Idea Of The “american Dream” In A Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry

Lena Younger, a.k.a. Mama is a down-to-earth, hard-working black woman who doesn’t suffer fools. Mama has dedicated her life to her children and struggles to instill her values in them – with mixed results. One of Lena’s most poignant moments might be when she admits to Ruth that sometimes her children frighten her. Except for the face-slap moment, Mama is mostly kind and patient with her family. Her nurturing personality is symbolized by the way she treats her houseplant. Just like her family, Lena’s plant lacks the necessary resources to flourish.

The story incorporates aspects of nature in many descriptions and quotations, but it is up to the reader to inspect and dissect what is being read.
By the play’s end, Beneatha’s basic dream of fulfillment is intact.
Ruth Younger (Walter’s wife) is a thirtyish, very laidback woman.
However, one can argue that the catalyst for her family’s success is money, wealth.
Beneatha realizes that there is more to a person than their wealth.

Before, Beneatha relied on her family and because of this, she was unsure about herself. By becoming a lone doctor with Asagai in Africa, Bennie gets the stepping stone to discovering herself that she never would have received if she stayed with her family. The clear primary theme of A Raisin in the Sun has to do with race and racism. The Youngers live in a segregated neighborhood in a city that remains one of the most segregated in the United States. Ruth is employed as a domestic servant and Walter as a chauffeur in part because they are Black—they are the servants, that is, of White people.

Book Traversal Links For A Raisin In The Sun: Theme Analysis

Therefore, the alterations to this genre are difficult to anticipate, but in the future are interesting to study with the advantage of historical hindsight. Cultural changes and societal issues manifest and present themselves in the comparison of films such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and A Raisin in the Sun. In the words of Barry Keith Grant, “The case of melodrama is significant because of its centrality and extreme adaptability in the history of cinema” .

a raisin in the sun theme essay

In either case, you can also check our free essay examples for “A Raisin In The Sun”, which focuses on various relevant questions. Use quotes from the book to support your ideas and don’t forget to mention the symbolism of dreams. Mama attempts to teach her family that money isn’t everything and tries to instill in them strong values, such as taking pride in themselves and their dreams. However, Mama does hold the insurance check very dear to her heart. In The Dead, Joyce’s Dubliners are trapped in monotonous lives of frustration and negativity. Obviously, Gabriel has been enduring a broken marriage because of the paralysis, a natural condition experienced by most of the characters in the book.

Family life is not suited for everyone though, especially not for Beneatha Younger. Every so often, family can repulse an individual and they will find their true selves far away from home. The character Beneatha from Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, is a prime example of this. Beneatha had trouble discovering her own identity so she tried out a number of hobbies and activities. Throughout all of this, the only steady thing in Bennie’s life was her family and she relied on them heavily. By sticking close to her family and not venturing out as an individual, Beneatha could not answer the questions about the world she held close to her heart.

More Essay Examples On This Topic

Hat starts off a desire or a whim, evolves into a defining moment for each Younger family member. The play generally describes several themes which revolve around the life of African-Americans in 1950s. Through gender issues, American Dream and poverty, Hansberry discusses family life in a contextual manner that permits imagination of the social set up of Youngers. She constantly rejects and criticizes the ideas of her brother who makes misinformed decisions based on mediocre interpretation of the American dream. She challenges Walter’s male chauvinism and rejects men like George Murchison who have no recognition and single respect for women in the society . The writer clearly exemplifies how the perception of women towards their identity according to aristotle virtue is in the society has tremendously changed.

” Although the story focuses somewhat on materialistic things, opposite of nature like Walter’s desire for money and Beneatha’s desire to become a doctor, many examples of nature can be found throughout the story. Dreams control these materialistic possessions and goals and in a sense nature controls the physical world. The Youngers go through great trouble to reach these dreams, and much of their happiness and depression is immediately related to whether or not they reach their dreams. When the family is united in the end by the last dream, it is realized that a natural phenomenon, a dream, really does control the outcome. James Joyce’s The Dead reveals characteristics of frustration, restraint, and violence. Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun reveals dreams as the main characters struggle to deal with the oppressive situations that overrule their lives.

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A Raisin In The Sun (B+)A Raisin In The Sun (B+) In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, one of the most important themes is the American Dream. Many of the characters in this play have hopes and aspirations; they all strive towards their goals throughout the play. However, many of the characters in the play have different dreams that clash with each other. Problems seem to arise when different peoples dreams conflict with one another; such as Walters versus Bennies, Georges versus Asagai…