Literature is a corresponding field where every piece of work has a shared meaning with the other. The interconnection is expressed in terms of similar themes, inspirations, style of writing, or even similar authors. In this interconnectedness, literary works hold conversations with each other (Walker). I will explore how; A Raisin in the Sun, Harlem, and Kitchenette Building holds a conversation regarding racial inequality. The three literary works bear semblance in how they have explored racial inequality as a form of social injustice through their characters. The racially segregated communities are trapped in a vicious cycle, making them despair in pursuing their dreams. Thus the dominant theme of a dream is deferred in the literature.
Dignified Housing
The three works carry out the conversation around dignified housing and living conditions. The characters are either searching for a home or better living conditions. This is the African-American dream, especially in the inner cities where they are confined (Hansberry, p 29). In A Raisin in the Sun, the Youngers dream of owning a house. Chicago at the time is rife with housing discrimination and widespread poverty amongst African-Americans, making it difficult for them to own a house. Kitchenette Building has its context in Chicago, where poor Black families were forced to live in unsanitary and cramped housing units. The kitchenette residents are dissatisfied with their living conditions, of which they never had a say as it is part of their “involuntary plan” (Brooks, stanza 1). The residents seem stuck in a reality chosen for them, which is in their deplorable conditions with no sight of upward mobility.
The conversation around undignified living conditions continues in Harlem in the form of the vicious circle in which the Black community is forced to live. This conversation is derived from the poem’s context, which is in the period Harlem Renaissance. According to Walker, Harlem is a protest poem about the continuous postponement of the American Dream for African-Americans. Systemic injustices such as racial discrimination make it difficult for the community to climb the social ladder. On the other hand, poverty locks out residents of the Kitchenette into the undignified living conditions in Chicago. Despite their desire for better living, the residents are left to resign to their fate. Such conditions create the vicious circle of poverty that keeps the people from moving out of their current homes (Brooks, stanza 3). As a result, the residents live in despair owing to the possibility of not achieving their dreams.
Invocation of Dreams
Hughes’s invocation of dreams also appears in the three pieces of literature, continuing the conversation around dream deferment. Characters in A Raisin in the Sun are carried by their dreams as they try to maneuver the difficult situations they have found themselves in (Hansberry, p93). Each member of the Youngers family has a separate dream from the other. Walter dreams of having money to provide for his family’s needs (Hansberry, p74), whereas Beneatha dreams of being a doctor (Hansberry, p34). The Youngers derive both pain and pleasure in pursuing these dreams, and they are united upon realizing their common and most important dream to own a house. The play’s title is inspired by Langston Hughes’s quote on dreams differed, essentially those put off for a while and even those forgotten. Do such dreams shrivel up like the raisin in the sun? (Hughes, stanza 1).
In the poem, Harlem explores the possible dangers of failing to make the dream of racial justice attainable. The Black community dreams of ending racial segregation and its ills, such as unemployment, police brutality, and treatment as second-class citizens. Langston Hughes utilizes negative imagery to a large extent to talk about the ugly outcome of such a situation to society and dreamers alike. To the society, he asks, “Will it putrefy like a painful, infected wound and then leak out puss?” to the dreamers, he says, “Will the unfulfilled dream continue to weigh down the dreamers who have continuously borne it?” (Hughes). Therefore, Harlem is a disclaimer for society to reconsider their unjustified treatment of African Americans, especially in relation to achieving the American Dream. Invocation
The conversation among the three literary works is also present with the illusion of success that the American Dream promises to every American. African-Americans also get to believe in this dream. However, it seems fleeting for them in every instance (Walker). The Youngers await the arrival of the insurance payout to achieve their long-deferred dream of owning a house. Insurance is their only way out of the oppressive system. The poem outlines the conflict between the dream to move out of the housing units and the agony that the demands of day-to-day life bring (Hansberry, p. 85). Hence, achieving the American Dream of raising a family in a decent home is impossible.
Conclusion
The conversation between A Raisin in the Sun, Harlem, and Kitchenette Building revolves around racial segregation and its effect on society. Racial inequality is used by design to keep the segregated community trapped in the deplorable conditions they find themselves. The segregated community is the first casualty as the tough circumstances they find themselves in, inhibits them from harboring dreams of better living. As a result, there is despair and the imminent rot in society caused by the desperate dreamers. However, the continuous postponement of the dream can be detrimental as it appears unachievable and increases despair within the community. The key takeaway in the conversation is the need to make the dream of racial equality alive. Such a move will restore social justice and by extension actualize the realization of the dream of a better life.
Works Cited
Brooks, Gwendolyn. “Kitchenette Building.” https://allpoetry.com/Kitchenette-Building
Hansberry, Lorraine. “A Raisin in the Sun.” Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. 2021. P. 120. ISBN 9781350234314, 1350234311
Hughes, Langston. “Harlem.” The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. Edited by David H. Anthony, Stephanie Kuligowski. 2011. P 32. ISBN 9781433315206, 1433315203
Walker, John. From “Harlem” to A Raisin in the Sun: The Pursuit of a Deferred Dream. (2020). https://classracegender.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/from-harlem-to-a-raisin-in-the-sun-the-pursuit-of-the-deferred-dream/
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