Sean Goatley-Soan 2

Sean Goatley-Soan

English 102

Ms. Ward

February 18th, 2010Deferred Dreams

Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny (Anonymous). Dreams are hard things to describe, because one never knows if they are real or not, yet nothing has ever been done without dreaming it up first. In Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun, the characters Walter Lee younger (brother), Lena Younger (Mama) and Joseph Asagai depict the very fundamental aspects of this simple thought and quote. The American dream is a theme seen throughout the play; this is the idealism of what a better life would look like and each character has his or her own interpretation of this. Walters interpretation is having money, Asagais is knowledge and teaching his people, and Mamas is for the family to be united.Walter Lee Youngeris the protagonist of the play. Walter is a dreamer and is always looking to the future instead of the present. He wants to become rich and create a better life for himself and his family. He devises plans to acquire wealth with his friend, Willy Harris, that inevitably ends in failure. Walters dreams consume him to a point that he does not listen to the sound advice of Ruth or his mother, so instead of helping him create a better future, these dreams hinder him by preoccupying his mind on far reaching, get rich quick solution schemes. This is seen in the text by such quotes as I want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy Mama look at me (Hansberry 1.2.222). His main dream is that in 17 years hell come home in a plain black Chrysler with white walls and black tires. The gardener will say Good evening, Mr. Younger. Then, once he goes inside to his loving wife, he goes to his son and offers him any university in America to go to. Although this is a great image and ideology of the Dream, it personifies Walterss imagination to a distinct point. Hansberry at the end of the play challenges Walter Youngers characteristic tragic flaw. This is shown by Walter having to do his unethical transaction in front of his son, which he cannot do as his better judgment precedes him and leads him onto a higher, more morally correct path. Joseph Asagai is a Nigerian student who is in love with Beneatha. Asagai is of African heritage and he is very proud of it. Asagai is very rational and down to earth; therefore, his dream is very plausible and he intends to go through with it. This dream includes himself finishing off his education and then going back to Nigeria to teach and educate his people. This is a noble and selfless act and says a lot about his character. Asagai also shows the African-American past that most African-Americans today have lost touch with.Lena Younger (Mama) is Walter and Ruths mother, and in the play she recently lost her husband, Walter Sr. Due to this loss, she becomes the recipient of ten thousand dollars in life insurance. Her dream with this money is for her family to become united in a new house and also to provide university money to Beneatha. To unite the family and to appease Walters male ego, she gives part of the money to him to start a business, which he inevitably loses. Although the money gets lost, her overall plan still succeeds when Walter realizes his mistakes and becomes the man/son of which she can be proud. Big Walter used to say, hed get right wet in ... us children to make them dreams seem worth while" (Hansberry 1.1.206). When Mama says this, it truly shows that her life dreams are not only for herself, but also for her family and future generations. Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun got its name from the Langston Hues poem, Harlem. This has great significance to the play since the poem speaks about what happens to dreams when they are deferred. It is interesting how it correlates to the play, as many of the dreams (especially Walters) in it do die, shrivel up, or explode. But what Hansberrys play shows us is when these dreams do die or explode and the remains turn to ash and all seems lost, sometimes out of this ash comes hope and something much stronger is created.

Works Cited

Anonymous. " Dreams are like stars... Positive Mantra. Web. 16 Feb. 2010.

Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Samuel French Inc Plays, 1959. Print.

"Lorraine Vivian Hansberry Biography | Encyclopedia of World Biography Biography." BookRags.com: Book Summaries, Study Guides. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. .

"A Raisin in the Sun Dreams, Hopes, and Plans Quotes." Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources. Web. 15 Feb. 2010. .