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Taylor Moyer

Professor Jaime Gallagher

ENG 151L-17

Essay #3

7 April 2020

Dream Comparison in ​A Raisin in the Sun

The play, A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, is about an African

American family that has just been presented a check for ten thousand dollars due to the passing

of Mr. Younger. The Youngers live in a small apartment located on the South Side of Chicago

with minimal money and they all work consistently to keep their heads afloat. When the

household learns about how they will receive the check, each character immediately starts to

plan what they are going to do with all this money. Walter, Mama, Beneatha, and Ruth all have

contrasting ideas to what they would like to do and leads to the conflict of the story. The only

common concept behind their dreams is to make them a more successful family and to someday

get out of the financial burden they are in now.

Mama is the wife of the deceased Mr. Younger. She believed in spending her money to

buy a new house which is a dream that she had once shared with her husband. Even before her

children were born, Mrs. Younger dreamed that she could own her own house where she could

have and tend to a garden and have a yard where her children could play in. This dream was

given up where her husband purchased the apartment that they are currently living in now. This

dream was never forgotten and is what pushed her every day to continue making money so some

day she could provide and share this dream for her family to enjoy as well. This dream can also
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be seen with the plant that Mama keeps within the apartment. At the beginning of the play,

Mama pulls out the plant from the window and waters it. She has an odd attachment to the plant

and her caring for and compassion to the small plant represents the importance of the dream to

her. After the death of her husband she realized that this dream could quite possibly become a

reality and was her first chance to jump and buy the house of her dreams.

Walter on the other hand has one of the biggest dreams out of all of the family members.

He wanted to go against what the world was saying about African American folk and prove them

wrong. The society at the time believed that African Americans were best used for the hard work

and labor and the white men were the ones who were businessmen. Walter believed that he had

what it took to be a successful businessman and thought that with this money he could open up a

business of his own. He stated multiple times within the play that there was a liquor store for

sale, and he wanted to partner up with a few other men to run it. Walter had big dreams that he

wanted to accomplish and with this masterplan he decided it was the best way to get their family

out of the financial problems that they were constantly facing. Currently the only job that Walter

has is being a chauffeur for the wealthy. I believe that his dreams and aspirations come from the

ideas he is constantly surrounded with. By being around the rich and superior Walter believes

that if he does the same thing they do he will be able to make a profit and help his family out of

the ditch they are in.

Another character that had aspiring dreams for the money was Walter’s wife, Ruth. Her

dreams weren’t exactly based on her needs but more for the needs for her son. Ruth wanted to

purchase a new house in a different location so that her son could have a better life with more

opportunities to thrive. Since they could only afford to live in a small apartment there weren’t
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enough rooms for everyone to live comfortably. As of right now there were only two bedrooms

inside their living space. Mama and Beneath shared a room as well as Ruth and Walter which,

left their son, Travis, to sleep on the couch in the living room. Since the living room was a shared

space, Travis didn’t always get the right amount of space or privacy at night because his father

was up late at night talking to his friends on the phone about his immaculate business ideas. Not

only did Ruth want to provide more space for her son but she wanted to give him the most

amount of opportunities that she possibly could. Living in the neighborhood that they were in;

Ruth couldn’t let Travis outside to play without keeping a constant eye on him. If they moved

into a better and cleaner neighborhood Travis could be able to play outside without Ruth having

to constantly worry if he was okay. Not only would the environment be safer for him. but he

would be able to receive a better education. Not only was Ruth concerned about Travis but

halfway through the play the audience discovers that Walter’s wife is pregnant with her second

child. Ruth is all worried about where the new baby will sleep. For now, the crib would be able

to be placed in Ruth and Walter’s room but in the future, there will be no place for the child to go

or sleep.

Lastly, Mama’s other child, Beneatha, expressed her dreams within the play. It is obvious

that Beneath is a well driven student and aspires to be a doctor one day. She was hoping that she

could use the money to go toward her tuition for medical school. Not only does she wish that her

family would stop worrying about what all the white people in the world were doing and focus

on their roots and her dream expresses this hope. Beneath believes that if she can surpass the

stereotypical inclination then her family will understand as well. During this time period it was
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believed that women had to stay home and tend for the family instead of being a nurse or a

doctor.

All of the dreams that were expressed within the play were deferred from the lack of

money and, once the family realized that they now have some sort of income to complete those

goals they all argued that their goals were the most realistic and successful. Overall, I believe the

character with the most admirable goals was Mama and Ruth. Even though I believe there is

good intentions behind everyone's goals, I think that Mama’s and Ruth’s goal was most

admirable. The idea of buying a new house wasn't just for them but it benefited the whole family.

They didn't think of themselves while making this goal other than the idea of the garden for

Mama. They wanted to provide a space where their family could thrive, have more opportunities,

and provide the space they needed to live comfortably. Overall, I think Mama should've made

the decision because it was her husband's money and didn’t belong to the whole family. I think

that Ruth and Mama put themselves last to do what's beneficial for everyone and, the point that

proved this the most was the consequences of Walter’s actions. When he took the money and

gave it to Willy Harris was irresponsible. Mr. Harris took the investment and disappeared which

was a consequence of Walter not thinking clearly or having the family’s support behind it. I

think Walter was being selfish in the fact that he was doing what he wanted even though he was

trying to help out the family. He took a risk that hurt everyone, not just himself. I also understand

that Beneatha had dreams of proving everybody wrong and becoming a doctor but, the family

obviously needed help in that moment and her dreams would have taken years to complete which

doesn't guarantee she will get a job. Investing the money in a new house would have given the

family hope that there is something more to look forward to. If they were given the opportunity
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to move in to create a better life it would have instilled a drive for everyone to keep pushing

themselves for what they want in life.