Racial identities, cultural legacy and the experience of slavery had an indelible effect on the dreams of black African-Americans. They strive for a better future but their dreams and aspirations are often shattered and traumatized due to systemic racism. Sad to say even after the slavery was legally abolished, the Negroes still continue to bear the brunt of violence and discrimination.They are disdained by the whites and are often made victims of intolerance.Political rhetoric and constitutional protection have failed to provide safety and security to the black in real sense of the term. These issues have captured the attention of many writers.Lorraine Hansberry is one among them. Her writings delineate the issues related to cultural, racial identity and the deferred dreams of the African-Americans.Recognized as the first African-American woman playwright,her play A Raisin in the Sun performed in 1959 on Broadway brought to her the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award.The harsh realities of African-American life form the background of the play. It portrays black characters, themes and conflicts in a realistic way. Hansberry used her writings as a weapon of protest against the inequality prevalent in the society and fought against the narrow-mindedness and discrimination faced by her people. The present paper aims at remapping this predicament in Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun in great detail.
Assistant Professor, Department of English, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
