A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, was written perhaps with some personal experience. When Lorraine was younger, a mob surrounded her home in a white middle class neighborhood and threw a brick in her window (Literature and Language, 913). However, racial prejudice is just one of the themes discussed in the play. The play takes place during the Civil Rights Movement, and the obstacles overcome are obstacles we still face today. Racial prejudice, family strength, and a sell out are the several strong thematic elements in the play. .
When the Younger family is introduced, they are introduced together. Despite the hardships endured throughout the play, the family stays together even through quarrels. Mama is almost like a Buddha of the Younger family by acting as the backbone of the family; Mama is the strong one (A Raisin in the Sun, 854). When Walter explains to Mama how he wants to start a liquor store with the money she tells him she doesn't want to go into the liquor business. She decides then to tell him he needs to sit down and talk to his wife, which is more important, because she's family (A Raisin in the Sun, 869). Mama notices also how Walter and Ruth's relationship is uncertain (A Raisin in the Sun, 855) which is why she wants him to talk to Ruth about her pregnancy (A Raisin in the, 869). If the baby isn't kept, Ruth and Walter might separate and Travis will have to go back and forth, and Mama won't have another grandchild. If that had happened, the family would be broken up, and it seems to be a constant fear in Mama that the family might someday divide. Another sign of family strength is when Beneatha denies Walter as her brother (A Raisin in the Sun, 907). When Mama hears Beneatha shun her brother, she reminds her that her brother is just the same as her when she says:.
" You feeling like you better than he is today?".
They are both strong-willed, live in the same apartment, and have the same economic situation.