Preview

How Does A Raisin In The Sun Obtain The American Dream

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1039 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does A Raisin In The Sun Obtain The American Dream
Despite an individual’s race, demographics, and origin, most people have the desire to live a prosperous lifestyle. In many cases, to achieve this prosperous life, it takes one to endeavor that goal. For instance, A Raisin in the Sun, a play about a black family who all have aspirations of obtaining the American Dream, but expect their goals to fall right in front of them. All of these are typical aspirations, but because the Youngers are African American, there are also racial aspirations involved. Walter, Beneatha, and Mama are all adamant to achieve this goal, however, they fail to notice their lack of diligence towards reaching their goals. Perceiving how trust, loyalty, and money are significantly important to Walter, Beneatha, and Mama, the three characters let their selfishness, avaricious, and stubbornness affect their access to their American Dream.
Throughout the course of the play, the play emphasizes the significance of money, loyalty, and trust. The Youngers who are living in poverty and hardship just want to have their American Dream. However, the family can not
…show more content…
However, unlike Walter and Beneatha, the readers are not aware as to how he plans to obtain the American Dream. Willy is Walter’s supposed best friend and future business partner. Since Willy and Walter have a very close friendship, the two planned to both invest in the liquor business. According to Willy’s future plans with Walter, the readers can ensure that Willy is in the same predicament as the other characters. Unfortunately, Willy disappears with the money leaving Walter and his family in despair. Based on the action Willy takes in order to achieve the American Dreams, he exemplifies disloyalty, selfishness, and greed. Rather than doing his part to help invest in the liquor business, Willy disappears with the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Many people have dreams that they want to accomplish. In A Raisin in the Sun, characters have a goal. Walter’s passion is to own a liquor store because he wants to be an entrepreneur. Beneatha’s dream is to become a doctor to help cure people. Mama pursues her dream of having a garden and a house. Each person’s aspiration is important to them. Thesis…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story A Raisin in the Sun, written by L. Hansberry, the Younger family resides in a small, beaten down home. In this family, only one member is well educated. Miss Beneatha is attending school and plans to become a doctor. Her mother, Lena, receives a life insurance check from her husband who has passed. Lena uses part of the check as a down payment on a new house for the family. She gives the rest of the check to her son, Walter, trusting him to put a portion of the money back for Beneatha’s schooling. However, Walter is irresponsible and spends the entire check on himself (Hansberry, 1959). This situation is similar to the events of the play Fences, written by A. Wilson. In this story, a little boy named Cory is also part of a poor family. Cory dreams of becoming a professional football player. However, his father believes that because he is black, he will not be successful as a professional player (Wilson, 1987). In these stories, both Beneatha and Cory have high hopes for the future and the resources to act upon them. However, after the unforeseen circumstances in each character’s situation and the attitudes of society in the time period, Cory is…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In a segregated 1950s Chicago, a small African-American family lives in a small 3 room apartment in a crowded apartment building. Award-winning A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, features Walter as a leader-to-be in this historically accurate playwright. The household consists of Mama, Walter’s wife and sister, Ruth and Beneatha, and Walter’s son Travis. Walter, the main contributor to the income of the household, and held responsible even though he is not seen as the leader or in…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Walter’s dream was to own a liquor store and have money so he can afford things for his family. Walter wanted to have a better job than his dad working job. He wanted to be the one in charge, the “Man”. Walter misplaced trust in Willy, who stole the money, and also the money for Beneatha.…

    • 200 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry depicts an African American family with many struggles, and by analyzing their struggles, certain lessons and the theme of this drama can be identified. While the family does seem to hold together, there are many problems that arise, such as having family issues, trying to fit into a community of a different race, struggling financially, etc. By the end of the play it seems as if the family has been able to figure things out a little more, but the root cause of most of their problems seemed to have come from money. Hansberry uses this play as a chance to show just how important and influential money is, and shows aspects that make the reader question the ethnically correct way to make and…

    • 1390 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Raisin in the Sun

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Loraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, the characters’ have a dream of their own, which get in the way of the other characters’ dreams. These dreams divide the characters’, which create problems between them. The root of each of their dreams is through a ten-thousand dollar check. The dreams of three characters’, Walter, Beneatha, and Mama Younger, create conflict with one another that make their dreams hard to achieve.…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “a Raisin in the Sun”

    • 1973 Words
    • 8 Pages

    1.) In her play “A Raisin in the Sun,” Lorraine Hansberry illustrates the struggles and dreams of a black family living in Chicago. Taken from Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem,” which talks about “dream deferred,” the title of the play carries a connection between the poem and the play’s characters and their dreams. Each member of the Younger family had a dream of his/her own, yet, in order to realize their dreams, Mama, Walter Lee, Ruth, and Beneatha all depended on the money from their father’s insurance check.…

    • 1973 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Raisin in the Sun Essay

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In Lorraine Hansberry’s play “A Raisin in the Sun,” Walter Younger is an idealist who failed to see reality and how things actually work out. Walter is in his 30s yet he still lives with his mother, who holds the family together. He isn’t capable of caring for a family and making the right decisions. He has a dream of owning a liquor store that his family opposes to yet he still tried to obtain it. Walter is a man of flaws because of his bitterness towards others, such as George Murchison, and in a way because of his racism toward white people. He is also sexist to women and is jealous of the success of others. Walter’s family plays a role in changing his views as well. They all shaped him and taught him the values and virtues of not backing down and giving into racism against black people. Throughout the play, Walter matures and begins to see reality and that his decisions have consequences and impacts on others.…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The idea of the American dream brings tremendous promise and opportunity, however it also brings heartbreaking failure. A character like Jay Gatsby seems to have achieved the American dream with his wealth, power, and lifestyle; however, he is restless and is constantly searching for something more. One is never truly happy, when they are chasing after the unattainable. In this case, Gatsby has been living his life with the hope that one day, he and Daisy could return to the times that they had been together all those years ago. The failure of Gatsby in achieving the elusive American Dream is a symbol for the difficulties in obtaining true happiness.…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    African-American Dream

    • 1480 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The play “A Raisin in the Sun” reflects on Youngers, an African-American Family, who lived on the southern side of Chicago in the late 1950s. The play opens with the family receiving a $10,000 insurance check from Mr. Younger’s (the deceased) life insurance policy. Each member of the family is ready with an idea of what to use the money on (Hansberry, 11). For example, Mama has a dream of buying a house. On the other hand, Walter Lee who is Mama’s Son wants to invest in a Liquor store with his neighborhood friends. To him, investment is the only solution to saving the family from financial challenges (Hansberry, 12). Variously, Beneatha who is Lee’s Sister wishes to use the funds as…

    • 1480 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963 and it became one of the most iconic speeches to go down in history. In front of thousands, he spoke of freedom and hope that one day people wouldn’t be treated differently because of the color of their skin. This theme coincides with the theme for the play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The play also involves discrimination and hope, but focused more on the importance and struggles of family. A family of five received a welfare check of ten thousands dollars, but couldn’t quite make a decision on what to do with it to make everyone happy. They wanted to spend it on a new home of their own and start anew, but Walter Lee wanted to invest in a liquor store. King’s “I…

    • 166 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Dream is defined as the traditional social ideals of the United States, such as equality, democracy, and material prosperity. The American Dream is at work within each character’s life. Positively when it can be achieved and negatively when the expectations are unrealistically high. In the story the author, Arthur Miller, compares successful businessmen to a non-successful delusional salesman. The successful businessmen are Ben, Charlie and Howard. Willy is the main character who does not understand his lack of success in the salesman’s world. Willy’s two sons Biff and Happy are also non-successful businessmen. Willy cannot understand why he has not been successful with his life, so he lies to his sons in order to make himself look better as a father and a person.…

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    For hundreds of years people have come from all over the world to America to chase a dream coined “The American Dream”. This dream presents the belief that America offers vast opportunities to everyone who is willing to work. While the American Dream most frequently promises to improve the lives of the immigrants and those they care about, often including gaining land or running a business of their own, it also quite frequently includes fame and fortune. These ideals have the great power to give people hope, voices, happiness, and at times, even life. However, when something so powerful is taken away, the damage caused is, more often than not, substantial. As is shown in the novella by John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men and S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, characters react differently when they are disenfranchised from pursuing their dreams.…

    • 1389 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, the Younger family is faced with many big issues and themes that affect African Americans in the 1950’s. These overlying themes appear in the form of individuals in the play, even for those characters that play only minor roles. George Murchison, Willy Harris, and Mr. Lindner each represent different obstacles that the Younger’s must overcome in order to follow their dreams and trust what is in their hearts. This is Hansberry’s way of telling her readers to not be afraid to follow their dreams, even if there are obstacles in your path, because if they don’t then they will be worse off than ever before.…

    • 1065 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Willy embraces, “The whole wealth of Alaska passes over the lunch table at the Commodore Hotel...that a man can end with diamonds here on the basis of being liked!” (Miller 86) Willy Loman uses the physical manifestation of diamonds as a notion to support his son Biff, and illustrate to Biff what one has the possibility to attain when they are truly successful. Willy views life through a materialistic lens and Willy genuinely wants Biff and Happy to have the same grit and passion, as Ben contains. Willy aspires Biff and Happy to be as prosperous as Ben, and Willy attempts to immerse himself in Ben’s material success, through diamonds. Willy strives to be the backbone for his two sons, and wants to depict what the sweet blossom of success contains. Willy remarks to Biff that, “thousands of people will be rooting for you and loving you,” (Miller 86) as a means to nurture his son Biff and prove that Biff encompasses the set of qualities to be successful. Willy Loman focuses on tangible wealth and fosters materialism, in which Willy believes that one’s possessions are the epitome of success, hard work, and the will to excel. Willy merely yearns for the betterment of his family’s conditions, and harnesses internal anxiety when his kids do not fulfill the wishes that Willy desires. Willy creates an elusive dream for his…

    • 1657 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays