A Raisin in the Sun: Character Dreams and the American Dream

Lena (Mama): The Dream of Family Well-Being

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.

The dream matters to Lena because she lived through the difficult era in which many Black Americans left the South and moved North to make better lives for themselves. At that time, they were concerned with more basic human needs — food, shelter, safety, employment, and dignity. Consequently, she wants fundamental well-being for her family, even as they pursue dreams that reach beyond hers.

Lena's dream faces both internal and external obstacles. Internal obstacles include Walter Lee's consuming ambition, his loss of two-thirds of her husband's life insurance proceeds through a foolish deal, Beneatha's restless sampling of many interests and her rejection of God, the tension between the two siblings, and Ruth's agonizing plan to abort her expected child. Externally, Lena's dream faces the problem of racial prejudice, embodied by Mr. Lindner — the white neighborhood representative who attempts to prevent the Younger family from moving into his community.

Despite these many threats, Lena's dream remains largely intact by the play's end. Walter has reclaimed his dignity, Beneatha is growing calmer through her connection with Asagai, the two siblings are getting along, Ruth abandons the idea of abortion, and the family proceeds with their move to the new home in the white neighborhood — even after losing two-thirds of the insurance proceeds.

Walter Lee: The Dream of Success and Status

Walter Lee dreams of becoming an important man who makes big business deals.

The dream matters to Walter Lee for several reasons: he regards his current job as a chauffeur as "nothing at all"; he hears about big deals supposedly being made by other men, both Black and white; he wants to provide well for his family; and he wants to be a strong father figure for his son.

Walter Lee's dream faces numerous obstacles. He lacks the money needed to pursue big deals, and his mother refuses to dedicate her $10,000 life insurance payout to his plan of opening a liquor store. As a chauffeur, he is dismissed by Black men accustomed to wealth, such as George Murchison and his father. His liquor store dream is opposed by his mother, his wife, and his sister. His sister's plans to attend medical school — which requires part of the insurance proceeds — and the down payment on the new house create further financial competition. Most cruelly, after Walter Lee is entrusted with two-thirds of the insurance money, his business partner Willie Harris absconds with it all.

The dream of making big deals is severely damaged — perhaps destroyed — by the end of the film. However, it is replaced by something equally powerful: Walter Lee's restored dignity. This transformation is beautifully revealed when he tells Mr. Lindner that the Younger family will move into their new home because his father "earned it brick by brick." For more on how A Raisin in the Sun depicts race, dignity, and aspiration in mid-twentieth-century America, the play's Wikipedia entry provides helpful historical context.

Ruth: The Dream of a Better Home

Ruth's dream is to move out of the family's cramped apartment — which shares a bathroom with other units — and into their own home, complete with sunshine and space.

The new home matters to Ruth because the Younger family is already terribly overcrowded, she is expecting another child, and she is deeply worn down by the apartment's "old, tired walls."

Ruth faces several obstacles to her dream. Walter Lee, upset when he learns about the down payment, goes out drinking instead of going to work, behaving as though nothing she wants matters — telling her, "Who even cares about you?" After Walter Lee loses two-thirds of the insurance proceeds, Lena suggests they may as well stay in the cramped apartment, leaving Ruth devastated. The dream is further threatened by Mr. Lindner's visit and his transparent attempt to pay the Younger family to stay out of his white neighborhood. The Encyclopaedia Britannica's overview of the play provides additional background on how housing segregation shaped the Younger family's circumstances.

Ruth's dream is ultimately fulfilled. The family decides to move to the new home after all, and the play ends with them joyfully carrying their belongings out of the cramped apartment.