The American Dream In A Raisin In The Sun (Essay Example)

To begin, Beneatha’s version of the American Dream is to become a doctor. Her experiences as a black woman from a poor neighborhood on the south side of Chicago in the 1950s makes this dream anything but typical. Beneatha lives in a time when society expects women to build homes, rather than careers. After being born into a family whose main focus is just having enough money to get through each day, Beneatha’s dream seems impossible. Nevertheless, the family makes many financial sacrifices to make sure Beneatha can receive the education necessary for this dream of hers. Instead of being forever grateful for what her family sacrifices for her, she comes off as being selfish. This is shown in how she looks down on her family for not being as intelligent or educated as she is. In Act 1 of Scene 1 of Lorraine Hansberry's A Rasin in the Sun, Beneatha states “ And forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all! FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME.” (Hansberry 497). This quote shows how Beneatha is sarcastically apologizing to Walter for having dreams of becoming a doctor because she does not think it will happen realistically. When Beneatha’s brother, Walter, tries to make Beneatha feel bad about all of these sacrifices that their family is making for her to attend school, she stands up and defends her plan anyway. This evidence shows importance by proving that Benetha has very strong thoughts about her “American Dream” and places an extreme magnitude on making it happen. Being a successful independent woman is something that Beneatha takes very seriously. She wants to achieve this dream she feels that people doubt her. She believes that everyone and everything is standing in her way of her becoming a doctor. This stems from the uncommonness of a girl like her becoming a doctor during this time.  Beneatha puts a bigger emphasis on building her career rather than doing house chores which makes her different from other women like her. Beneatha’s thoughts on women in the workforce and women, in general, are something that sets her apart from the rest of the people in her family. Underneath Beneathas tough shell, she does care about helping people. This is ultimately why her dream is to become a doctor.

In the play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, Walter's version of the American dream is to have his own liquor store, to make more money to support his family, and gain independence, freedom, and overall happiness which in his opinion is the definition of the American dream. Walter’s experience of hardship with money and his racial identity is what is driving this dream for him. Walter does not like his current job as a chauffeur. He feels that it is beneath him to serve someone else in this capacity. While Walter thinks that his latest business venture will lead to financial success, his underlying desire to become financially independent and stable is motivated by something way deeper. Walter feels as though his racial identity has hindered him from achieving his dream. Hansberry writes, “Mama sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool-quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting in the back and talking ‘bout things… sitting their turning deals worth millions of dollars… sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me.” (Hansberry 522) Walter wants Mama to realize how intimidating and emotionally wearing it is to be a black male in Chicago in the 1950s. Walter seeing white rich men that appear to be the same age as him only aggravates his feeling of hopelessness and anger. Walter feels like the distance between his peers keeps getting farther and farther away when it comes to gaining wealth. Walter feels that the only way to achieve freedom in this world is to have lots of money. With this freedom, Walter feels that he will ultimately achieve respect and authority in life. This quote expands on the topic sentence because it shows how Walter feels when he thinks about his racial identity holding him back when it comes to earning enough money to keep his family stable. Therefore, it is proven that Walter has valid reasons for wanting to achieve his goal of owning a liquor store.