A Raisin In Time

3 Pages 754 Words

A Life’s Dream

In thinking of the Lanston Hughes poem from which the title of this play was taken, the key concept of dreams deferred comes to mind. The characters in this play all had a dream about their life. They all wanted something that would benefit them or others. The cherished dreams of Mama, Walter Lee and Beneatha reveal a great deal about the nature of the characters’ longings which unjust societal expectations cannot destroy.
Walter Lee is the man of the Younger family. He runs the feelings and actions of his household. His dream is one that he has wanted for a long time. He has always wanted something he could be proud of calling it himself. He wants a change in his boring job and life and feels his dream can accomplish that. He dreams of running his own business along with his two friends, Bobo and Willy. He has little to worry about in life and he does what he can do to aggravate his wife, Ruth. The Younger family is not one that has loads of money, they live of what they have and cherish what life has brought them. Ruth is a very cautious wife, and Walter ignores it and brings tension to their marage by teasing her. One day their son Travis needed money for school and Ruth said they don’t have it but Walter said something different, “In fact, here’s another fifty cents…Buy yourself some fruit today-or take a taxicab to school or something.” (9) Walter gave away his own money to his son because his dream of his business is something that is sure to help his family. However, no one else believes in his dream. They all don’t want a part in his liquor business. His dream was eventually destroyed when his partner stole his money. Walter then had a break down and lost all faith in life.
Mama is a totally different character then Walter Lee. She is very active and appreciative of what they have. She lost her husband and she inherits his money, $10,000. She too has a dream that relates to the money. The ...