A Raisin in the Sun-- Question Five

In "A Raisin in the Sun," there are three main themes presented. Author Lorraine Hansberry carefully crafts the portrait of a family fighting for three main things. These are: the gravity of dreams, the struggle of African-American society, and the value in a close-knit family. On page 94, Mama speaks to Walter & her lines wrap up these three themes into one address. She says, "I just seen my family fallin' apart today...just fallin' to pieces in front of my eyes...We couldn't of go on like we was today. We was goin' backwards instead of forwards...When it gets like that in life-you just gotta do something different, push on and do something bigger." Mama is the force behind holding the family together, fighting for their future, and attempting to reach their dreams.  These themes are responsible for the drama in the play; without them, there is no suspense or purpose to the plot. They strengthen the tones of heartache and courage in the play. There is no doubt that these are incredibly powerful themes that all individuals can associate with in some form or another (i.e. dreams, struggle, family, hope). I think that the play was dead on in presenting human concerns; it was sufficiently didactic.