THE YOUNGER FAMILY AS THE VICTIM OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN LORRAINE HANSBERRY’S A RAISIN IN THE SUN

Abstract

This thesis tries to analyze the impact of racism, which is reflected in A Raisin in the Sun play. It tells about the struggle of Lena Younger to get the same right as the white people and fights against racism in 1950s in United States of America. There are three problems to discuss in this thesis. The first is how racialism happens toward the Younger's family life. The second is how the Younger family struggle against racial discrimination. The last is what the results of racialism in the Youngers are. This topic is interesting to discuss because it is humanistic and realistic. It is about representative people who become black and deal with the impact of racism in the Younger family. A Raisin in the Sun tells about racism especially to Lena Younger. They attempt to challenge the racist policies by buying a house in a predominantly white neighborhood. Because of their choice for living in white community, there are several conflicts occurring between Lena Younger and the white people. When they move into their new house located in white area in Clybourne Park. In fact, white people reject her family's presence in their area. Then, the Clybourne Park Improvements Association for White People gives her family an offer. They will give her family some more money if they want to leave their new house. Furthermore, she and her family refuse their offer and keep on moving into their new house in Clybourne Park. Based on the facts above, the writer takes this play as the object of the study. Furthermore, this thesis uses inductive method. It means that the analysis starts from the specific one to general conclusion. First, it begins with specific description about Lena Younger's problem with the white people in the Southside of Chicago in 1950s and then it goes to general facts found in the play. Lena Younger‗s conflicts in A Raisin in the Sun are social conflicts with white people. This thesis uses sociological approach because social conflicts are more dominant in this play as the representation of racism in this society. The result of the study shows that the white people always think that blacks do not have the right to live. They even are regarded as dirty, useless, poor and disgusting people. But most of the Younger family have dreams; they want to buy a big house in order to prove that they have something. The Youngers struggle to attain these dreams. The theme of racial discrimination is the prominent issue in this play.