Racism as Portrayed inthe Play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry

Abstract

This study aims at investigate the kinds of racial discrimination in Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and to reveal the reactions of the society toward the racial discrimination displayed in the play. To analyze the data, this studyadopts qualitative content analysis method.The primary data of this studyare some significant expressions that are taken from Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun relevant to the objectives of the study. The data tools are taken from some sources such as books, journals, and articles related to the sociology of literature and the racial discrimination in the 1950s. Triangulation technique was used in order to obtain trustworthiness. There are two results of this study. Firstly, to present the kinds of racial discrimination found in the play: housing segregation, job discrimination, and educational disadvantages for African-Americans.Secondly, to explain the reactions of the society toward the housing segregation.Moreover, the job discrimination, and the absence of identity as African-Americans. The reactions toward the housing segregation are divided into three reactions; accepting the housing segregation, fighting to escape from segregated area, and maintaining the housing segregation. Furthermore, there are three reactions of the society toward the job discrimination. The first is being a self-employment and the second is accepting their condition as subordinate workers. The last is African-Americans’ reactions toward the absence of identity. The most of African-Americans chooses to learn their identity as African-Americans whereas the rest ignores it. These reactions can be considered as good explanations of how the society reacts toward the practice of racial discrimination as the social problem.