Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The American dream now and then
American dream and success
American dream and success
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The American dream now and then
The obstacles that come with dreams The American dream is not as big as it used to be because people don’t want to wait for something they just want it now and without the hassle. The American dream is having the freedom to pursue your dreams regardless of your race, and social class. In the book “A Raisin in the Sun” Lorraine Hansberry show the obstacles that Walter faces to meet his American dream of buying a liquor store. It’s hard for people to meet their dreams when obstacles get in the way. Walter wants to buy the liquor store but, the family doesn’t have enough money to buy the store. Travis was asking his mom Ruth, which is Walter wife, for fifty cents for school. After saying that he needs the money for school and it was required to bring it Ruth responded, “Well I ain’t got no fifty cents this morning” (1.1.490). Ruth didn’t have fifty cents to give Travis for school. Since Ruth didn’t have fifty cents to give Travis they especially don’t have enough to buy a liquor store. Money is an obstacle that Walter will need to overcome first before buying a liquor store. …show more content…
Walter is trying to talk to Ruth about wanting to buy the liquor store. Even though Ruth doesn’t want to talk about the store he keeps trying to talk about his dream of buying it and his keeping mad, “That’s it… man says to his women: I got a dream… his women say eat your eggs (1.1.494). Walter is saying that when a man says he’s got a dream that his wife should respond with excitement and help him to achieve his goal. Instead, Ruth just keeps telling him to eat his eggs. Which is making Walter angry. It’s hard for a person to achieve their dream when they have nobody to support them. This makes the person think they can’t achieve their
Walter, distraught after Mama had denounced his ambition to run a liquor store, had skipped work for three days, borrowing Willy Harris's car to drive around the city. Mama, seeing Walter so defeated, decided to entrust the remaining 6,500 dollars of her 10,000 dollar check to him, saying, "It ain't much, but it's all I got in the world and I'm putting it in your hands." (Hansberry,) Having incessantly denied Walter's dream,
Mama only spent $3,500 out of the $10,000 from the insurance check, she decides to give Walter the leftover money, so he could “be the head of this family from now on” (107). Walter takes this matter upon himself and decides to “make a transaction” (108) that will “change our lives” (108). Walter then, takes all the money he is given by Mama and “never went to the bank at all” (129), he then gives all of the $6,500 to Willy Harris, who was trusted by both men, left with all of Walter and Bobo’s money. Mama, who is very upset by this, hits Walter for giving all the money away. Mama then turns to God for “strength” (130). Mama is a Christian woman and, despite her struggles, remains faithful.
Walter and his chance to be big and important with his liquor store, Beneatha and becomin...
Walter wants the best for his family and he thinks the liquor store will provide him the financial security needed to boost them out of poverty. "I'm thirty five years old; I've been married eleven years and I got a boy who sleeps in living room (Hansberry 34). best describes the sympathy and compassion Walter feels for his son. Although his family's financial position has a strain on it, Walter doesn't want his son to see him struggle. Even in today?s world, children are very susceptible. Walter displays a selfless characteristic which becomes overshadowed by unwise decisions later in the play. In one particular scene, his son Travis asked both parents for money. Walter acts out of pride by giving Travis his last pocket change. This symbolizes Walter's willingness to be a moral father. In a different situation, Walter would not display his selfish intentions. This behavior can be attributed to working in a degrading, underpaid position and not seeing results. Metaphorically speaking, Walter can be related to the furniture in the small apartment, ?tired and broken in spirit?.
To start off, Walter’s obsession with money is going to cost him a lot since it is the only thing he cares about. In the beginning, Walter starts out by only caring only about himself, but towards the end, he starts to care for everyone else as well. This shows that Walter is a selfish person. As Walter Lee states to Ruth, “Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be ‘bout thirty thousand, see” is the dream that Walter Lee has for himself (Hansberry 33). Walter wants the money that the Younger family is getting from the insurance company to buy the liquor store. He thinks that the liquor store will make them rich and the family would not have to struggle anymore. At the end, Walter changes his whole point of view towards the insurance money. Walter declares to Mr....
" You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be bout thirty thousand. See. That be ten thousand each" this quote is Walter telling Ruth that he wants to go three way split with Bobo and Willie Harris. For the initial investment they have to put down ten thousand dollars. But Ruth has heard this all before and she doesn't want to hear his non-sense so she retaliates to avoid hearing more by saying. " Eat your eggs, they gonna be cold." Walter " Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say : eat your eggs." Walter thinks Ruth does not care at all about what he is saying but the truth is she is annoyed by him saying the same thing over and over again.
Walter has a steady, but low paying job and wishes that he could do more for his family. The money he makes hardly provides enough for his family to survive. He is constantly thinking about get rich quick schemes to insure a better life. He doesn’t want to be a poor back man all of his life and wishes that he could fit in with rich whites. He doesn’t realize that people won’t give him the same opportunities, as they would if he were white (Decker). Walter feels that he needs to provide more for his family and starts to ask around on how to make some money. He gets the idea of opening up a liquor store and has his heart set on it. Because he wants to please everybody he loses his better judgment and acts without thinking of the long-term effects. He is ready for a change and feels the store will bring his family a better life (Hyzak). “Mama, a job? I open and close car doors all day long. I drive a man around in his Limousine and say, Yes, sir; no, sir; very good sir; shall I take the drive, sir? Mama, that ain’t no kind of job ... that ain’t nothing at all” ( Hansberry 1755).
Walter wants to open a liquor store until the money is lost “Man, please, not with that money he … Oh, God Don’t let it be true …” Hansberry, Lorraine (2011-11-02). A Raisin in the Sun (p. 128). Ruth and the mother desire to move into a house and Beneatha’s money for the school to pursue her dreams as a doctor. Finally, the family realizes in the end if the work together as a team can accomplish goals. During the ear in which the Younger and the Garcia girls both family face racism this sometimes hinder their goals. For instance, the Younger faced this issue with Mr. Linder, a representative from the community where the Younger desired to live and had placed a down payment on the
After buying a house, Mama gives the remaining money to Walter, telling him to save some for Beneatha’s medical school, and that he can decide what the rest of the money can go to. Walter tells Travis that he is going to change their lives with the money: “One day...I’ll pull up on the driveway...just a plain black chrysler… though I’ll have to get something a little sportier for Ruth---maybe a Cadillac convertible...and I‘ll go inside...to see you sitting on the floor with the catalogues of the great in America all around you… just tell me what it is you want to be---… and I hand you the world!” (108-109). Walter fantasizes about owning classy cars and being able to pay for his son to go to any of the top-notch schools in America. His visions for the future reveal that his perception of reality is unrealistic and that wealth matters very much to him. He is very confident that he will be able to give Travis “the world”, which shows that he has excessive faith in his business deal. His delusions and excitement can hinder his ability to make calculated decisions. Without saving any money for Beneatha’s medical school, Walter gives the money to his friend, Willy, to invest in liquor stores. The next day, Walter’s other friend, Bobo, visits Walter to tell him that Willy ran off with the money. Walter melts down and yells, “Man, I put my life in your
In the United States there is an idea many pursue called the American dream, which differs from person to person. The American dream according to americanradioworks.publicradio.org is “a revolutionary notion: each person has the right to pursue happiness, and the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and fair ambition”. Yet it has been said there is no real definition of American dream, instead it merely proves that it has an unconscious influence in American mentality (Ştiuliuc 1). The American dream is different for each person because everyone yearns for things that will they hope will in return make them happy. Whatever that may be, each person goes through different struggles to obtain what they want. According to Frederic Carpenter, the American dream “has never been defined exactly, and probably never can be. It is both too various and too vague” (3). The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse depicts the different interpretations on what the American dream actually is through the opinions and actions of Hector Esperanza, Efren Mendoza and Mrs. Calhoun.
Walter is Mama’s oldest son. His dreams are to be wealth but at the same time wanting to provide for his family. His own personal dream is to open liquor store with his money he receives from Mama.
(Hansberry 498). Regarding the same quote, Hansberry also reveals a certain boasting, “I-told-you-so” side of Ruth with the mention of her words being teasing and mockingly tender. Ruth also possesses a great amount of sympathy as she does not hold a grudge but speaks warmly and compassionately and helps Walter by providing him the money. Without the stage direction, it could be interpreted in ways the playwright did not intend. For example, Walter could be asking Beneatha for money or Ruth could’ve responded hastily with disgust and frustration.
The two The main characters in the play, Mama and Walter, want this money to be used. for the benefit of the whole family. Even though both of them want to benefit the family, each one has a different idea of what to do with the money and how to manage it to benefit everyone. & nbsp; Walter Lee, like his father, wants his family to have a better life. and want to invest the money in a liquor store. Walter wants the money.
Readers can see early on in the play the importance of money to Walter Lee. In a scene in Act 1 we see Walter trying to talk his mother, Lena, into giving him the money to invest in a liquor store. We can see him growing more and more agitated with her because she has already made her decision on the matter. Walter responds by saying,
Walter wants the insurance money so that he can prove that he is capable of making a future for his family. By doing well in business, Walter thinks that he can buy his family happiness. Mama cares for Walter deeply and hates seeing him suffer so she gave into his idea. Mama gives Walter the rest of the money and tells him to put half in a bank for his sister's schooling and he could do whatever he wanted with the other half.