Symbolism in literature is a huge part of identifying a main theme. A symbol expresses the central idea of the piece. It is very different in each story even if they are the same symbol. I chose to analyze the symbol of alcohol. In “A Streetcar Named Desire” alcohol is shown in many ways through Blanche and Stanley. In “A Raisin in the Sun” alcohol is represented through Walters dream. In “A Streetcar Named Desire” alcohol showed up many times. Throughout the play both Blanche and Stanley drink frequently. A lot of the play was formed around Blanche's many insecurities. Her past was something she wanted to forget due to her husband committing suicide and her reliance on promiscuous activities to forget about it all. This led to her using alcohol …show more content…
Instead of drinking alcohol the youngers invest in it. Walter is over portrayed in a way that makes him seem like a screw up when in actuality Walters main dream for his son to be successful and have a real job. Walter wants to be there for his family and give his son a head start in life. In order for this to happen Walter believes that he should invest in an liquor store as a “get rich quick scheme”. It clear that Walter is not aware of how much of a risk investing that much money in something you don't know much about is. Mama is against this not only because it is risky but also because Walter would then be involved in the liquor business which in some ways is against her values. Eventually Walter convinces Mama to let him use some of the money any way he sees fit. She trust him with his money and with the responsibility of putting Beneatha's money into a bank. Instead of doing as he was asked Walter ended up using both his and Beneatha's school money to invest in the liquor store. In Walters head this was a good idea because to him investing more money would equal getting more money. Walters friend ends up taking all of the money and disappearing with it. This crushes the Younger family. For the Youngers alcohol is the reason things go