Essay on Dreams and Aspirations in A Raisin in the Sun

Introduction

The play A Raisin in the Sun revolves around the theme of dreams or aspirations, and the dreams are explicitly evident with the way the characters hope and work towards achieving their goals and aspirations in life. The characters mama, Beneatha, Ruth who is the wife to mama's son Walter all have their aspirations, and when there is a check which is as a result of their father's life insurance policy, they all have their mindset as to what they can do with their share of the money. This paper will discuss the dreams and aspirations of each of the characters in the play.

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Walter's Dream: A Successful Liquor Store

To begin with, Walter hopes that with the money from the insurance check he will achieve his dream of setting up a successful liquor store. With this dream in mind, he is not happy when the mother decides to use part of the money to purchase a house. He is also not amused with their mother giving some of the funds to Beneatha for her to pay for the medical school fees. Walter sees this as a hindrance to him not achieving his dream. Alters dream is fueled by the fact that he does not want to have to work for other people all his life which he views as a life of slavery. His current job is that of a chauffeur, and here he has to slave for someone something he finds unsatisfying. On another level, his dream is driven by the fact that he desires to have something which is his own. He plans to achieve his dream by opening the liquor store with two of his friends. However, his friends deceive him after his mother gave him the remaining amount of money and eventually his dream was crushed, and he had to start all over again. His only aim was to better the lives of his family financially.

Lena's Dream: Owning a Good House

Secondly, the dream of Lena, Walter's mother is to own a good house which was the dream that she had shared for a long time with her deceased husband, Mr. Younger. She goes on to purchase the home and as such her dream came to pass. She also wanted to see her children have good lives and fulfill their aspirations and as such, she gave some of the money to Beneatha for her school. However, there was some dissatisfaction with Walter because he felt left out. The mother was concerned for all her children and wanted to see all of them happy, and as such even some of the money, she gave her son. For her she got to achieve her dream and move out of the tiny house they were living in on the black part of the Southside of Chicago. Mama's dream was also deferred at first throughout her married life because she became too occupied with work and providing for the family that it became impossible to achieve this dream. It, however, came to pass after they received the insurance check.

Beneatha's Dream: Becoming a Doctor and Embracing Identity

Thirdly, Beneatha wanted so much to achieve her dream of being a doctor, and she believes that her dream was deferred the moment she was born. She thinks that she is more at a disadvantage because she is African American. When the insurance check of one hundred thousand dollars is given to them, she sees hope that she can achieve the dream and once again her dream is deferred because Walter loses the money which could have been her medical school money. Beneath wishes that her family can embrace their identity and not strive to be like the whites and she even seeks to explore her African roots.

Ruth's Dream: Wealth and a Fulfilled Life

For Ruth, Walter's wife, her dream is to become wealthy and live a fulfilled life with her family and her son Travis as well. When she realizes that she was pregnant, Ruth was afraid to have the bay because she felt that she could further defer the dreams of her family. However, Walter does not seem concerned when Ruth considers an abortion and mama thought that the right thing to do is to get a bigger house where the whole family including the baby will have enough space. Eventually, she gets the baby Travis, and she encourages Walter when he loses the money and shows him that he can start all over again and have a chance at achieving his dream eventually.

Conclusion

Despite the family having their dreams deferred or kept on hold for so long, the ultimate dream they were able to achieve is that of a house. Even though they are not stable financially, they believe that being together as a family is all that matters. They struggle all along the play but the most critical aspect to note is that they support each other throughout all through their highs and lows. Beneatha finds herself a Nigerian boyfriend who supports her dreams and aspirations of becoming a doctor and moving with him to Africa. Beneatha does not make her decision by the time the play comes to an end.