Comparing The American Dream In A Raisin In The Sun And Death Of A Salesman

In the mid-20th century American society, playwrights such as Lorraine Hansberry and Arthur Miller began exploring the implications of the post World War II economic boom on the lives of impoverished citizens striving to achieve the American Dream. In A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry walks her reader through the story of an African American family trying to attain their goal of moving into a bigger house and earning enough money to gain a higher social standing and a better education. On the other hand, in Death of a Salesman, Miller follows a family from Boston clashing over their ideals and the definition of success. As both plays gained national popularity, it became clear that the new form of literature would take hold and be used for social commentary. As

Throughout A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry uses what Walter Lee Younger says and does about his dreams to become wealthy and be able to better provide for his family to show how his obsession over money slowly consumes him and almost drives him to forget his pride and self-worth. As the Younger family aspires to make their way out of poverty, following suit of many other families in the time period, Walter determines that the perfect plan would be to earn a lot of money by investing in a liquor shop. As more time progresses, Walter is unable to contain his enthusiasm for his plan and grows impatient. In fact, when he is finally given the rest of the money from the insurance check, he turns hysterical. He tells his son, “You wouldn’t understand yet, son, but your daddy’s gonna make...a