Comparing The American Dream And A Raisin The Sun

Food is not enough to sustain a person; it is not enough to fulfill one’s base desire with bread and beer. One needs a dream, a desire, a goal that can be achieved, and in the “Raisin the Sun” This is the American Dream, the desire to succeed and move up in the class system. Each of the characters has a dream to achieve. Walter dreams of making it big, Beneatha dreams of becoming a doctor, and Ruth’s dream is to move out of their old house into a nice home. The obstacles they face have much to do with their lower class status and naivety. It is in their dream that they hope to be rid of both of these things, and it is the insurance money from their father’s death that will get them there. This family perfectly demonstrates the American Dream,
the dream of making it even though you have nothing, and never giving in no matter the barriers. Walter’s naivety causes the family great strife all throughout the book as he’s dreams outlandish dreams until he finally blows it and trusts a guy he shouldn’t have. It was that incident that allows Walter to hit rock bottom, and call back the man meaning to destroy Ruth’s dream, “He finally come into his manhood, didn’t he? Kind of like a rainbow after the rain…” (Hansberry 151). For Walter to realize that the American Dream is more than just yachts, limos, and buckets of cash he had to lose everything and put his pride to the test. The American Dream is more than achieving what you want, but achieving a good life for your family in an honest way.