Divergent Routes to the American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun

The American dream has been visualized and pursued by nearly everyone in this nation. Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun is a play about the Younger family that strived for the American dream. The members of the Younger family shared a dream of a better tomorrow. In order to reach that dream, however, they each took different routes, which typified the routes taken by different black Americans. Walter Lee Youngers route, which was filled with riskiness and impulsiveness, exemplified the road taken by blacks who had been oppressed so much that they followed their dreams with blind desperation. Though Walter was the only adult male in his family, he did not assume the role as man of the house. His mother, Lena was the†¦show more content†¦His ambitions soon became an obsession, and Ruth, his wife, did not understand him. Since she failed to understand Walters dreams, he blamed her, not his real oppressors for holding him back. He told Ruth: That is just what is wrong with the colored women in this world...Dont understand about building men up and making em feel like they somebody. Like they can do something. (1015) According to writer Gerald Weales, The play is concerned primarily with his [Walters] recognition that, as a man he must begin from, not discard, himself, that dignity is a quality of men, not bank acounts. (Gunton 183) Walter was very impulsive, not lending enough thought to his actions. He faced so much humiliation that he was willing to sacrifice his dignity in order to climb the socio-economic ladder. A problem that Walter had was that he focused to heavily on his dream and neglected more precious things in life, such as his familys emotions. Sadly though, Walter did not understand or evaluate his dream of success. Weales stated, Walter Lees difficulty, however, is that he has accepted the American myth of success at its face value, that he is trapped...by a false dream. (Gunton 183) Many black Americans chased false dreams as they tried to assimilate into a system that worked differently for them. Julius Lester, who thought that Walter blindly pursued his dream wrote, Walter was castrated by the blade of the American dream, but...blamed theShow MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesRESPONDENTS †¢ FOCUS ⠝  Luthans, Rosenkrantz, and Hennessey (1985) †¢ 52 managers in 3 organizations †¢ Participant observation of skills demonstrated by most effective versus least effective managers ⠝  Curtis, Winsor, and Stephens (1989) †¢ 428 members of the American Society of Personnel Administrators in the United States †¢ (1) Skills needed to obtain employment †¢ (2) Skills important for successful job performance †¢ (3) Skills needed to move up in the organization Employment Verbal communication Listening