The story of A Raisin in the Sun is almost an autobiographical one for Lorraine Hansberry. She and her family lived on the Southside of Chicago (where Raisin is set), and were fairly well off for black people at that time. Her family was one of the first black families to move into an all white neighbor hood (Kohorn). This is, of course, paralleled to the Younger family moving into Clybourne Park. “RUTH Clybourne Park? Mama, there ain’t no colored people living in Clybourne Park. MAM : (Almost idiotically) Well, I guess there’s going to be some now” (Rais

WALTER (With immense passion) Because it is life, Mama!

in 93). While the Youngers of A Raisin in the Sun were not as well off as Hansberry had been as a child, their large windfall from the insurance money had allowed them to make such a move, as was Mama’s dream. In the same respect, when Hansberry was growing up, it was the dream of every black man and woman to live in a world without discrimination. While living in the white neighborhood, the Hansberrys were threatened. Lorraine’s father brought his case to the Supreme Court, taking the black people of America one step closer to their goal.

It is obvious that Walter and Mama have different views on the value of money. Literary analyst Emily Von Kohorn states, “Money is only a means to an end for Mama; dreams are more important to her than material wealth, and her dream is to own a house with a garden and a yard in which Travis can play” (Kohorn).

MAMA Son—how come you talk so much ’bout money?

MAMA …Have you cried for that boy today? I don’t mean for yourself and the family ’cause we lost the money. I mean for him: what he been through and what it done to him. Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most? When they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then, you ain’t through learning—because that ain’t the time at all. It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself ’cause the world done whipped him so! (Raisin 145).

Some topics in this essay:
Walter MAMA, Kohorn Despite, Billington Finally, Raisin Sun, Silence WALTER, Supreme Court, Sun Hansberry, WALTER Yeah, Chicago Raisin, Walter Lee, dream owning own, owning own, dream owning, liquor store, own home, lost money, raisin sun, raisin 145, clybourne park, walter mama, owning own business, black people, owning own home,