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A Raisin In The Sun And The American Dream

Decent Essays

The American Dream is “the belief that hard work would bring opportunity and a better life” (Warren and de Blasio 1). A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, is from the perspective of the Younger family, and is set on Chicago’s Southside sometime between World War II and the present. The Younger family, led by Lena Younger includes her children Beneatha and Walter, as well as Walter’s wife Ruth, and their son Travis. The play is about this African American family and their everyday struggles with racism and poverty. The Youngers display how despite the difficulties they face they continue to strive for a better life for themselves. The Younger family proves that achieving the American Dream is possible. Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor …show more content…

His opportunities are, of course, limited by the discrimination present in the era. The poem “Dream Deferred” includes the following: “We remember the job we never had, /Never could get, /And can’t have now Because we’re colored” (Hughes 689). These lines indicate that racism was a widespread problem in this time period. When Mama comments on Walter’s job as a chauffeur, he responds, “A job. Mama, a job? I open and close car doors all day long” (Hansberry 833). This response indicates his aspirations to achieve more meaningful tasks, such as becoming a businessman. Walter’s viewpoint on the outlook of his current job is one of disappointment, as he tells Mama, “The future, Mama. Hanging over there at the edge of my days. Just waiting for me-a big, looming blank space-full of nothing.” (Hansberry 833). His point is that he believes he needs to explore other careers as there is no room for advancement in his current occupation. Walter’s family understands how he feels about his current situation, however they do nothing to help him improve it, “His sense of being trapped by his situation—class, race, job, prospects, education—transfers to his family, who become to him not fellow prisoners but complacent jailers.” (Weales 16). He is constantly being reminded of his limitations by his family members who believe that staying in his current line of work is what is best for the family, for finding a secure position was difficult for minorities in the time period. Walter’s motivation behind his decision is his desire to provide a better life for his family. After Mama rejects his idea to invest in a liquor store, Walter tells Mama, “Well you tell that to my boy tonight when you put him to sleep on the living-room couch. . .” (Hansberry 832). Walter’s angry remark to Mama proves his intentions are for this liquor store to enable him to allow Travis choose the

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