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FILM -- "A RAISIN IN THE SUN" AND THE AMERICAN DREAM
Lena (Mama)
What is the dream?
Lena is the strong, traditional matriarch of the Younger family. Her dream is for her family: that they will be safe, emotionally and physically well, principled and happy.
Why does it matter to the character?
The dream matters to Lena because she lived through the difficult time in which many blacks left the South and moved North to make life better for themselves. At that point, they were concerned with more basic human needs like food, shelter, safety, employment and dignity. Consequently, she wants basic well-being for her family, even as they pursue dreams beyond hers.
What obstacles does it face?
Lena's dream faces internal family obstacles and external obstacles. The internal family obstacles include Walter Lee's consuming dream to be successful, his loss of 2/3 of her husband's life insurance proceeds through a foolish deal, Beneatha's sampling of many interests and disbelief in God, the tension between the two children and Ruth's regretful plan to have her expected child aborted. Lena's dream externally faces the problem of racial prejudice portrayed by Mr. Lindner, the white neighborhood representative who tries to stop the Younger family's planned move to a white neighborhood.
d. What is the status of the dream at the plays end?
Despite the many threats to Lena's dream, it is still intact by the play's end because Walter has reclaimed his dignity, Beneatha is becoming calmer with her interest in Asagai, her two children are...
Walter Lee
a. What is the dream?
Walter Lee dreams of becoming an important man who makes big business deals.
b. Why does it matter to the character?
The dream matters to Walter Lee for several reasons: he believes his current job as a chauffeur is "nothing at all"; he hears about big deals supposedly being made by other men, black and white; he wants to be able to provide well for his family; and he wants to be a strong father figure for his son.
c. What obstacles does it face?
Walter Lee's dream faces several obstacles, too. He lacks money to make big deals and his mother will not dedicate her $10,000 life insurance payout to his dream of opening a liquor store. As a chauffeur, he is disregarded by black people who are used to big deals, such as George Murchison and his father. His dream of the big deal liquor store is opposed by his mother, his wife and his sister. His dream is also threatened by his sister's plans to go to medical school, which will require part of the insurance proceeds, and the new house down payment, which also requires some of the insurance proceeds. After Walter Lee is entrusted with 2/3 of the insurance proceeds, the cruelest obstacle to his dream is his cheating business partner, Willie Harris, who ran away with all the money.
d. What is the status of the dream at the plays end?
The dream of making big deals is severely harmed and perhaps even killed by the end of the movie. However, it is replaced by Walter Lee's new dignity, beautifully revealed when Walter Lee explains to Mr. Lindner that the Younger family will move into their new home in the white neighborhood because Walter Lee's…
By the play's end, Beneatha's basic dream of fulfillment is intact. It appears that she might never be a doctor but she is going to Africa with Asagai and will get to experience a new continent, a government and society run by black people, and an adventurous life.
5. Are all the dreams variations of the American Dream, either the American dream defined up through 1960 or a new American dream in process of taking shape
All the dreams are variations on the American Dream: Lena dreams that her family will be safe, emotionally and physically well, principled and happy, as do many Americans of any race. Walter Lee's dream of becoming an important man who makes big business deals seems to be the dream of many American men of any race. Lena's dream of having their own home with plenty of room and sunshine is also desired by many Americans of any race, who want to own their own homes. Finally, Beneatha's dream for personal fulfillment, however that may be accomplished, is certainly shared by many Americans of all races. Safety, emotional and physical well-being, high principles, happiness, importance, one's own home and one's personal fulfillment: all facets of the American Dream. That is a great film, which might be why it is still powerful more than half a century after it debuted.
She is also a dreamer in that she believes that she will be able to help everyone. When Walter loses the money, her view changes somewhat in that she understands the world a little better. She knows that no doctor can cure "what ails mankind" (2254). She does come to realize that what truly ails mankind is something that cannot be cured because it is not a physical sickness
The climax opens Walter's eyes to the wickedness of people. He realizes he cannot trust everyone. Life is full of those who take and those who are taken. He admits to being "mixed up bad" (2258). His dream was short-lived and so was the money. He learns to keep his "eye on what counts in this world" (2258). This experience is good for Walter because it forces him to
He needs this chance, Lena" (Hansberry 26). Ruth dreams of rekindling the love that used to exist between them, and she knows that it has changed or altered somehow, and that something is missing in her relationship with him. She believes in him enough to stand up for him, even though they do not share the same dream, which shows that she is a supportive and caring woman, and
' But now he said nothing" (Faulkner). In contrast, the Younger family members also grow and change. Most notably, Walter Lee takes on the role of leader in the family, and makes the right decision for the rest of his family members. Critic Domina notes, "He must become the acknowledged head of his family, and he must also interact with other adult males as an equal" (Domina 113). These two
While Baraka's play Dutchman ends in fatal violence against a young black male endeavoring in vain to assert his individual identity and manhood, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, which takes place in the 1950's, on Chicago's South Side, ends with Walter Younger Jr. being defeated in his quest for individual independence, autonomy, and a sense of authentic manhood apart from his race by a crooked partner and supposed
At the same time Bernice doesn't tell her daughter the history of the heirloom, in fear of waking the spirit. This means that even Bernice is not using her legacy positively, but is afraid of it. Both characters are able to embrace their history with pride by the end of the play, as Boy Willie comes to understand the Piano's significance and Bernice begins to play it again (Sparknotes.com) 3.