A Raisin in the Sun

by Lorraine Hansberry

A Raisin in the Sun: Metaphors 1 key example

Definition of Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Act 1, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Apartment as Rat Trap:

Rats and rat traps are a recurring motif in A Raisin in the Sun. Mama compares the apartment to a rat trap in a particularly poignant metaphor:

Ruth: Well, Lord knows, we’ve put enough rent into this here rat trap to pay for four houses by now…

Mama: [...] "Rat trap"—yes that’s all it is