Something better than the American Dream
In Lorraine Hansberry’s, A Raisin in the Sun, she portrayed Beneatha as a very misunderstood character who at some points in the book was disrespected by her own family. Beneatha is very well educated, ambitious, and has the mindset of wanting to “find herself”, all why she is trying to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. Beneatha is also, in her mind and in the readers minds, breaking the women stereotypes that were around in the 1950’s. Beneatha carries the definition of a feminist on her back, who provides a young, independent, feminist perspective. As her great desires of becoming a doctor demonstrate her huge ambition.
In the 50’s, if females ever took the roles and jobs of men, it was always looked at as very odd. In the book, Beneatha brought up to her family her dream of becoming a doctor, but the family just didn’t understand why she would want to do such a thing. In Act 3 scene 1 page 133, Beneatha states, “That was the most marvelous thing in the world, I wanted to do that. I always thought that that was the one concrete thing in the world that a human being could do. Fix up the sick and make them whole again.” With Beneatha saying this, the reason for her deciding to become a doctor is because she loves helping people and that’s all she wants to do. She isn’t thinking about the American dream that was brought up in the book numerous times, she was thinking of a lifestyle that she would genuinely enjoy and something that makes her happy. She also makes it very clear in her quote that being able to help someone medically is one of the wonderful things a human could do. Walter plays the role in the book as the antagonist. He pushes everyone else’s dreams down to put his dreams forward. Walter only thinks that Beneatha’s dream was too big. In act 1 scene 1, page 37, Beneatha says, “Well–I do–all right? Thank everybody! And forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all! FORGIVE ME FORGIVE ME.” Beneatha is clearly “apologizing” for having her own dreams that are outside the social norms and stereotypes. Beneatha realizes that there is more that she can do beyond the “American Dream”. While Beneatha is struggling to get her family’s approval of her dreams, Walter being the antagonist and rude person he is, he then states, “Go be a nurse like other women, or go get married and be quiet.” (act 1 scene 1, page 38) Wlater is clearly showing that that was what women were really only good for and what their only roles were in society in the 50’s. It was expected that Beneatha was going to be looked at as crazy for thinking all of this. Having all of these negative reactions around her could have changed her mind and think negatively on her dreams as well. Beneatha being the strong feminist she is, she never let anyones bring her down. As she stated, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
As it was brought up by Mama, as Beneatha was growing up she tried many different activities that she didn’t quite stick to, which was another reason why no one supported her on becoming a doctor. It started to become hard for her family to provide support through this because she constantly changes her mind. She never let that stop her because she wanted them to understand that she finally found what she wants to pursue her life with. All she wants to do is help people, because as said before, that is the best thing a human could do.
Beneatha during this book was a very strong protagonist feminist. She struggled getting approval from anyone around her in the community and even in her own family for wanting to break free from the women stereotypes that were set in the 1950’s. The 1950s is often viewed as a time of period of adjustment. Both men and women had strict gender roles and followed social expectations. Beneatha was looking past the expectations and wanted to find her true self and become the best version of herself. A Raisin in the Sun is a play about dreams and Beneatha has a dream for herself. She dreams of becoming a doctor and she is willing to work extremely hard to achieve her goals.
Question 1) How has the American Dream changed throughout time since the 1950s? Has it improved for everyone? Do you believe we will ever improve in gender stereotypes in the future?
Question 2) Do you believe Walter never put Benetha’s share of the money in the bank because he truly believed she would never make it as a doctor?
Work Cited
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Modern Library, 1995
Skip to content
Hi Abby,
To answer your discussion number two question, I think Walter is selfish when it comes to money and I also think he is jealous of Beneatha because she wants to go to school to become a doctor and even though you have to put a lot of money into it, you have a bigger outcome money wise. While reading the play, I did not think of Walter being jealous but then I watched the movie, and I noticed that Walter is almost jealous of his sister. The film twelve minutes through fourteen minutes shows the scene of Walter and Beneatha getting into the argument about Beneatha going to school to become a doctor and in this same scene, Walter jumps to a conclusion and assumes that Mama is going to give Beneatha the money for school (A Raisin in the Sun Movie 12-14 minutes). This scene changed my perception of Walter because of the way he raises his voice and gets into arguments about money where ever he can, it makes me think that Walter is jealous of Beneatha and he is selfish when it comes to money.
After reading A Rasin in the Sun and your blog post I believe Walter never put Beneathas share in the bank because he was very selfish in the beginning. I don’t think it was because he never thought she would make it as a doctor. However it was not common for women to become a doctor in this time period. Most of the book was about everyones different dreams, and I think that Walter’s dream was the main focus and what he thought about the most. “That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got a dream. His women say: Eat your eggs.” (act 1 scene 1 page 33) When Walter says this comment he expresses the stigma and thoughts of how the gender role should be played. He is simply saying that a man could have a dream, and women should stick to the kitchen. Although Walter is speaking to Ruth about this comment, it is clear that he believes that his dream is way bigger and more important than anyone else’s. He used Beneatha’s money because he was so into his own dream and didn’t care about anyone else dream.
Hi, Abigail! Your blog post was really good. I am going to be answering your second question.
Walter gave away the money because he was so drawn into making his dream life a reality. From the beginning of the play, Walter expressed his interest in starting the liquor store because he saw it as a way out of their life. He was sick of working his job and wanted to be someone who is accepted into society. Even though everyone warned him about the liquor store, the idea of his dream suffocated him. The money affected the way he acted throughout the play. This is apparent when he finds out that Mama bought the family a house. Ruth states that, “Mr. Arnold has had to take a cab for three days… Walter, you ain’t been to work for three days” (Hansberry page 105). Instead of making the money that his family needs, Walter went on a drinking binge because the money was not given to him. The second that Mama gave Walter the leftover money, a different side of him came out. He stays up talking to Travis, is nice to Beneatha, and even takes Ruth out on a date. Hansberry describes Walter by saying, “his happiness is deep in him; he cannot keep still with his newfound exuberance. He is singing and wiggling and snapping his fingers” (Hansberry page 112). Walter turned into a friendly guy the second he was given the money because he thought his dream was about to be reality. Instead of giving the money to Beneatha’s schooling he gives it all to Willy Harris. He does this not because he believed she would never make it as a doctor, but because he believed that the liquor store was going to give them all the money that they could imagine.
Hi Abby,
I really enjoyed reading your perspective on Beneatha in A Raisin in the Sun. A specific point you made that I found super interesting was that Beneatha never had the same idea of the American Dream as the rest of the family. It was constantly shown how money had everything to do with achieving the American Dream. However, Beneatha’s dream consisted of becoming a doctor and saving people because it makes her happy, not because she will be rich. Beneatha states, “No–I wanted to cure. It used to be so important to me. I wanted to cure” (Hansberry 133). At this point, Beneatha believes her dreams are crushed when they lose the money. Though, deep down Beneatha still has this strong passion for wanting to help people and cure. To answer your question, I don’t think Walter did not put the money away for Beneatha because he believed she would never make it. I honestly think that Walter was so convinced things would work out for his investment that it wouldn’t matter if he put money aside initially and that he would make even more back. I think once he made profit he would have done the right thing and put money away for her, maybe even more than Mama asked him to.
Abigail, I really like the point you made on how the family could have not supported Beneatha because she was always trying new things. While I was reading the book I never considered this. However, I do not fully believe that this was the reason Walter did not put her money in the bank. I do not even think he put that much thought into not taking Beneatha’s money in the bank. He was being so selfish and I think he made a rash decision in the moment to take all of the money. I also think he could have taken all of the money because of his role being “the man” of the house. This came about after Mama gave him the $6,500 and trusted him to be responsible with it. For example, when Linder comes to the door, Walter takes control of the situation. When talking to Linder, Walter says, “Have a seat. I’m Mrs. Younger’s son. I look after most of her business matters (Hansberry 114). In Walter’s mind, Mama trusted him with the money so he told Linder he deals with most of his mother’s business matters. Therefore, I do not believe his decision of taking the money had anything to do with Beneatha’s possible success. I genuinely think he believed it was the best decision to make as the man of the house.
Hi Abby,
I really enjoyed your blog post and your opinion on Beneatha and a strong character that she was. To answer the second question on your blog post I think Walter was jealous of his sister. At this point the times were changing and woman started taking on male career choices. Walter always wanted to be successful but he never was. I feel that after beneatha announced she was going to be a doctor he was jealous and disappointed in himself for not making a career for himself. He took it out on Beneatha and I feel that he didn’t think twice about spending her share of the money. In his head the business he had worked out with his friend was going to work so he would make back all of the money and would be able to help beneatha out with her school loans. Walter felt that he would be able to take care of his sister after his business was a huge success. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way and they lost all of the money. Overall, I do believe Walter was selfish because he wanted to take on that male role of providing for his family and got too ahead of himself. He let money block his vision and made many mistakes.
Hello Abigail,
For Question 2 I believe that it was more to it than him not thinking she wouldn’t make a good doctor or succeed. There is a lot of build-up for Walter. We know that Walter doesn’t like his job and hates driving white rich guys around, so watching them is frustrating because he wants to be successful and like them. So he wants to invest in a liquor store, and ruth tries to tell him that this isn’t a good idea. Basically, all the people around him are saying that it’s not a good idea to invest in it, so this hurts his confidence because no one is helping him succeed. Walters’s mother takes a portion and puts a down payment on a house in a white neighborhood, this gets Walter crazy because he wants to take the money to invest, so he goes on a drinking binge for three days, and doesn’t go to work. Eventually, mama gives in a lets Walter has a big chunk of what’s left to invest in the store. Mama is giving him responsibility so he feels important. She gives him a chunk to put in an account for Beneatha can go to medical school, Walter doesn’t do this and puts all the money into the store. I don’t think he does this because he doesn’t believe in beneath I think he does this because he wants people to believe in him and he wants to show everyone that this was the right thing to do. I think that if he does this and becomes successful he will give money to Beneatha. Walter says “I want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy….Mama-look at me.” (Act 1 Scene 2). I don’t think he means to be rude to Beneatha I think he just needs to prove people trust him. But he doesn’t realize that it’s not just his money it’s the family too.
Hi Abigail, I enjoyed your blog post and believe that Beneatha was a very strong independent woman, but I must disagree with the statement that nobody supported her. I believe that Mama definitely supported Beneatha and truly did want to help her with her ambition of wanting to become a doctor. This could be shown in multiple instances like when Mama gave Walter the 6,500 and made sure for Walter to put 3,000 away for Beneatha. It is also shown when we find out that Walter lost all the money to willy when Mama says “Is it gone? All of it? Beneatha’s money too?… money too?… you mean… your sister’s school money… you used that too…” (Hansberry, pg 129). It is clear to me here that Mama cared very much about putting money aside for Beneatha’s schooling and was very upset to learn that Walter had lost that money for her. You can argue that if she cared so much why didn’t she put the money away herself, but she wanted to finally put some trust in Walter to do the right thing and be the man but he failed to do so and made the wrong decision. So I truly believe that Mama believed in Beneatha, but made some wrong decisions herself in putting trust in Walter to do the right thing.
As for your question 2, I believe that Walter looked at it as an investment and believed that Beneatha wouldn’t be able to reach her goal for a long time so in the meantime, he thought he could use the money to make more money. It was a very selfish thing, but I don’t believe he did it on purpose thinking she would never reach her goal.
I believe that the American Dream has changed dramatically since the 1950s. Back than the American Dream was to own land, have money and freedom. Today I believe that the American Dream is to be rich, own a business, drive nice cars, have the perfect life and more. I do believe that the American Dream has improved for some people but it is still an issue today giving African Americans the freedom they deserve. I believe that we will not improve in gender stereotypes in the future because these stereotypes are being passed down from generation to generation and is what is being taught to us at a young age.
After reading A Raisin in the Sun, I believe that Walter did not put Beneatha’s share of the money in the bank because he was being greedy and did not believe that she could make it as a doctor. Walter says “Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people- then go be a nurse like other women- or just get married and be quiet…” (Act 1 Scene 1, pg 38). This shows us that Walter does not believe that Beneatha can be a doctor or should be a doctor. He does not support his sisters’ goals in life.
Hey Abigail. Great stuff. I would however disagree with one thing you mentioned. I disagree that Walter pushes down everyone’s dreams so he can achieve his. Although this might be true, I don’t believe it’s his intention. Walter is a man of ambition but has a very naive view of reality. He believes he can achieve things and become rich without the proper training or preparation. His goal is to make it big so that his family is able to achieve their dreams as well. He is so caught up in his own dream that sometimes he doesn’t see that he is getting in the way of his families dreams. I will be responding to your second question. I don’t believe that Walter purposefully gave Beneatha’s money away. Walter can at times be very harsh, rude, and sometimes just downright a mean drunk. But put aside his flaws, he truly loves and cares for his family. He is weighed down by the fact that he can’t put his family in a position to succeed. He is so caught up in trying to find a way to get his family to that position that he often times accidentally walks over his family and their dreams. There is no malicious intent. Yet we see it happen again and again. When Walter finally gets the money from Mama he says “your daddy’s gonna make a business transaction…that’s going to change our lives…” ( P 108) Walter mentions how this transaction will change OUR lives. Not just his own life, but the lives of his family members too.
Hi Abigail!
I loved how you pointed out the stereotypes in the book that were common in the 1950s. Beneatha wanted to be a doctor, which wasn’t as common in the medical field for a female to be one. I could tell that her character is one of tremendous pride. Beneatha knew her self worth. Not even her own family could make her feel bad about it. Though in your blog post you quote the part where Beneatha thanks everybody and apologizes for wanting to achieve more than what is expected of her. I feel like she only apologizes because she realized how intimidating it could be to her family as well as the toll it has taken on them financially. In the Book “A Raisin in the Sun, Act 1 on pages 38-39” Walter said to Beneatha “I’m interested in you. Something wrong with that? Ain’t many girls who decide—to be a doctor.” As shown, Walter is the type of person who wants women to stick to stereotypes. Walter also asked on that same page “have we figured out yet just exactly how much medical school is going to cost?” Instead of supporting her, he really only cares about how the costs for medical school is going to drain their pockets drier than it already is!