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

The American Dream offered financial success, equal opportunity, and social mobility, but because of racism and poverty, many African Americans were not able to take up these opportunities. In A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry explores these struggles as they were in the Congregational of the South Side of Chicago Younger family. The family have to grapple with surplus housing, poverty, and discrimination in their quest to improve their future and status in society. Hansberry presents the characters of Walter Lee, Mama, and Beneatha, who respond differently to inequality and repression depending on their dreams. Through the economic disappointments of Walter, the wish of Mama to become a self-sufficient woman, the attempts of Beneatha to find a way to identify herself, and the family's struggle with racism, Hansberry can illustrate that discrimination and poverty keep postponing the American Dream of African Americans.

Walter Lee Younger is an African American male who represents the hopes of black men who aspire to live rich and successful lives, but find it hard to achieve them with racial discrimination and poverty. Walter works as a chauffeur with a wealthy white man, but he does not believe that his present job can help him to grow as a human being and be independent. His frustration is further evident when he says he had to change his life, because he was choking to death (Hansberry, 1961, p. 22). Such an assertion depicts Walter as desperate to quit poverty and achieve power over his future. Walter thinks that by investing in a liquor store, there will be financial freedom, and the family's living condition will be better. Nonetheless, his preoccupation with money generates conflict, as he loves money more than emotional stability. Walter constantly disputes with Ruth and Beneatha, as they are dubious about his business and judgment. Hansberry shows the destructiveness of poverty and racial discrimination on self-esteem and how this threatens the relationship between a father and his son, through the ordeal that Walter faces.

Mama Younger is also a representation of African American families that believe that the American Dream has to provide stability, dignity, and safety to future generations. Mama dreams of having her home where she will not have to live crowdedly with her family and have a larger space and peace. The Younger apartment has years of financial struggle, as the furnishings and conditions under which they live look worn out due to accommodating too many human beings. The Younger apartment reflects years of economic hardship because “they have clearly had to accommodate the living of too many people” (Hansberry, 1961, p. 11). This word is used symbolically, as the whole description reflects the emotional and financial depletion of the Younger family during the course of the play. Mama also takes great care of her struggling plant since it symbolizes hope and perseverance under tough circumstances. Little sunlight reaches the apartment, but the plant still survives, as Mama takes care of it and pays it attention. Moreover, Mama does not accept the idea of Walter doing business with liquor, because she does not think that moral principles are more significant than money. Hansberry thus indicates that the basic components of the American Dream are dignity, morality, and the stability of the family.

Beneatha Younger depicts African Americans who want to be educated, find their culture, and not be prisoners of a subjective society. Beneatha has a dream to be a doctor, and it is a challenge to the gender standards of African American women of the 1950s. Walter criticizes her ambition when he angrily asks, “Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor?” (Hansberry, 1961, p. 26). This utterance discloses the sexism that Beneatha goes through in society and even the family. Beneatha does not agree with traditional female roles as she wants to be free intellectually and to achieve professional success. She also finds it hard to identify as a young black woman, who is living in a society that is unequal concerning race. Beneatha starts to value African culture and anti-white beauty ideals thanks to her relations with Joseph Asagai. Her pride towards her African heritage and culture is also seen in the fact that she has decided to wear natural hair. Hansberry uses the experiences of Beneatha to demonstrate that the American Dream is meant to incorporate educational opportunity and personal independence among the African Americans.

The experiences of the Younger family in the realm of racism show how discrimination constantly postpones African Americans in realizing the American Dream. The play’s title comes from Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem,” which asks, “What happens to a dream deferred?” The quotation reiterates how the Younger family struggles due to the recurrent postponements of their dreams of equality and financial prosperity by racism (Hansberry, 1961, p. 8). The family is discriminated against when they buy a house in a white area with the insurance money that was earned when Big Walter died. Karl Lindner tries to persuade the Youngers to stay, as white people unfairly do not wish to integrate with people of color in their town. Lindner is polite, but the behavior, evidently, is an instance of institutional racism and housing discrimination. Later, Walter refuses the offer of Lindner on the basis of being proud of his family and refusing to be compromised on the basis of money. The conclusion of Hansberry is thus that even in the face of racism that jeopardizes personal development and chance, self-respect and perseverance are nonetheless relevant.

Ultimately, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry depicts the American Dream which was challenging in the racially unequal society to attain by African Americans. The aspiration of Walter to be financially stable, Mama to stabilize, and Beneatha to identify. Ways in which the family dealt with racism all prove that African Americans had many hurdles in the 1950s. Essentially, Hansberry manages to convince that discrimination and poverty continue to defer dreams and opportunities to enjoy the social development of the Black families. However, the play also demonstrates that dignity, perseverance, and a cohesive family are not the least important even in the conditions of discrimination and persecution. The play is also relevant as it persist in discussing the issues of racial inequality and hopes of a better future that are universal.