Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1145 Words5 Pages
Achieving the American Dream is an idea that many share. Everyone wants to have some kind of success in their lives. In Lorraine Hansberry's play “A Raisin in the Sun,” we are introduced to an African-American family struggling to get out of poverty. Lena, frequently referred to as “Mama,” and her two kids Walter and Beneatha, have different views of achieving their own American Dream. In “Death of a Salesman,” Arthur Miller writes of a family and their various views of being successful and thus fulfilling their American Dream. Willy Loman a salesman but the product he sells is not mentioned in the play. As we go through this play, we learn of his brother Ben who is very successful and that Willy's son prefers a different method of achieving…show more content…
This family wants to achieve financial stability which is part of the American Dream. The main focus of the story is on Walter's effort to be the money maker. The Younger family wanted to achieve a common American dream for African-Americans of the time, which was to achieve financial stability and be accepted by the white society. This family receives $10,000 in the form of a life insurance check. When Mama received the insurance check, we begin to see the different views of success of each character. Mama just wants to buy a house as it was her and her husband's dream with the life insurance money she receives. She feels this would make the quality of life for her and her family…show more content…
When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, I was rich!” Willy has become envious of his brother's success. At one point in the story, Ben stops by Willy's house. Willy's wife Linda is frightful of Ben as he represents wilderness and danger to her. This is expressed when Ben plays around with his nephew Biff. Biff was about to win the sparring match, but Ben cheats by tripping his nephew and stands above him with the “point of his umbrella poised at Biff’s eye.” Ben is one of the few American Dream achiever examples of “rags to riches,” but this play suggests one must be ruthless to achieve
Open Document