ideas and discussions, keeps a house plant that is close to her for many reasons. The plant is a prominent symbol because it is symbolic of the hope that she still has in her family’s success. The author brings up the plant repeatedly in the play as it radiates symbolic messages at every step of the story. The plants primarily function in the story is to be a representation of Mama’s hopes for a better future for all of her family. The plant also represents Hansberry's message in the story, which is to have hope for a better future, no matter how hard the present situation is. She expresses her message through the value that this plant has …show more content…
“Mama grabs her plant and exits the apartment for the last time” (Hansberry 574). As previously mentioned, the author uses this as a way to express to the viewer the symbolic representation of the plant (which symbolizes the hope that Mama still holds for her kids’ futures). Mama took this plant to her new house in order to preserve the value of hope wherever life may take her. Mama’s action represents that just as a plant needs to be nurtured to develop, in the same manner, hope and wishes in life also need to be nurtured. This strong message goes to show that we all in our own lives need to find something special to help us be