Will the Younger Families Have a Better Life in Clybourne Park in the Play, “A Raising in the Sun?”

A variety of recent plays and literature are a stronghold in the movement to combat inequality and bigotry myths in today's culture vis-à-vis prejudice vices such as ethnicity, color, and religion, among others. Similarly, Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raising in the Sun portrays racial injustice against younger black families, as well as internal contradictions that impede the achievement of the American dream by the younger families (Hansberry 80, 81). As a result, it spreads on our pondering the topic further to seeking a solution to the dilemma today. Nevertheless, the play is outright in indicating our relationship with each other in social cohesion settings alongside our idealism grounded on the social disease of trepidation and rejection to one another. Moreover, the play is an indicator of how uncomfortable and difficult it is in the current epoch to discuss issues on the social disorder of racism and social injustices today. Further, the play depicts humanity inclination of how people in the society demonize their fellow neighbors in their quest for territorial supremacy. Indeed, the play conversely illustrates how despite the numerous modifications in our political system those have apparently transpired; the vices of social injustices are still latent in the society in the twentieth century (Armstrong, 75). Nonetheless, with racism being a chief social disease in the society in contemporary time, I presume that the younger families will have a difficult time in adapting to their new settings. Conversely, the younger families might not have a better life in their new home in Clybourne Park in comparison to their initial home. As palpably evident, Clybourne Park has is a white dominated neighborhood thus an unambiguous suggestion that the younger families could doubtless face difficulties in being accepted in the vicinity. For instance, vices of discriminations still saturate in the characters conversation in the play when Mr. Linder comes to the younger family house with the offer of buying the house from them since Clybourne Park is a white dominated community. Linder can be quote saying to the younger family ready to buy the house; "Our association is prepared, though collective effort of our people, to buy the house from you at a financial gain to your family" (Hansberry, 118). The above quote by Mr. Linder indicates that their neighborhood is only reserved for certain clique of people from a common background who are the whites alone. Thus, the fundamental example by Mr. Lindner in the above quote clearly affirms that the community advocates for racial discrimination and obviously hinders the blacks from their attaining of the American dream. In addition, this is a clear indication of the prejudice and social injustice towards people of color in the neighborhood. Thus, it is unambiguous assertion that the younger family shall not have a better life in the vicinity since the inhabitants of Clybourne Park are discriminative towards people of color in particular the blacks. For this reason, they will do anything to kick them out of the neighborhood (Hansberry, 118). Besides, there may be impending difficulties for the families achieving a better life too compared to their first homes to a greater extend. This can be palpably depict by the act of the residents paying them much in order to avert their moving into the park which is already white people dominated. Nevertheless, communication issues are evident in the play a clear depiction that socialization of the younger families with the neighborhood dominants would be a great problem. For instance, Walter’s statement when talking of the insurance money depicts the lack of confidence to address certain issue when he says; "You ain't looked at it and you don't aim to have to speak on that again? You ain't even looked at it and you have decided...I have to watch you go out and work in somebody's kitchen. Yeah, you tell me then!" (Hansberry 71). Therefore, this clearly depicts communication issues in the younger families and even between the whites and blacks. For instance, Mr. Lindsey as the play depicts is uncomfortable to talk of the issue of racial discrimination on his offering of the younger black family money (Hansberry 118). This implies that socialization between the two parties shall be hindered by this factor a clear suggestion that the dominants will take a bit longer to accept them in the vicinity. Primarily, the younger families shall face diverse attempts afterwards to make them move out of their new neighborhood. This shall be foreseen when the attempts to pay them in order to alter their minds about moving in the park fails. Thusly, despite being a robust family as deemed in the play, they might not latently have the aptitude of putting up with the status quo channels from their neighbors to keep them off the neighborhood. As an outcome, the younger families moving in might have unpleasant life in Clybourne Park in contrast to a better life (Hansberry 128). Due to economical transformation that had gradually taken place over the period wealthy whites governed Clylbourne Park. As a consequence, we can affirm that the interests of the whites and blacks diverged. The whites valued their governing of the neighborhood while the blacks valued achieving better lives via their acquiring of better houses in Clybourne Park (Hansberry 53, 139, 44). For example, Ruth can be quote talking to Mama about a better house; To Mama (revealing her attitude about their current quarters): “Well, Lord knows, we’ve put enough rent into this here rat trap to pay for four houses by now…” (Hansberry 44) This unmistakably indicates that both the blacks and whites valued diverse things since the focal interests of the whites’ were to dominate Clybourne Park unlike the blacks whose dreams were to live a better life alongside being recognized in a white dominated society. This can be asserted by Ruth’s statement to Beneatha when she tells her; Ruth: “You expect this boy to go out with you with your head all nappy like that?” Beneatha: “That’s up to George. If he’s ashamed of his heritage-- …I hate assimilationist Negroes! …Someone who is willing to give up his own culture and submerge himself completely in the dominant, and in this case oppressive culture!” (Hansberry 80, 81). As a result, this was a surefire conflict of interest between the two parties an unequivocal prove that with time, Clybourne Park had altered its economic and racial demography. It is without doubt that the interests of the two parties emanated from the exquisiteness of the neighborhood that indeed were fundamental propagators of negative stereotypes of racism and class between the two parties. Alternatively, the divergent wants and desires of the whites and blacks may continue to create conflict between them but not for a longer span of time. This is because soon enough, both parties might be enlightened on addressing their indifferences and discrimination to one another based on socio-economic strata. Thus, with the insights they get from plays, shows and even documentaries, the different people of color can collectively work closely in the course of eradicating racism that is just but a confined manifestation hereby addressing racism elephant (Armstrong, 76). Correspondingly, overcoming the fact that their new neighbors were willing to pay them money not to move into their neighborhood will be thorny for the younger families moving in. This simply implied that they were unwanted in the vicinity. Hence, the young black families shall always be pondering on the rationale behind their new neighbors extend of paying them off so as not to move in their new home in Clybourne Park. Similarly, the emotion of ill motiveless from their neighbors shall crave in the young families. These emotions shall be probed by the fact that their new neighbors wanted them off their neighborhood hence a subtle rationale of their not forgetting they were being paid to keep of the walls of neighborhood. Above all, it is of utmost value for us to ponder on the question; how does “A Raising in the Sun Play” matter in the society today? This implies that we ought not to watch the play and act as if it has not influenced us to take part in the battle against social injustices, prejudices, and unfairness among other discrimination vices in the society. Basing on the real life illustration of such vices in the community today, the play sparks our pondering on the subject how we the society can curtail its prolongation. Of significant, the play themes immensely epitomize the society in a manner that really coerces individuals to think on the issues that we ignore day after day (Armstrong, 76). Work Cited Armstrong, Julie. The Cambridge Companion to American Civil Rights Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. Print Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raising in the Sun. Garsington, Oxford: Benediction Books Publishers, 1959. Print