Light and growth in A Raisin in the Sun and the Death of a Salesman. In A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, both authors use motifs of light and growth in their settings to convey messages about the intrinsic values ​​and potential of their characters. A Raisin in the Sun begins with a faint light filtering through the kitchen window. It's not much of a light, but Lena Younger successfully lights it to keep her little plant alive and help sow the seed of human dignity in her children. In Death of a Salesman, the physical light is blocked by the encroaching concrete jungle of New York and the spiritual light is extinguished by the illusory and misguided values ​​of Willy Loman. Willy and his family are trapped in the tiny shadows cast by his giant illusions and nothing grows in their world. The opening description of the setting of A Raisin in the Sun states: “The only window in these “two” rooms is located in the kitchen area. The only natural light the family can enjoy during a day is only that which finds its way through this small window. This window offers a view of the outside world that Walter Younger seeks to tame. Walter looks out this window as he smokes his cigarette and comments on the people "running and rushing to get to work." Lena Younger has what is described as a "weak little plant growing stubbornly in a small pot on the windowsill." She fears that "if this little old plant doesn't get more sun than it has been getting, it will never see spring again." ( Hansberry, 856 ) The light from the window nourishes the stubborn little plant that, according to Lena, “expresses me.” Although they live in a small, cramped apartment... middle of paper ......erry says that to find the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, the man needs food for the soul. Works cited and consulted: Draper, James P. Black Literature Criticisms. Detroit: Gale Research Incorporated, 1992. Field, BS "Death of a Salesman" Twentieth Century Literature. January 1972. 19-24. Rep. in world literary criticism. Ed. Frank Magill. "Arthur Miller" Detroit: Gale Research, 1992. 2366-2368. Gunton, Sharon R. Motifs in A Raisin in the Sun. Detroit: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman, The Heath Introduction to Drama, fifth edition. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath and Company, 1996, pp. 731-808. Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun, The Heath Introduction to Drama, fifth edition. Lexington, Massachusetts: DC Heath and Company, 1996, p... 841-914.