Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

In his 1931 book, The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams defined the American dream as, “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Adams). Throughout the 1950s, the American Dream was a major philosophy believed by many. Much of society felt no matter what race, gender, or nationality they are, they are capable of achieving success. Within the play, A Raisin in the Sun, the characters are faced with many difficult challenges and obstacles that they strive to overcome. Each of them focus on a better life for themselves and the Younger Family. In A Raisin In The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Beneatha dreams of becoming a doctor because in her perspective becoming an

Lena Younger doesn’t have materialistic things and good wealth but, she walks high, displays pride, and carries herself. Her children’s are her pride and joy and would do anything for her children’s. With no important dreams of her own, for even her dream of having a house is interested only by her aspiration to make living conditions better for her family. She says, upon receiving the $10,000 insurance check from her husband death. I think her American Dream is to have a house so, her family can live in a better environment. Lena is belittling by some of her family member because they want to use the money for something else. “Big Walter used to say, he’d get right wet in the eyes sometimes, lean his head back with the water standing in his eyes and say, "Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worthwhile." He stating that he makes sacrifices for his family even though he has dreams for himself.

In life many people believe that their dreams don’t work out because of either their ability to not complete it or they get distracted with other things that are happening to them at the time. This is shown to happen to many people in history and even characters in books, because they want people to learn how to push through to complete their dreams. In the book “A Raisin in The Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, the characters Walter and Beneatha believe that their dreams should be completed overnight or someone else in their family has the answers for them, this eventually leads to them struggling to complete their dreams because of their decisions.

Family is the most important thing in the world. They are the people that no matter what happens they will always love, but they also are people that can cause quarrels and tension. Lorraine Hansberry, playwright of "A Raisin in the Sun", uses the character of Momma, or Lena, to express the theme of family, by supporting Ruth when she finds out the pregnancy, by giving up her dream of having a house with a garden, and by believing in Walter no matter what he does. The first example of how Mama displays the theme of family, is when she comforts and supports Ruth when she finds out about the pregnancy.

In A Raisin In The Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, the Younger's seem to encounter many problems that relate to the worth of family. Walter has great optimism in the investment of the liquor business but is not supported by his family due to the towering risks that could very much ensue. Just like everyone else Mama has hopes and dreams of her own, but must make harsh decisions that could possibly tear one once loving mother and son apart. By encountering these problems, the characters learn that you must stick by your family through thick and thin.

Dreams and ambitions are important in one’s life and contribute to increased motivation. Dreams can only become a reality if attainable goals are set. Once upon a time passing high school was a dream and after putting the work and effort towards my realistic goal, this dream has become a reality. In A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, dreams are important, however, with poor planning and unrealistic goals, obstacles are inevitable. Personally, I believe dreams should express all positive attributes about a person and who they want to be.

Ruth, a character from Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, goes through a change in demeanor over the course of the book. In A Raisin in the Sun, Ruth begins as a woman who works day in and day out doing domestic labor to provide for her family - her husband, Walter; her son, Travis; her sister-in-law, Beneatha; and her mother in law, Lena. She is quiet-mannered and lives in a small apartment with her family, where she manages to get by. During the play, Ruth develops a stronger will, and it changes her relationships with both the people around her and herself.

Has money ever been so important to you that you forget about family values? In A Raisin in the Sun, a play by Lorraine Hansberry, the mother and her son Walter argue over money and religion. The source of their conflict is the $10,000 that they received from their father’s life insurance. Walter and 2 of his partners attempt to open a liquor store, however Mama is an honest Christian woman and she believes that investing in a liquor store is not right, whereas Walter believes that it could change their lives if their store succeeds.

A Raisin in the Sun portrays many valuable lessons. Written by Lorraine Hansberry, in A Raisin in the Sun, a black family is trying to gain acceptance in the world. Way too many people focus on the material things, instead of just loving the people around them. The characters each pursue their own individual dream, but by the end put their individual dreams aside to pursue a collective dream that they recognise is vital for their unity and survival as a family.

“To realize the American Dream, the most important thing to understand is that it belongs to everybody. It is a human dream. If you understand this and work very hard it is possible.” However it is not always guaranteed. A Raisin in The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a story about a family who continues to struggle while reaching towards The American Dream. The American Dream is described as “The ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” The Youngers are a hard-working family who all have different interpretations of the American Dream. Mama, Walter, and Beneatha’s shared powerful dreams that give the a look into The American Dream. Despite

Mama’s Life Views In the play A Raisin in the Sun By Lorraine Hansberry the Younger family has been through a lot. The family members, Walter and Ruth, Beneatha, Mama and Travis, go through a mess of family conflicts. Poverty is the breaking point for the family, and the family is fighting racial boundaries. With their father’s passing, an insurance check is on the way.

In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry depicts the story of Walter Lee and the rest of the Younger’s, a family struggling to make a living in Chicago in the 1950’s. Walter Lee Younger dreams to one day open a liquor store in order to provide for his family, and does whatever it takes to do so, which often includes hurting his family and putting their lives at risk through dishonest acts. Walter Lee’s dream to open a liquor store fails because of his lack of preparation, and he loses his sight of the importance of providing for his family because of his desire to open the liquor store, no matter the consequences it will potentially have on his family.

In conclusion, people have dreams that they would like to achieve. Walter dream was to own a liquor store but sadly he did not achieve it. Beneatha goal was to become a doctor but it didn't happened but she found her help a man and she also found her identity. Mama's dream was to buy a large home, eventually it happened and they moved to a nice house and the family got a bit closer. People should realize that family is important and also to never give up on a dream.

“Check coming today?” The Life Insurance check that Mama will soon be receiving is the source of all the dreams in the Younger family. A major argument that Lorraine Hansberry makes in her play A Raisin in the Sun is the importance of dreams. Dreams are what each member of the Younger family is driven by. Mama wants to have her own home in a nice part of town; she does not want her children growing up in a place with rats. Walter wants to have a successful business so he can surpass the poverty that has plagued his family. And Beneatha wants to get a good education, become a doctor, and marry a nice man. Dreams are especially important to the Younger family as they come from a poverty laden family and desire to live the “American Dream.”

Lena has a dream of owning a house also in addition to her and her family to be successful and happy. Her dream corresponds with the line of the poem that states “Maybe it sags like a heavy load” because Lena has been desperately been awaiting the chance to move out of the apartment and into a house. When she finally has the option to finally do so, she is torn between spending the money on her dream or her children’s dream. Ruth wants an easier life for herself. This dream relates to the sentence “Or does it stink like rotten meat?” as a result of Ruth consistently trying so hard to succeed in having peace in her home. Walter Lee is working to try and become a prosperous businessman. His dream goes along with “or does it just explode” due to his mistake in which he lost money that was meant for him and Bennie. His decision had affected the entire family. Without the money, Bennie doesn't have extra money to attend college, they now don't have any more money, and is getting Ruth thinking about having an abortion, consequently causing the ‘explosion.’ Beneatha wishes to to become a doctor so she defy all the stereotypes against her, nevertheless defying everyone who thought she couldn't do it. Bennies dream “festers like a sore- and then run” because her dream hurts the family financially as a result of Bennie needing money to attend college, but it will all eventually work out if she ultimately becomes a doctor.