“A Proud-Acting Bunch” The Issues of Suburbanization and...

America experienced an explosive period of suburbanization after World War II. The suburban â€Å"home represented a source of meaning and security† (May 24) to those seeking refuge and comfort after a tumultuous time of war. Among those migrating from the cities to the suburbs were middle-class African Americans, who sought a suburban life that both â€Å"express[ed] and reinforce[d] their newly won social position.† (Wiese 101) However, this middle-class migration from urban areas left behind working class African Americans such as the Younger family of Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun.† While the Younger family of â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† finally realize the suburban dream of a home with â€Å"three bedrooms†¦ and a nice big basement†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦This particular group found themselves left behind in inner-city housing, as middle class African Americans moved further away for the suburbs. For this growing middle class, â€Å"physical separation from poor and working-class blacks was an important emblem of class status.† (Wiese 116) This reinforcement of class differences implied which â€Å"rights that each group should enjoy.† (Wiese 118) Lorraine Hansberry illustrates these supposed â€Å"rights† and class conflicts through the characters of the middle class George Murchison and the working class Mrs. Johnson. Hansberry uses the character of George Murchison to emphasize the growing gap between middle and working class African Americans during the post-war period of suburbanization. Before George Murchison appears in the play, he is described by Beneatha Younger as â€Å"so shallow† (Hansberry 48). His family is â€Å"honest-to-God-real-live-rich colored people† (Hansberry 49) who are â€Å"more snobbish† (Hansberry 49) than their wealthy white counterparts. Even so, Beneatha admits to liking George, but not enough to â€Å"really be serious† (Hansberry 48) about a possible romantic relationship. Although never explicitly stated in the play, one can surmise that Beneatha