Chicago in Literature

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Literature > American

A comparison of the purpose and the portrayal of the lives of women in Chicago in the novel, "The House on Mango Street," written by S. Cisneros and the play, "A Raisin in the Sun," written by L. Hansberry.

1,904 words () | 4 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper compares and contrasts the novel, "The House on Mango Street," written by S. Cisneros and the play, "A Raisin in the Sun," written by L. Hansberry. It aims to show different faces of the American city of Chicago, separated by a span of about 25 years. The paper particularly looks at the works' messages about being a women at the times in which they were set. It also discusses the purposes behind the two works.

Table of Contents:
Upward Mobility
Being a Woman
The Message Behind the Work
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"It should come as no surprise to the reader that both of these works were written with a purpose behind them. Hansberry wrote with an essentially militant purpose, trying to awaken society's consciousness to the stereotypes and racism that was so prevalent. In addition, she was attempting to reduce the stereotypical beliefs that were shared by blacks and whites alike. When George disparages Beneatha's African heritage, Domina explains, it "was precisely the attitude that Hansberry and other African American leaders worked to overcome" (1998, p. 59). Hansberry's plays contained some autobiographical elements; however, it did not did not extend far enough. Had we seen the struggles that the Younger's faced when fighting the people that did not want them in the neighborhood, we might have seen more of the playwright's own troubles when her own family made such a move (Domina, 1998). If the reader can interpret the play to mean that blacks are capable of being upwardly mobile, it can also be interpreted that upward mobility comes at a significant price."

Sample of Sources Used:

Cisneros, S. (1991). The house on mango street. New York: Vintage.
Domina, L. (1999). Understanding a Raisin in the Sun: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Hansberry, L. (1958). A raisin in the sun. New York: Random House, Inc.
Kevane, B. (2003). Latino literature in America. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.