Lorraine Hansberry uses imagery to set the impoverished and conflicted atmosphere the Younger's family lived through in A Raisin in the Sun. This technique allows readers to depict the hardships and harsh reality of Chicago's South Side community. Using lines of cold, descriptive text, Hansberry puts forth a scenery of struggling times in an African-American household during the mid-20th century. Conflicts between Walter Lee and his family were described with great detail: "...slowly Walter Lee peeks around the boy to catch the violent rays from his wife's eyes and draws his head back as if shot" (31). Here, Hansberry does a superb job of painting a picture in the mind of readers. The clever author uses a well-structured sentence, enticing the reader to want to read more. The thought of a man being scornfully stared at by his wife comes to mind. This sentence, by itself, can solely alert the audience that there was a present conflict.
"The sole natural light the family may enjoy in the course of a day is only that which fights its way through this little window" (24). After reading this line of the play, it was rather effortless to determine that the Younger's were living in a poorer area. The emphasis on the window's diminutive stature supports that they were a family-in- need. This inference can be made when Hansberry describes the light that is revealed in the "little window."
On page 34, imagery is prevalent when Ruth sets up an ironing board and "attacks a huge pile of rough-dried clothes, sprinkling them in preparation for the ironing and then rolling them into tight fat balls." The illustration that is gathered from this sentence is impeccable.
Ultimately, Hansberry's use of imagery throughout this play contributes to the development of the story's plot.
On page 34, imagery is prevalent when Ruth sets up an ironing board and "attacks a huge pile of rough-dried clothes, sprinkling them in preparation for the ironing and then rolling them into tight fat balls." The illustration that is gathered from this sentence is impeccable.
Ultimately, Hansberry's use of imagery throughout this play contributes to the development of the story's plot.
Hansberry also uses a lot of imagery to describe the characters when they are first introduced onto the scene. For example, when Mama enters the play, Hansberry describes her as "full bodied and strong"(39) and she stays with the constant description of her strength to show that she has been through a lot in life. We find out early through this imagery that Mama is the anchor for this family and will most likely be called upon to keep the family together.
ReplyDeleteWhat Nicholas Defeo said is true. Hansberry not only uses imagery to describe the setting and situation that the Younger's family are in, but also describe the characters in it. Mama, what Mr. Defeo referenced, was not the only character being illustrated with imagery. Ruth says, “(Mimicking) Aw gaaaaalleeeee, Mama! (She pushes him, with rough playfulness and finality, toward the door) Get on out of here or you going to be late.” (30). The line clearly creates a picture in your head of a mother teasing her son. This also explains Ruth's character through imagery because it shows that she may appear tough, but is actually a really loving, caring, and very playful person.
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