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 in the truest sense of the words. Her idealism might be squashed but Beneatha still feels compelled to make difference in the world by doing what she can through helping others.
Walter's dream is to be rich. The problem with Walter's dream is that he does nothing to set it into motion. He likes to daydream about it but making his dreams come true is more difficult. He lacks vision and this causes him to miss out on coming close to achieving his dream. He would rather blame life for his bad luck rather than look at his own life. For example, he tells Lena, "You tell that to my boy tonight when you put him to sleep on the living-room couch . . . tell it to my wife, Mama, tomorrow when she has to go out of here to look after someone else's kids . . . And tell it to me, Mama, every time we need a new pair of curtains and I have to watch you go out and work in somebody's kitchen" (2226). Walter sees the insurance money and the liquor store deal as his opportunity even though nothing indicates that this deal will be profitable. He would rather find a quick rich scheme than work hard like his father did. He must learn that part of the dream is the sweat it took to make the dream come true. Until he realizes this fact, he will always be an easy target for individuals like Willy. Of the characters in the play, Walter is the one that is farthest away from his dream;...
In a sense, Walter is lazy, especially when we compare him to his mother and sister. He does not have the same work ethic that they do and simply drifts from one bad idea to the next in frustration. A major problem with his dream is that he does not have one other than making money.
While dreams do define people, it is interesting to see how much dreams influence life. The characters in A Raisin in the Sun illustrate how an individual's dreams can affect his or her life. Lena is the oldest and the wisest in the family and she knows that dreams are difficult to attain. She watched her life pass before her eyes and then she watched her husband die before they could achieve their dream of living in a decent home. This knowledge influences her sound judgment in putting the money toward a house. She knows this is the only way that this will happen. Beneatha is somewhat idealistic but she understands that in order to achieve her dream she must attend school. She is doing what she can to make this happen. Walter, on the other hand, is the character that seems to have difficulty coming to terms with the notion that dreams and goals take hard work. He wants to have the dream without having worked for it. He learns the most difficult lesson of all because the entire family must suffer at his ignorance. Thee characters demonstrate that having a dream is important but almost as equally important is having a plan to achieve that dream.
Works Cited
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Vol. II.
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