Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin - 1395 Words

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is a play about African American family living in Southside Chicago. A Raisin in the Sun portrays different ideas of the American dream through the Younger family members, and shows how these individuals struggle to achieve their personal dream in times of racism and social inequality. The character Walter Lee Younger dreams of becoming a successful businessman and providing more for his family. During the time A Raisin in the Sun was written, the United States was going through a major problem of race segregation and inequality. Specifically obstacles that African Americans encountered in achieving their dream. Loraine Hansberry portrays Walter Lee as a man with a common dream of class mobility in†¦show more content†¦Unions drove African Americans from such occupations as railroad fireman and meat cutter.† (Loewen 61) African Americans were forced to work low paying jobs with no hope of carrier advancement. Walter sees himself in that situation but he is not willing to sit around and do nothing, Walter has a plan to make his dream come true. He wants to invest the insurance money Lena received to go into business with two of his friends Bobo and Willy Harris. Walter explains to Ruth â€Å"You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be ‘bout thirty thousand, see. That be ten thousand each.† (Hansberry 33) Walter sees this money as an opportunity for him to move up the income ladder that he may never come across again. Walter’s mother has a different dream, a dream of having a house of their own. His dream of becoming a businessman was destroyed when Mama bought a house. His manhood also took a big hit. Walter said â€Å"What you need me to say you done right for? You the head of this family. You run our lives like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what you need for me to say it was all right for? So you butchered up a dream of mine – you – who always talking ‘bout your children’s dreams . . .† (Hansberry 94) Walter was not able to make a call as the head of the house and he blamed his mother. The lost dream also took a toll on Walter’s morale. Because