Julia Espinal
Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is a story of dreams, and how they shine bright or dim as time goes on. Throughout the novel, the characters exemplify how one’s environment can either allow dreams to flourish or die. The relationship between Lena Younger, referred to as Mama, and her family is depicted through the generational dream gap. At a young age, she fled her home to build a life for herself in the north of the east coast of the United States. Mama recalls a time in her life when freedom was everything, but now she has been thrown into a new world in which new dreams are unfolding.
The adaptation of the play in the 1961 film allows the audience not only to put images to Hansberry’s words but to comprehend its tone, as well. Daniel Petrie, director of the drama, portrays the dreams of each character in a way that appreciates their role in the overall theme of pursuing the “American Dream”. While watching the film, I was able to shine a new light upon the character of Asagai and his role in Beneatha’s dreams, as well as the other Younger family members. Asagai inspires Beneatha to fulfill her dream of becoming a woman of the “new world”. He even uses a nickname–Alaiyo– to describe her as someone who food is not enough for. The depiction of Asagai and Beneatha’s relationship in the play is seen as a friendship that has encouraged a new sense of identity and purpose. Petrie’s adaptation of the relationship shows the struggle between Beneatha’s ‘new world’ aspirations of being expressive and ‘old world’ values of doing what is expected, instilled by Mama and seen in Ruth’s demeanor. As an audience member you are shown a side of Beneatha not seen in the words of Hansberry. From paying close attention to Beneatha’s tone and body language you can sense her longing for Asagai, their relationship is everything she has ever dreamed. She deals with the internal struggle of keeping George Murchison around in favor of her family and what society might see her as versus what her heart desires which is to be everything she was told not to be.
Listening to the dialogue in the scene where they are discussing the aftermath of Walter’s financial mishap, Asagai states, “…isn’t there something wrong in a house–in a world–where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of man?” (Hansberry 135) As a reader, I did not fully comprehend the meaning behind this but watching the scene unfold I realized that although each Younger had their own aspirations none of them were going to actually pursue it until they found out they were receiving the life insurance check. If not for the money, we do not know how long it would have been before the Youngers would say “goodbye to misery”, as Ruth said, and move out of their apartment. If not for the money, Ruth might have actually followed through with the abortion of her child with Walter and their marriage might have fallen beyond repair. If not for the money, Walter might have continued to drown his sorrows at The Kitty Kat and become even more unrecognizable to his mother and the rest of the family. If not for the money, Beneatha might have had to drop out of college and pursue a career as a domestic worker like her mother, Ruth, and many other women of the time. If not for the money, Travis might have gone on to never have a stable environment to grow up in.
In the few weeks, readers and audience members were captured by the words of Lorraine Hansberry and the view of Daniel Petrie, eyes were opened to the ever changing place we call home, Earth. The well-known tale of the ‘American Dream’ is seen in a different light through the Younger family. Altogether, we watched the new world and old collide, much as we do today. A Raisin in the Sun, in film, play, and book holds the keys to unlocking the motivation for all our hopes, dreams, and desires.
Discussion Questions:
Being able to put life into the words of Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, did you experience a new perspective on the characters and their dreams?
Did witnessing the relationship between Asagai and Beneatha on-screen change your view on Beneatha’s ‘new world’ aspirations?
Works Cited
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Vintage Books, 1958.
