A Raisin in the Sun

When Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun premiered in 1959, it was the first play by a Black woman to open on Broadway, as well as the first play with a Black director. The title comes from Langston Hughes’s poem “Harlem,” which asks, “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” 

Content Warning: The play and this guide discuss themes of racism and slavery.

The play tells the story of the Youngers, a family who lives together in a small Chicago apartment. The patriarch of the family, Walter Younger Sr., has died, and his widow and children await a $10,000 insurance payout. They dream of the ways that the money can improve their lives. Beneatha, Walter’s daughter, wants to go to medical school. Walter Lee Jr. hopes to use the money to purchase a liquor store with two of his friends. Lena Younger, Walter Sr.’s widow (also known as Mama), puts a down payment on a house in a white neighborhood but allows Walter Jr. to manage the rest of the money as long as he saves a substantial amount for Beneatha’s tuition. When the family faces backlash from the so-called “Welcoming Committee” of their new neighborhood and Walter loses all of the remaining money, including Beneatha’s tuition, to a thieving investment partner, the Youngers are challenged to remain proud and strong in the face of racism and misfortune.