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How Does A Raisin In The Sun Reflect On The American Dream

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The American Dream: A Reflection of “A Raisin in the Sun”
The play “A Raisin in the Sun” was written by an American playwright and writer Lorraine Hansberry. The play reflects the story of Lorraine Hansberry's life. She grew up African American in a dominant white society experiencing racism and struggling to reach her dreams. The central conflict of the play “A Raisin in the Sun” lies in Walter's notion of this American dream. So what is the American dream? For some it is the dream of equality and freedom and for others it is the dream of a happy life or even the dream of fame and wealth. The American dream differs for each member of the Younger family. “The concept of “the American Dream” has lured tens of millions of immigrants from all …show more content…
It continued to be manifested in the Declaration of Independence through the expression of a sense of hope... “all man are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness”(Hufton). The play “A Raisin in the Sun” is about a poor African American family that is struggling through life. After the death of Lena’s husband, the father of Walter and Beneatha, the Younger family waits for a life insurance check of $10,000. Each member of the family has dreams of what they want to do with the insurance money. Lena and Ruth both dream of buying a nice big house for their family. Walter Lee wants to start up a liquor store so he could quit his job as a chauffeur and Beneatha has dreams of going to medical school. James Truslow Adams stated that the American Dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the …show more content…
Walter’s irresponsibility and selfishness, however, prevented him from becoming the head of the family after he lost the money in a bad deal. He was desperate for money that “Walter tells his family that he's prepared to bow down to "The Man" to get the money. This is really Walter's lowest point in the whole play. He's prepared to totally shame himself for the money” (Shmoop). In the end, Walter Lee finally realizes that money isn’t life, and that love and family are more important than anything. He refuses to take the money from Linder and moves into the house with his family. “Although Walter makes the worst mistakes out of any other character in the play, he also undergoes the greatest transformation. His journey takes him from being a total jerk, obsessed with get-rich-quick schemes, to a man worthy of respect” (Shmoop). Walter finally realizes that keeping his family pride is more important than any amount of

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