‘A Raisin in the Sun’ was brought to the public on March 11,1959 where it resembled the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance had many characteristics that tied into black history. It was a racial pride that developed the idea of black identity through the production of literature, art, and music that could challenge the racism presented to promote progressive politics. The whole plot of ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ was to elaborate on how colored people used to get treated by society and how they were pointed out to be ‘different’. The main characters represented how one colored family was and how even something so small like getting a new house could bring joy to a family with a small apartment.
‘A Raisin in the Sun’ was a good example of how the era used to be. It shows us how much it has changed throughout the years as a colored person. One of the famous quotes from the movie was when mama said “once upon a time freedom used to be life-now its money”. That shows Mamas mindset because her son Walter wanted to buy a liquor store to make more money for his family but mama didn't like that at all because she didn't want that to be on her conscious knowing that other families would be having to deal with money being thrown away by alcohol. Mama enhanced a huge check from her husband who has passed away which did bring a slight bit of hope to the family. Mama represents the Harlem Renaissance because she has mentioned that when she was going up all she wanted was freedom and being done with segregation. As she was growing older, she realized that all anybody needed was freedom to do what they wanted in their own home, rather than being told how to do things and when to do it.
‘A Raisin in the Sun’ shows a lot of black identity and black perspective. In the beginning it shows the scenery of the apartment along with how the mood of the house is which isn't very happy. Black identity is African Americans across the country having a new spirit of self-determination and pride, a new social consciousness, and a new commitment to political activism, all of which would provide a foundation for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Black identity has been found in the raisins in the sun many times whether it was the use of language, the sensory around them, how they felt, or their actions they took when they heard something that they didn't like. One of the scenes that Walter's actions reflected on how he was feeling was When he was talking to his wife about his dreams and hopes and how he didn't feel like a good husband because he wasn't able to buy all of these materialistic things. That scene was one of the scenes where he poured out his heart and let the auditions know how he really felt at that moment.
Other characteristics that the Harlem Renaissance had was music or the culture of colored individuals. One of the scenes that gave us a glimpse of what their music was like was when they were getting ready to move into the new house Walter comes in and puts on some jazz music because he was in such a good mood while he was doing that he started to dance and sing with his mom, sister and wife. That moment symbolizes his growth throughout the whole entire movie, it shows his maturity when he held his anger towards the white male that came to his house basically telling him that the community wouldn't want a black family living in their neighborhood.
In conclusion, ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ have so many emotions that were being presented to use as we were watching the movie, it emphasized how lucky we are to be in a free society but also how much people were criticized for looking different than anyone else. The Harlem Renaissance symbolizes how strong people can be but also if they just have a little bit of hope they will be able to do great things. I really liked this topic of the Harlem Renaissance because it showed a whole bunch of emotions and thought that made this so interesting to watch and learn about.