Alex Ilusorio

Ms. Storer
English 3 Honors
March 12th 2020
My Biggest Takeaway from A Raisin in the Sun
The biggest takeaway I had from reading Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is
how a family (Younger Family) can be worried and concentrated so much about one of their few
American Dreams: owning a beautiful yet simplistic house. Despite personal dreams of a stable
job or to become successful, the story emphasizes how a house is the core of all dreams within a
family.
Unlike the Younger family, I have never been so stressed out or deeply focused about
obtaining a house. When I lived in the Philippines for three years, I moved into three different
apartments. Although tedious, I was never truly concerned about moving into new apartments. I
was never told how big or small a new place would be, but in my heart, I knew that life would
continue and everything will be the same. Perhaps this is because my parents took the role in
ensuring the safety and comfort found within new places. They had to put effort into acquiring a
house for the family, but that does not mean that they desire other things in life. I remember that
my dad was slowly working up the ranks as a part of the US Embassy, which was probably more
important to him and required harder work. I am not an adult yet, and I do not know all the
responsibilities involved in buying a house, but I do know that it is not as long as a process seen
in the book.
Reflecting on my past and how it differs from the Younger family shows how different
my circumstances were. I would say that I was more well off financially prior to moving houses,
which makes me emotional for the Younger Family. This difference is clear cut when the story
describes the overall surrounding of the house: “Weariness has, in fact, won in this room.
Everything has been polished, washed on, sat on, used, scrubbed too. All pretenses but living
itself have long since vanished from the very atmosphere of this room” (Hansberry 23-24).
Understanding the worthless environment of their house makes it reasonable that above all, the
Younger family dreams of a cleaner, attractive home. No one deserves to live in such tacky
conditions for a portion of their lives, as it degrades the meaning of their hard work one might
have done for themselves or their family. Another circumstance that my life cannot compare to is
the race prejudices found within the story. Being in another time period, where civil rights are
gained by all ethnicities, being rejected of a household cannot compare to the past. People used
to never be condoned of these actions, but now they’re considered unjust and unlawful. This
made life challenging for the Younger Family, where opportunities to buy nicer houses were
slim.
It has never been considered a dream of mine to buy a house, which I find surprising in
this story. I never expected such a task to be difficult in any situation, but it makes sense that
those who are less fortunate truly desire a home. I hope that housing situations are not similar to
those found in the past, which are heavily based on race and money, but rather the constitutional
rights provided which gives everyone equal chance for a healthy life.