African-American Dream

“A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry
Introduction
The play “A Raisin in the Sun” reflects on Youngers, an African-American Family, who lived on the southern side of Chicago in the late 1950s. The play opens with the family receiving a $10,000 insurance check from Mr. Younger’s (the deceased) life insurance policy. Each member of the family is ready with an idea of what to use the money on (Hansberry, 11). For example, Mama has a dream of buying a house. On the other hand, Walter Lee who is Mama’s Son wants to invest in a Liquor store with his neighborhood friends. To him, investment is the only solution to saving the family from financial challenges (Hansberry, 12). Variously, Beneatha who is Lee’s Sister wishes to use the funds as
Hopes and dreams assist the characters in dealing with the oppressive conditions ruling their lives. For a fact, Hansberry ensures that every member of the Younger family has an individual dream that pushes him or her forward on a daily basis. For example, Mama wished and hoped to own a good house with a beautiful garden in the backyard. On the other hand, Beneatha aimed at taking a medical tuition that would significantly help in finding her identity. Walter Lee on his part dreamt of leaving the chauffeur job and being a self-employed man in the family. He dreamt and hoped to own a liquor store business that would help the family grow sustainably (Domina & Hansberry, 23). Dreams, plans, and hopes are still in use today. Every American is chasing the American dream with the aim of becoming successful in life. No individual wants to live in poverty in the current era. Many are enrolled in schools which acts as the source of skills and knowledge for job search (Rice, 14). Through the use of characters, Hansberry achieves the ability to express the importance and purpose of dreams in everyday life. He portrays dreams as the driving force for every successful individual in the society (Hansberry,
Asagai as a symbolic model of the dream shapers in every individual’s life. To achieve life goals and dreams, Beneatha had to follow Mr. Asagai for a discussion about Africa which helped her in discovering her identity. On the other hand, Mama tried her best to acquire support for family members about her dream of owning a house as that was one of her visions with late husband. By the end of the last scene in the play, the Youngers family recognizes that Mama’s dream of owning a house was significant as it unites all the family members (Hansberry, 39). The same issue of prioritization of dreams is manifesting in the current society. For example, many parents are investing in their children’s education as it’s viewed as the only gate pass to a successful future (Rice,