Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

776 Words2 Pages

The value and purpose of dreams is different for everyone. However, the “American Dream” remains the same to every citizen who wishes for an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity. In the novel, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, unfulfilled dreams serve as the theme and are the central source for all of the main character’s problems. Thus far, the Younger’s family dreams have been confined to their race. They wish for the opportunities that are given to people of all backgrounds. Each character has their own special dream, but they have been put on hold due to the family’s economic struggles. The play’s overall significance explores social status and racial challenges for African Americans during the late 1950s. …show more content…

For example, Lena wants to buy a house for the family to live in together, rather than trying to co-exist in the tiny apartment they share now. Beneatha wants to be a doctor but the costs for her attending medical school are putting a strain on the family’s finances. Walter wants to live the American Dream by owning his own business, namely a liquor store. Walter’s wife, Ruth, is pregnant and wishes to keep the baby but is considering abortion because they can’t afford to raise another child. Finally, Travis their young son wants to have money to buy things for himself. The family’s problems are solved so they think when they receive an insurance check for $10,000 after Mr. Younger dies. Soon, however, the family is fighting over the money and how it would be best …show more content…

The residents of the white neighborhood where Lena bought the new house do not want them moving in. The family faces racial discrimination and must decide what to do. A representative from the new neighborhood offers the Younger family money to buy their home so they do not move in. Initially, Walter accepts the offer because he feels he will make up for losing the money in the liquor store scam. However, he realizes that accepting the offer will eliminate Lena’s dream to unite the family and stand against racism. He refuses the money, setting a positive example for his son, Travis, and the Younger’s agree that the most important dream for everyone is to live together in their new

Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
570 Words | 2 Pages
While Mama is talking to Walter, she asks him why he always talks about money. "Mama: Oh--So now it's life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life--now it's money. I guess the world really do change . . . Walter: No--it was always money, Mama. We just didn't know about it." Walter thinks that the world revolves around money. He wants to believe that if his family were rich they would have perfect lives. This isn't true though, and Mama knows it. She knows that no matter how much money Walter has, he will never be happy unless he has a family that loves him. Before Walter goes out to invest in the liquor store he has a talk with his son. "Walter: You wouldn't understand yet, son, but your daddy's gonna make a transaction . . . a business transaction that's going to change our lives. . . ." Walter thinks that this transaction will make their lives better. What he doesn't realize is that he already has a good life and he doesn't need more money to make him happy. He should be grateful for what he has instead of worrying about money.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
759 Words | 2 Pages
Ruth was being prevented from having a baby because of money problems, Walter was bringing him self down by trying to make the liquor store idea work. Once Mama decided to buy the house with the money she had received, Walter figured that he should further go on with the liquor store idea. Then, when Walter lost the money, he lost his dignity and tried to get some money from the “welcome party” of Cylborne Park. Mama forced him to realize how far he went by making him show himself to his son how low he would go. But he showed that he wasn’t susceptible to the ways the racism created.
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A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansbury
1060 Words | 3 Pages
After Walter foolishly loses all of his mother's money to his friend, he begins to hate himself, the only emotion that allows him to consider selling out his race and accepting Lindner's offer. It is a good moment for Walter, because Travis is watching him. Walter cannot bring himself to except.
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A Raisin In The Sun Walter A Dynamic Character
755 Words | 2 Pages
The day they move into their new house a guy named Mr. Linder from the Clybourne Park community came and talks to them about how the neighborhood members would like them to not move in because they are not comfortable with blacks in the white area. Walter confidently states, “And we have decided to move into our house because my father- my father - he earned it for us brick by brick....We don’t want your money” (P.148). Walter wants everyone to know that his father got them to where they are right now. He is more confident about himself, he shows that during the moving of the house. During the end of the play he realizes his family is way more important than the other things in his life. Additionally, during the talk with Mr. Linder Walter is frustrated with the racism around them and just wants to live a happy life in a great neighborhood that does not care about what color their neighbors are. Walter angrily shouts, “... You got any more to say ‘bout how people ought to sit down and talk to each other? . . . Get out of my house man”(P. 118). He is very angry because he does not want to move just because some white people want them to leave their place. Walter is very confident and stands up for his family and what they want. He has changes significantly throughout the whole play, he changes into a great man for his
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Walter Lee Younger in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
1051 Words | 3 Pages
His position in life can be regarded as symbolic of every black male struggling to provide for his family by any means necessary. Although Walter has a job, it seems inadequate for his survival. As a result, he has become frustrated and lacks good judgement. Throughout this play, Walter searches for the key ingredient that will make his life blissful. His frustrations stem from him not being able to act as a man and provide for his family and grasp hold of his ideals to watch them manifest into a positive situation.
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A Raisin In The Sun And A Streetcar Named Desire
2128 Words | 5 Pages
The Younger family demonstrates that even with conflict there is still plenty of room to love and support each other. On the other hand, “A Streetcar named Desire can thus be read as an experiment probing how far one can go following one’s desire, something radically different from sex or love. If one goes the whole way, as Blanche eventually does, one destroys oneself” (Thomieres 390). While the Younger’s are stressing over what Lena is going to do with the money, Beneatha is faced with gender role conflict from George, which results in their break up. The Younger family faces conflict when desire pops its head up in the ten thousand dollar check. As for Stanley, Stella and Blanche, their desires in sexual matters causes Stella and Blanche’s relationship to quiver. These two plays show similar conflicts but end in an entirely different manner. There is nothing in the world that can restrain the Youngers from giving up on their American dream while Stella results in thinking Blanche is dishonest about Stanley and needs to be taking into a mental hospital. In the end, each family will do what is needed in order to save their relationships no matter the
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Argumentative Essay On A Raisin In The Sun
754 Words | 2 Pages
The Play takes place during the 1950s racism was still very common for African Americans during this time. After the family receives the money momma decided
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Dream Deferred in A Raisin in the Sun
1053 Words | 3 Pages
The dreams of Walter, Beneatha, and Mama in Lorraine Hansberry’s "A Raisin in the Sun", may take longer than expected, change form, or fade. Even if dreams seem to never get closer, one should never give up. Without something to work towards, society would just dry up, like a grape in the sun.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun - Money
611 Words | 2 Pages
Living in a society where the fulfillment of dreams is based upon material wealth, the Younger family strives to overcome their hardships as they search for happiness. As money has never been a way of life for the family, the insurance check's arrival brings each person to see the chance that their own dreams can become reality. Whether in taking a risk through buying a "little liquor store" as Walter wishes to do or in -"[wanting] to cure" as Beneatha dreams, the desires of the family depend upon the fate of Mama's check. In the mind of Walter Lee Younger, the check is the pinnacle of all, dominating his thoughts, as he does not wait a second before "asking about money "without" a Christian greeting." He cannot see beyond the fact that he "[wants] so many things" and that only their recently acquired money can bring them about. The idea of money and being able to hold it "in [his] hands" blinds him from the evils of society, as he cannot see that the Willy Harris's of the world will steal a person's "life" without a word to anyone. When money becomes nothing but an illusion, Walter is forced to rethink his values and his family's future, realizing that there is more to living that possessing material riches.
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An Overview of 'A Raisin in the Sun'
1747 Words | 4 Pages
Lena's husband, the family's father died and his life insurance brings the family $ 10,000. Everyone, especially the children, are waiting for the payment of life insurance in the cash. Now the question is whether the money should be invested in a medical school for the daughter, in a deal for the son or other dreams. But after the death of her husband Lena Younger gets the insurance money and buys a new house, where the whole family is going to move. It would seem that a dream came true. But soon we learn that the area, where the family purchased the house, is full of white people who do not want to see African-Americans in the neighborhood. The Youngers are trying to survive the threats or bribes, but they manage to maintain a sense of dignit...
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun
1246 Words | 3 Pages
During the 1960s, the African-American people were in racial situations due to their “lowered status”. They had no control over the strong beliefs in segregation, which “is characterized by a mixture of hope and despair.” (Nordholt) African-Americans, like normal people, had strived to achieve set goals. Unfortunately, their ethnicity was what inhibited them from accomplishing their dreams. In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, the author conveys the theme of the seemingly trivial efforts of the African-American people in their individual pursuits for a satisfactory life lead each person down a road of self-discovery that reveals an indefinite amount of truths, which transform their promising hopes into unachievable fantasies. By using powerful characterization, Hansberry creates characters with contrasting personalities dividing their familial hopes into different dreams. With the use of symbolism, each character’s road is shown to inevitably end in a state where dreams are deferred.
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Compare And Contrast A Raisin In The Sun And Women
1018 Words | 3 Pages
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
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Materialism In A Raisin In The Sun
1269 Words | 3 Pages
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
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Characters Dreams Deferred in Raisin In The Sun
553 Words | 2 Pages
In ‘A Raisin in the Sun’, Lorraine Hansberry describes each of the family’s dreams and how they are deferred. In the beginning of the play Lorraine Hansberry chose Langston Hughes’s poem to try describe what the play is about and how, in life, dreams can sometimes be deferred.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun – Mama
689 Words | 2 Pages
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.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun