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The American Dream In A Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry

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A quest is simply defined as a long search for something, whether it be materialistic, rational, or metaphorical. Throughout African American literature, a thematic quest of self-discovery seems to be a common trend among authors. Dating back to the slavery, African American authors seemed to have greatly focused on the importance of ‘being somebody’, and making it in a world that seems so against equality. A Raisin in The Sun, a 1959 script written by Lorraine Hansberry, focuses on just that; making a man out of a mockery. Each character in Hansberry’s novel strives to overcome a generalized social stigma, and one particularly sets out on a quest for the American Dream. The achievement of the American Dream, focusing greatly on external finances and beyond, is a common quest that is greatly perceived through A Raisin in The Sun. The American Dream is a primary financial goal dating from early history to today’s time. Many members of the American society push to reach the standards of the “American Dream”; often sought through financial opportunities. In Lorraine Hansberry’s novel, A Raisin in The Sun, the Younger family struggles as a unit financially, restricting them from reaching a unified point of stability. Their strongest reliance for income is the insurance check they are to be receiving in the mail to compensate for the passing of Mr. Younger. While every character in the Younger family experiences their own kind of struggles, Walter Younger specifically advances

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