Dreams, Dreams– It’s All About Dreams!!!
There are two significant ways in which Lorraine Hansberry explores the notion of dreams in A Raisin in the Sun, which this blog post will analyze. The first way Hansberry explores dreams is through each individual character’s dreams. The second is through her symbolic use of light.
Walter’s dreams involve being a successful entrepreneur and providing more for his family. In the first act we learn he has aspirations to open up a liquor store with his friends. Unfortunately because of his low income job and his inability to secure money through a loan, he has been unable to save for his business and simultaneously support his family. Beneatha, his sister, has dreams of going into med school but because of the family’s poor financial prospects she has not been able to chase her dream yet. Walter’s mother Mama’s dream is for her son to be happy, and when she receives the check, it’s to buy the house which would allow her family to have a better life.
Walter’s wife Ruth’s dream is to support her family and support her husband’s dreams so they might better their circumstances. His son Travis also has a dream, to be a working man like his father wants to be.
By the end of Act II, none of these dreams materialize because of Walter’s well meaning but naive actions.
The play is an important piece of literature that depicts the struggles African American families in America went through after WWII, specifically a low income working family in the lower southside of Chicago, the Youngers. The play follows their struggles as they try to move up financially in the world and deals with the harsh realities of the world they live in. At first I thought these characters’ dreams were motivated by money, and although that might be true to a point, I believe there is something that motivates them more. What they are truly motivated by is their dreams, their goals, their desires. They keep them going. This type of motivation can do great things but can also destroy people if they have too much invested emotionally in a dream that doesn’t materialize. But we can see that because of the Younger’s financial situation and living in the 50’s with its institutionalized racism and segregation and limited life and financial opportunities, actually being able to realize their dreams seems unlikely. But after Mama receives a 10,000 dollar check in the mail, all of that changes. The Youngers now have an opportunity to achieve what they have been striving for. They now have the money for Beneatha to afford med school, for Walter to start up his liquor business, and even enough money to purchase a new house for the family.
Another literary feature Hansberry incorporates into her play is her use of light. In the play, light (and the lack of light as well) symbolizes dreams. Early on, light is represented by the mention of the sun. Mama says, “Lord, if this little old plant don’t get more sun than it’s been getting it ain’t never going to see spring again.” There is only a small window in this very small apartment for too many people. The only light that “fights its way” comes through this window, and the only natural light the family can enjoy each day is only that which “fights its way” through this little window. It is not enough to light their dreams, unfortunately, just as it’s not enough for a single dying plant. I feel like the plant dying represents the dimness in the apartment and the darkness in the lives of these family members who do not live enough “in the sunlight” or have any real way to achieve their dreams.
Another relevant light related quote in the play happens after Mama tells her family about the new house. Ruth asks Mama, “Is there a whole lot of sunlight?” Mama says yes. In this case, the sunlight represents the possibilities of a better future. It represents hope. In their old apartment, there was almost no sunlight, and the family was constantly drained and weighed down by the world around them. But in this new house, there will be sunlight everywhere. In such a house there is a real possibility they will achieve their dreams.
An interesting light reference easily missed is in Act II, Scene II, when Beneatha’s boyfriend, George and Walter are going at each other. Walter is baiting and insulting George who is acting superior and condescending to Walter. As George is leaving he says, “Bye, Prometheus.” This is a name Walter has never heard of. In the myth of Prometheus, this Titan God of Fire stole fire so he could give it to humanity. Fire, which the sun also represents, symbolizes dreams and a hope for a better future. Promotheus brought this to earth but Zeus tied him to a rock and an eagle plucked out his liver each night, which grew back each day only to be eaten again. This might symbolize the futility of dreams and hope and make us ask the question, how dare Walter try to do something great for himself? He is just a poor black working man with no education and prospects after all, and it’s impossible to advance in a world that is against you. What you’ll get for trying to change your life and your family’s lives is pain and suffering. Hansberry’s Prometheus reference in a way foreshadows what happens later in Act II when Willy steals the money from Walter. The money represents his dream which is stolen, and what’s left in its absence is far more suffering than before he received the money.
Walter is also like Prometheus in how he rebelled against God (this could be the societal infrastructure or norms in Walter’s world), but really changing his circumstances is a dream impossible to achieve in his segregated, racist world. Walter’s dream is actually a fantasy.
QUESTIONS
- The play starts with a poem. What are the different ways in this play that dreams deferred show up in their character’s lives?
- At the end of Act II, is there any hope that the characters will improve their lives without money? What are some possible other ways besides money their lives could still improve, despite everything that’s happened?
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