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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Who the fuck is giving this book less than 4 stars
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This play is simply wonderful. Hansberry uses the guise of a life insurance check to paint an intimate picture of racism's psychological impact. Every character in this play is complex and carefully crafted, and Hansberry uses each of their reactions to the check to examine different ideas of what the American Dream looks like for Black Americans caught "somewhere between World War II and the present day." Among these people, I personally find Walter to be the most compelling.
Walter is deeply wounded, stuck between what he physically can do and what society says he should be doing. Hansberry here identifies toxic masculinity's specifically harmful impact on Black men. The standard of the patriarchy imposes on Walter that he must be the stoic protector, provider, financially stable, and never subservient, while the racist society around him robs him of the opportunity to achieve these things. In this way, the titular "dream differed" is not so much Walter's dream-- it is the dream that he is told he should be achieving. Through the interplay between should and could, racism and the patriarchy work hand in hand to instill in Walter a feeling of inadequacy that reaches his soul and, at one point in the play, leads to him taking on a subhuman racist caricature and begging for money.
This is just one character, but every character offers a unique insight and critique. In a little over 100 pages, Hansberry crafts not only a compelling story, but also a complex critique on the deep roots of systematic racism that remains incredibly potent today.
Walter is deeply wounded, stuck between what he physically can do and what society says he should be doing. Hansberry here identifies toxic masculinity's specifically harmful impact on Black men. The standard of the patriarchy imposes on Walter that he must be the stoic protector, provider, financially stable, and never subservient, while the racist society around him robs him of the opportunity to achieve these things. In this way, the titular "dream differed" is not so much Walter's dream-- it is the dream that he is told he should be achieving. Through the interplay between should and could, racism and the patriarchy work hand in hand to instill in Walter a feeling of inadequacy that reaches his soul and, at one point in the play, leads to him taking on a subhuman racist caricature and begging for money.
This is just one character, but every character offers a unique insight and critique. In a little over 100 pages, Hansberry crafts not only a compelling story, but also a complex critique on the deep roots of systematic racism that remains incredibly potent today.
As relevant in 2021 as it was in 1959, sadly. I wish this would have been presented to me in high school. Tragic and funny. I will definitely bring this play into my classroom.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
boring but poignant. A fast read
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This play is truly a tragedy. Although the Younger family does move into the new house, their quality of life isn’t certain to improve much. If the “welcoming committee” is any indication of how they will be treated by their white neighbors, the Younger’s dreams will continue being deferred, despite the change of scenery.