Monday, 19 June: tragedy & alternatives: Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun

web-highlight: Carmen Ashby

In any genre, the lines may not be clear-cut as to what type of genre it is.  I searched final exams from 2004 and found two examples of this.

2004 Final Exam:  Example E

Another aspect of genre that I learned about this semester is that the boundaries between various types of genres often overlap.  It is important to understand that labels tend to differentiate things into distinct categories, and these categories, especially in literature, should remain flexible.  For example, a comedy often ends with a party, a marriage, or some type of gathering that brings people together in a jovial setting.  A romance on the other hand often ends in a moment of transcendence, where the principal characters rise above their challenging environment and live happily ever after so to speak.  Lorraine Hansberry’s play entitled A Raisin In The Sun exhibits concluding characteristics consistent with comedies and romances.  Although this play contains tragic elements, it can be seen as a comedy because the Younger family comes together at the end of the play.  They are happy with each other because of Walter’s actions and because they are moving into their new home.  This play can also be seen as a romance because their moving represents a transcendent moment in that they have overcome the miserable conditions within the ghetto.  Their new home is a tangible representation of their victory over poverty, and it also represents a new life for them.  This play satisfies characteristics of both comedies and romances. (RA)

2004 Final Exam:  Example G

In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun I found myself really struggling to convince myself this was a tragedy.  I found myself wanting to classify this as a romance due to a couple of elements.  One, I saw the end of the play as a transcendence by the family when they move out of the apartment and into their own home.  I also viewed Walter’s decision to stand up to George Murchison as a sign that he was becoming a new man.  However, upon reflection I learned that both of these situations were actually key elements that make this play a tragedy.  The fact that the family was moving was an insight to the troubles to come.  They were moving into an all white neighborhood and into a house that they were not going to be able to afford after Walter lost all the savings.  And Walter’s new found pride was the only evidence that he was maybe making a change.  The fact that he had not been to work in days, lost the insurance money, and was willing to extort money from Mr. Murchison is more evidence that he has a long way to go before he is half the man his father was. (BB)

After reading the samples from the final exams, it became clear to me that tragedies may not always be seen as just tragedies.  The main story will always have tragic elements; however, they may also contain elements of comedy and romance.  The final exam samples from 2004 are examples of how one tragedy, A Raisin in the Sun, can be seen as more than a tragedy.