Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, Mama and Walter Younger both have great dreams but encounter at least one barrier to their success. Mama dreams of the day when her son, Walter Jr., becomes similar to her husband; however, Walter rejects Mama’s dream by denying the aspects of a happy family and by being materialist. Likewise, Walter has a dream of being a wealthy and powerful businessman, but his hastened, unrealistic route to money stands in the way of his dream.

Throughout the play, Mama displays her dream of her son, Walter Jr., becoming a non-materialistic, family man similar to her late-husband, Walter Sr. When Ruth, Walter’s wife, decides to abort her child, Mama expresses to Walter that she is “waiting to hear how

On page 108, while speaking to his son, Travis, Walter explains how his life will be after he becomes a high-level business executive who has all the money a man could ever want (2.2). Through this conversation, Walter’s dream of becoming a wealthy businessman is shown. Walter, however, blocks his own dream from happening by taking an unrealistic route to wealth. Early in the play, Walter yells at George Murchison, a wealthy, young man, about how college will not prepare you to become a man, teach you how to take over the world, or how to run businesses (2.1.84). Walter is, more-or-less, telling George that college wouldn’t lead George down the path of success and wealth even though college can lead one down that path; however, Walter is actually saying this to George because he himself did not attend college and has no desire to do so. He is not willing to take the long and winding path to wealth through education; he wants his dream to happen immediately, which leads to the downfall of his dream. Later, when talking to his son, Travis, Walter describes how he made “a business transaction that’s going to change our [the family’s] lives…” (2.2.108). Consequently, this one quick, easy, and large transaction results in the undoing of Walter’s dream; Walter loses all the money he was going to use to buy the liquor store and become a “great” business entrepreneur. Walter has an