While the family does move anyway, they are changed. Walter learns that he cannot trust everyone and every fly-by-night idea is probably just a fraud. Curing the sick was the most important thing to Beneatha before Walter lost the money. After the incident, she does not seem to care as much and she tells him, curing the sick is "not close enough to what ails mankind" (Hansberry 2254). Losing the money opened her eyes to how cruel people can be and forces her to rethink her priorities. Walter has matured because of his mistake and has not allowed it to ruin the rest of his life. His deal with Willy opens his eyes to the fact that while people are dreaming, there are "takers out there operating, just taking and taking" (2258). He realizes that he must not only work to achieve his dream, he must also work not to "get taken." While he seems embittered about his bad deal with Willy, he comes through for the family at the end of the play. So much so that Beneatha tells Lindner, "That's what the man said" (2261) at the end of the play. Walter and Willy share the characteristic of following silly dreams. Walter fails to see the benefit of working hard for a living and while Willy works hard, he is not working smart. Walter wants to believe in the liquor store idea because it means quick money to him. Willy shares this tendency. He has the idea of starting a "Loman Line" (Miller 1064) of athletic gear. He brags to Happy about a "million dollar idea" (1065). They both fail to see the difficulties involved with some dreams. Most people achieve their dreams through hard work. They are blind in this way. Walter is selfish because he wants the money...
He tells her, "So that's the peace and comfort you went out and bought for us" (2237). He cannot understand and accuses her o killing his dreams. Willy's blindness keeps him from seeing the hopelessness of the path his life has taken. After years of not excelling at his work, he still believes he will become a great success.
(Steinbeck, 1939) When the Grapes of Wrath is compared with the other works that are discussed earlier, it is clear that this is showing the negative side of the American dream. In this situation, things did not work as planned for the Joads. Instead, they were forced to deal with these challenges and believe that things will turn around. This determination is showing how the American dream is more than
As J. Charles Washington notes, Mama and Walter have two different versions or ideas what the American Dream means in Raisin in the Sun. For Mama the dream is simply about change and doing what is necessary to protect and preserve one’s family. Her version of the dream “sets her at odds with her son Walter,” whose dream is much more influenced by the white Americans he sees: their opulence
She misrepresents the proposal of marriage of Asagai and is unable to provide the man who loves her so much and who understand her well. The complex character of Beneatha demonstrates another hidden quality towards the end of the play. The confrontation of Walter with Mr. Lindner reveals the arrogant statement of Mr. Lindner, "I take it then that you have decided to occupy." The easiness of Beneatha's reply
Walter's desire for financial success and his stories of rich white people are a metaphor for the self-respect he lacks in himself. It's easy to say that Walter should pay more attention to what is really important in life: family, respect, love, etc., but what Hansberry is illustrating is that when one lives in a society that looks down upon a group of people, those people have a much
Raisin in the Sun Beneatha is ahead of her time in a Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Beneatha is the daughter of Lena Younger and younger sister of Walter Lee who is married to Ruth. Walter Lee and Ruth have a ten-year-old son Travis, who gets his way often being the only grandson. Beneatha is a college student who desires to attend
It is the last thing Mama carries out of the apartment when the family moves, symbolizing the family's failure to thrive in their neighborhood. Both the plant and the Younger family are expected to blossom in their new surroundings. Walter Jr. wants to use the money to buy a liquor store with his friends. He believes that owning a business will give the family the financial freedom that will make
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