A Raisin in the Sun The American Dream is why many people find themselves attracted to this country. For some, it can be the desire to become more than their parents. For others, it is the desire to excel beyond others expectations. No matter the reason for a person's desire to reach the American Dream there are obstacles that sometimes seem overwhelming.
In the story a raisin in the sun an African-American family living on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s where racism and prejudice was a serious issue. The Younger's family had to embrace the hard reality that comes with the American dream.In this essay I intend to prove why the "American dream is a myth not a destiny". The romantic formulation we all dream about a home where we can provide for our families and everyone wants to have the equivalent of picket fences, front yards, and two-car garages.
We've known for some time that the degree of social mobility in the US is much less than people believe. The American dream myth is a false perception that there is equal opportunity that allows us to be more accepting of unequal outcomes than we would be if we knew how stagnant social outcomes actually are.The evidence that rebuts this belief is worth repeating. In the story A Raisin in The Sun the Youngers family are about to receive an insurance check for $10,000. This money comes from the deceased Mr. Younger’s life insurance policy.
Each of the adult members of the family has an idea as to what he or she would like to do with this money. , Mama, wants to buy a house to fulfill a dream she shared with her husband. Mama’s son, Walter Lee, would rather use the money to invest in a liquor store . He believes that the investment will solve the family’s financial problems.Walter’s wife, Ruth, hopes that she and Walter can provide more space and opportunity for their son, Travis.
Finally, Beneatha, Walter’s sister and Mama’s daughter, wants to use the money for her medical school tuition. Each person has a dream to take them out of financial straits to give them the hope for a better life. They all want to be able to leave the neighborhood that consist of poverty into a neighborhood that is respectable. The dream of a better life has the family pulling in different directions instead of being a complete family with one goal. When they begin to put the family and the family’s wishes before their own, they merge their individual dreams with the family’s overarching dream. Many would say that a family's achievement gives a person an added advantage, but what about the numerous people who have come from nothing and greatly excel.
Their determination and drive gets them to their goal because they believe in the American Dream. Yet when you reach that goal the majority of people get ridiculed or push away because the people in a higher society feel they do not belong or they are beneath them.For example; Mama puts a down payment on a house. She believes that buying a house in Clybourne Park, an entirely white neighborhood would make the family better. When the Youngers’ future neighbors find out that the Youngers are moving in, they send Mr.
Lindner, from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, to offer the Youngers money in return for staying away. The American Dream is why many people find themselves attracted to this country. For some, it can be the desire to become more than their parents. For others, it is the desire to excel beyond others expectations.No matter the reason for a person's desire to reach the American Dream there are obstacles that sometimes seem overwhelming. The hard work and sacrifice a person or a family make to reach that goal can cause a person to lose out in what is important.
Many have lost their lives for the American Dream or fight all their life and never obtain it. What kind of dream would cause a person to kill, lie, or steal to live it. Most of the rich families got rich by crimes or deviant activities instead of hard work and dedication.I feel it is so sad when a person follow that dream to be rejected by society. I do feel the "American dream is a myth not a destiny". References Hansberry, Lorraine.
"A Raisin in the Sun. " New York: New American Library, 1966. Brown, Lloyd W. "Lorraine Hansberry as Ironist: A Reappraisal of A Raisin in the Sun.
" Journal of Black Studies 4. 3 (Mar. 1974): 237-247. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed.
Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 192. Detroit: Gale, 2008.
Literature Resource Center. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.
