by Lorraine Hansberry debuted on Broadway in 1959 as the first play written by a black woman and directed by a black man to appear in a New York venue. Set in Hansberry's native Chicago in the Washington Park subdivision of the Woodlawn area, the play follows the Younger family – Mama, her daughter, Beneatha, her son, Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, and their son Travis as they struggle to find a better and more comfortable lifestyle. It also records their frustrations as they try to rise above their lower-class roots and to find success in a predominantly white America despite the racial and social prejudice that continues to weigh them down.
The title of the play is taken from a Langston Hughes' poem entitled “Harlem” but often referred to as “A Dream Deferred”.
4073 words
Citation: Meyer, Michael J.. "A Raisin in the Sun". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 March 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7030, accessed 25 November 2024.]
