Description
This groundbreaking play follows the Younger family, a working-class African American household in Chicago navigating dreams, dignity, and the weight of systemic inequality in 1950s America. When a life insurance check arrives, each family member envisions a different future, sparking profound conflicts that expose the tensions between personal ambition, family loyalty, and the harsh realities of racial discrimination. Through intimate domestic scenes and powerful dialogue, Lorraine Hansberry crafts a searing examination of identity, aspiration, and what it truly means to build a meaningful life in the face of overwhelming obstacles. The play's title, drawn from Langston Hughes's poem "Harlem," captures the central question: what happens to dreams deferred? A landmark work of American theater, this play remains essential reading for its unflinching portrayal of Black family life and its enduring exploration of universal human struggles.
Available Editions
paperback
Random House (NY)
Published Jan 1, 1959
168 pages
ISBN: 9780375508330
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Details
First Published
1959
Language
en
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry.