In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, the difficulty that the Youngers experience in their life is evident from the start. They live in an apartment that hardly fits their family and barely make enough money to pay for the necessities that come with having a family. Conflict among themselves for reasons relating to money and power in the family arises often as well. But what keeps each of the characters persevering through the hardships each of them faces is the hope to achieve their own dreams, naturally resulting in achieving the American Dream. The American Dream confirms that regardless of unfortunate circumstances that a person may have been born with, all people have the ability to raise their income. But in order to do so, the play asserts the idea that it is much more obtainable when members of a family put their differences aside to achieve a common goal, being success however they would define it. With the idea of the Dream in mind, the Youngers persist through economic hardships in an attempt for each character to achieve the dreams they hope to accomplish at some point in their life. This idea of accomplishment means something different to each character, but each connects back to their common goal, to give themselves the ability to find more joy out of their lives through a higher economic standing and mutual achievement. The overcoming of the low standard of living and internal conflict the main characters are faced with in the play A Raisin in the Sun proves the main ideal of the American Dream, money’s necessity in achieving it, and that having different goals does not stop different people from mutually benefitting and finding the success they strive for.
Money displays a high level of importance in achieving the American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun. Money’s involvement in each character’s ability to achieve the American Dream is proof of its necessity. First, money is a clear need by Beneatha in order to achieve her dream. As the young woman she is, Beneatha needs to try different activities in order to discover her own skills and to develop her interests. Examples of these attempts include horseback riding as she did when she was younger, and taking guitar lessons as she did in the time period the play covers. But in order for her to be able to participate in these activities, money was necessary to cover the cost. But by the end of the play, it is discovered that her presumptive dream is to finish medical school and become a doctor, which again, costs the Youngers money. Although the money set aside for her medical school was displaced by Walter, that money would have allowed her to complete her time as a medical student and accomplish her dream. Without money, she would not be given the opportunity to become a doctor, therefore guaranteeing its importance. Next, money is crucial in allowing Walter to accomplish his dream. Because he was “frustrated by his dead-end chauffer’s job, (he) wants to invest in a liquor store as a way out of their economic and psychological trap” (Wilkerson 443). His dream of investing is not possible with having the money to do so. In fact, he says to Ruth himself, “Do you know what this money can do for us?” (Hansberry 73). This restates how lost Walter would be in his attempt to accomplish his dream without money. Finally, Mama’s dream is impossible to accomplish as well without money’s involvement. Mama’s priority is the immediate rise in the family’s state of being, and she acts quickly make that necessary fix. She seeks “more physical space for the family and the psychological freedom it would bring, (and she) puts a down payment on a house” (Wilkerson 443). However, the ability to put a down payment on the house solely relies on available money to do so. Without money, no down payment can be made and no dream can be accomplished. Each character’s personal take on their version of the American Dream heavily relies on money in order to be accomplished, and without it, none of them could be. Due to limited resources, not every character’s dream can be accomplished, but the ones that were accomplished became accomplished because of the money that character had to accomplish it.
Finding common ground after having conflicting goals in A Raisin in the Sun was a large step in taking the characters to a presumed higher standard of living. Walter participates in his fair share of fights throughout the play, but these incidents are overcome when Walter thinks about his own morals which had been shielded by his own greed. The family progresses in their fight to achieve the American Dream as a result. The fights occur due to the limited amount of money that the family has which permits a limited number of dreams from being accomplished. But in order for the dreams to be accomplished, compromises need to be made, and they are in the story after the arguments occur. The conflicting priorities of Walter and Ruth cause a majority of the confrontations in the play. Ruth prefers the money not be allocated to be invested in the liquor store Walter dreams of, and in response, Walter tells Ruth “Man, if you don’t shut up and leave me alone” (Hansberry 27). Walter’s focus on his own dream “underscores the moral ambiguities that are inherent in the process of actually realizing the dream” (Brown 242). Walter begins to understand what the best way to act with the money is as Mama requires Travis to watch the transaction that ended up never occurring between Linder and Walter, and he sides with Ruth on the decision to buy a house. Walter’s compromise demonstrates his overcoming of a conflict in which he previously appeared to be unwilling to do so, allowing Ruth to achieve her dream. His very sudden change of opinion also results in a moment of mutually shared happiness between each family member, as prior to that moment, there was always a character unhappy for reasons often relating to the achievement of the dreams each character has for themselves and for their family. As Walter selflessly decided to focus on the interests of his other family members, the family moves into their new house as they had planned and Walter earns their respect which he had lost as a result of his poor choices relating to his goal to own a liquor store. Linder’s offer of “all we paid and then some” (Hansberry 121), was tempting to Walter, but he recognized the moral side of the situation which was influenced by Ruth’s dream and by Mama deciding to keep Travis in the room as Walter and Linder planned to negotiate. Walter finally understood the embarrassment the would have come not only himself, but the shame it would have brought among his race had he accepted Linder’s offer. But although pride is extremely important, it is not entirely what the house signified for the family. Comfortably living was something the Youngers had not experienced, so being able to stay in a home that is not as cramped as their apartment is significant to the family’s advancements. Ruth’s understanding of the social climate of the time also led to her decision to support the purchase of the house, as “it would have been impossible for a person of her background and sensitivity to divorce herself from the momentous social events of the 1950s and 1960s” (Wilkerson 9). Ruth’s understanding allows Walter to follow in her footsteps and concede his dream in order to achieve Ruth’s.
The recognition of the better living situation that others have by the Youngers pushes each character to want to achieve the American Dream too. Walter complains often about his job, and about the people he works with. As a chauffeur, he interacts with people of a higher class than himself on a daily basis. His experiences at work likely cause him guilt, as he can’t provide for his family in the same way his customers can. This is an evident push factor in making Walter wish to be much more successful and forces him to act upon his wishes. Although in the end his actions result in his wife and mother’s dream coming true instead, this result occurs because of his will to achieve the Dream in the first place. The same concept applies to Mama. Mama admits her hope to be like other families when she says “Well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home” (Hansberry 53). Viewers can presume that a home with a garden represents Mama’s version of the dream, but this version was only created because of the houses she saw that displayed the feature of having a garden. Beneatha’s embarrassment about the Younger’s apartment is a reminder that she would prefer to have a living situation as the upper class do. She even admits that the Younger’s have “acute ghetto-itis” (Hansberry 60). Her humorous description is a reminder of the terrible conditions the Youngers faced. But Hansberry’s depiction is accurate, as “she has told the inner as well as the outer truth about a Negro family in the South Side of Chicago at the present time” (Atkins 24). Each is a reminder of the Younger’s will to be like the richer in order to achieve their Dreams. When combining the will to follow the path to riches with the obligation the family feels did not accept money in order to be kicked out by oppressive whites, members of the family’s goals become a whole lot similar.
Each character in the play A Raisin in the Sun faces harsh living conditions, but their will to achieve their dreams keep them working hard, but more importantly, working together by the end of the play. Money’s role in the Younger’s ability to achieve the American Dream must be considered to be very important to their success, as without it, the character’s ability to achieve the dream would have been much more limited. Had it not been for the perseverance of each character, internal conflict among the family would have crushed all of the dreams each character held before having the ability to accomplish them in the first place. But as Walter realizes the true symbolism of denying payment from Linder, he realizes its true necessity as well, especially in order to show the advancements of African Americans to Travis. Walter takes a big step forward in his rejection of Linder’s money, but his step forward brings the family as a whole forward towards the better life each character wants and dreams of. And had it not been for the influence of the living situations of other families, the Youngers might not have ever set goals for themselves to be accomplished. Those three factors create an environment which pushes the Youngers to have the will to succeed and the ability to as well, leading to multiple characters accomplishing the dreams that they had either had from the start or were formed along their journey. In the end, the Youngers’ standard of living was improved because, under the American Dream, the ability to create a better living situation for oneself and family is always present.
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