THEME OF DISAPPOINTMENT/UNFULFILLED DREAM
A Raisin in the Sun is a portrayal of broken dreams, unfulfilled hope and disappointment. Most of the characters in the play have great dreams. Waiter Lee Younger has great dreams, to have a “little liquor store”, He hopes to make fortunes out of this business. The initial capital is seventy-five thousand dollar arid the money to be raised by three of them, Walter, Willy and obo. Waiter is so depressed that no one want to understand him and he feels it is the trouble with coloured people. He hopes that the expected money from his late father’s insurance will help to finance the project towards realizing his age long dream. The money comes, he is given a substantial amount’ from it, He gives the money to Willy arid obo, his proposed partners in the liquor business. Unfortunately, obo comes back to tell Waiter that the money is gone, thus Waiter’s dream is shattered, just like his late father’s. (p.29).
Beneatha, Walter’s sister, dreams of better things, especially education, She wants to be a doctor. Even though her brother, Walter, thinks otherwise suggesting nursing for her Instead, Beneatha still cannot realize her childhood dream because, the money for her education has been depleted to purchase a new house and to invest in Walter’s liquor business, Even little Travis cannot get as little as fifty cents to settle some school Issues, He Is unlike other kids. He too has dreams that cannot be realized because of his heritage.
If Walter and Mama oppose Beneatha’s marriage to Asagal for different reasons, her dream of beholding the beauty of Africa and its rich cultural heritage may as well have been dashed, Mr. Lindner comes under the auspice of Clybourne Park Improvement Association. He makes an offer to Walter’’’ the family from moving into Clybourne Park, Mrs. Johnson initially come with a similar proposition, to warn Lena Younger of inherent danger facing coloured people in Clybourne Par’s. However, these people are utterly disappointed as the Younger family refuses to heed to their white antics.
THEME OF SEGREGATION
Racial segregation is a dominant feature of the play, A Raisin in the Sun. This is manifested in so many ways. The Youngers live in a community of coloured people in America. Their house is infested with cockroaches. Sometimes, they spray insecticides into cracks and crevices to subdue those cockroaches, Once, Travis runs upstairs to narrate the cause of noise down their Street being that a giant rat was pursued by many people and beaten mercilessly, leaving blood all over the street. This episode is symbolic because the rats and cockroaches are representative symbols of coloured people who are intimidated, segregated and racially’’ abused.
The whites have that racist notion that Africans still have tans and don’t wear clothes. Beneatha gives that hint in her warning to her mother about Asagai, “Nell, do me and don’t ask him a whole lot of ignorant questions about Africans…do they wear clothes and all that-“. Mrs. Johnson gives the impression that paper headlines will be screaming with headlines “Negroes invade Clybourne Park, bombed!” She had earlier remarked that some Negroes go where they are not wanted. Lindner confirms the rejection of coloured Negroes as he makes spirited efforts to play out the Youngers from their property at Clyhourne Park by offering more than the purchasing price.
IDENTITY CRISIS
The Issue of race or identity is great concern to many in the story. Beneatha tries to paint this picture when Asagai visits the first time. Her house is in shambles and she thinks of what impression this will make to him, hence, she remarks, when Asagai asks why she’s disturbed: “Yes…we’ve all got acute ghetto”. Then Asaqai reminds her of their encounter at school where she had said;” Mr. Asagai, I want very much to talk with you about Africa, You see, .1 cm looking for my identity” (p43). In response, Asagai feels that assimilations is so popular in America and thin invariably is responsible for the loss of black identity. Again, between George and Beneatha, this issue of identity is resurrected when Ruth tries to know what assimilations L. George says, “It means someone who is willing to give up his own culture and submerge himself completely in the dominant, and in this case, oppressive, culture” (p.60). This is what is loss of identity. Notwithstanding that, the people so derided are the first to smelt iron on the face of the earth.
One notorious factor that propels this identity issue is the attitude of Ku Klux Klan, a dreaded white cult whose sole motive is to suppress blacks arid keep them perpetually segregated. Thus, as a result of their questionable identity, they have to overcome ku Klux Klan and the likes of Mrs. Johnson for their avowed disinterest against black (coloured) identity.
THEME OF BETRAYAL
When one does not get the expected from another who is in a better position to do so, betray plays out., Little Travis is betrayed because lie cannot t n as fifty cents from his mother, though he rather gives him the money. Even Lena Younger Walter’s mother feels betrayed. Her husband had sparkling dreams but could not live to actual in the same. For that, she says; “…seems like God didn’t rue it fit hi the black man nothing but dreams”, She must be betrayed, having hoped for the realization of dreams that would never be. Beneatha is a promising young girl, intent on studying medicine to become a doctor. Her mother, Lena Younger is expecting a fat cheque from an insurance company. Walter is determined to invest in his liquor business, When the money finally comes, Lena Younger gives her son a chunk of the money for his investment such that the profit could be invested in the education of Travis and Beneatha, to realize their own dreams.
Walter gives the money to Bobo and Willy, no investors, Bobo comes back to tell them that the money is not n’ Willy too, Thus, Walter is betrayed by those he trusted to do business with.