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Happiness is something all people hope to achieve in their lifetime. However, the struggle to achieve happiness varies with each individual. In Djanet Sears’ Harlem Duet and Lorraine Hansberry’s a Raisin in the Sun, both Othello and Walter struggle to achieve happiness because they are limited by the different perspectives of race and their need to prove their masculinity. Ultimately, both characters overcome these obstacles, achieving their happiness but at a cost of something rare in their lives. Both of the characters’ and their respective society’s perspective of race hinder them from achieving their happiness. In Harlem Duet, Othello is hindered by his own perspective of race as he views the whites as the most dominant race. …show more content…
When he speaks to Ruth about their son, he feels as if all he has to tell him are "stories about how rich white people live" which show how his view of white dominance influences his decisions as he strives to live like a white man. Due to Walter’s jealousy of the rich whites, he becomes addictive towards money. This is similar to Othello since they both make decisions based on trying to be like a white man because of the dominant white race. Othello does this by marrying a white women to gain acceptance and Walter tries to do this by becoming rich like most of the whites. Overall, their perspectives influence their choices in a negative way because they prevent them from seeking happiness. Due to their view of the dominant white society, they strives to become like a white rather than to search for their own happiness. In addition, the society’s perspective of race influences Walter. He has to make decisions that accept him because of how poorly society treated blacks. This is visible when he talks to Lena about his job, he states “A job, a job Mama? I open and close doors all day. I drive around a man all day that looks right through me. Now say yes sir, no sir, shall I take the drive sir, am I the best trained monkey you ever seen sir. Mama that ain’t no kind of job Mama.” Walter feels inferior because he sees …show more content…
An example is when Walter talks to Bena about what a man should do, he states “I tell you I am a man – and I think my wife should wear some pearls in this world!” Walter feels the need to provide expensive jewellery for his wife even though Ruth does not care about the money. Walter loses sight of happiness as he obsesses over the need to provide for his wife. Likewise, it links back to Othello as they both feel the need to provide for their wives. Their needs to provide for their wives holds them back from achieving their happiness as they both associates themselves with becoming a man. Another point is that when Walter leaves Ruth after being unable to prove his masculinity, he begins to care immensely about protecting it. For example, when Lena is talking to his son after he finds out Ruth is pregnant, she says to Walter, “Well- son, I’m waiting to hear you say something… I’m waiting to hear how you be your father’s son. Be the man he was…” His passion of protecting his masculinity causes him to run away from his wife Ruth when she needed him the most. As a result, Walter concerns himself with protecting his masculinity more rather than achieving happiness. This is similar to Sears’ Othello as he wants to protect his masculinity by marrying a woman who needs him and Walter protects
Walter wants financial freedom, he doesn't want just enough money to provide for his family, but rather he tells his mother "I want so many things. " Walter is materialistic and greedy, corrupted by a superficial “American dream”. Walter has no desire to find out about himself through his African American heritage. He believes he can define himself through money, money is everything to this man.
Walter Lee Younger's 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 family's backbone as well as the head of the household. Therefore, Walter felt less than a man. Not only did Walter not have a position of dignity in his home, but he felt disrespected by the world as well. Walter didn't feel good about himself because he was so poor that he struggled to support his wife, Ruth and son, Travis. Walter, though the did not fare unsuccessfully in that struggle, our he wanted more out of life. He told Ruth:
All throughout life many people struggle to find happiness due to the obstacles they face. In both Djanaet Sears’ play Harlem Duet and Lorraine Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun, the characters Othello and Walter are both hindered in their journey by the perception of others to achieve self-actualization due to their race and the pressure of fitting a gender role. Ultimately Othello succumbs to these obstacles while Walter is able to overcome them.
In Langston Hughes’ poem, the author gives us vivid examples of how dreams get lost in the weariness of everyday life. The author uses words like dry, fester, rot, and stink, to give us a picture of how something that was originally intended for good, could end up in defeat. Throughout the play, I was able to feel how each character seemed to have their dreams that fell apart as the story went on. I believe the central theme of the play has everything to do with the pain each character goes thru after losing control of the plans they had in mind. I will attempt to break down each character’s dream and how they each fell apart as the play went on.
What is a dream deferred? Is it something children imagine and lose as they grow up. Do dreams ever die, as we find out, the world is it what it seems. The play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Harlem by Langston Hughes talk about dreams deferred. It shows a African American family struggling to make their dreams a reality. Although Walter, Ruth, Mama, and Beneatha live in the same house, their dreams are all different from each other.
During the Elizabethan era women had a status of subordination towards men. They had a role to marry and oblige to their husband’s wishes. Shakespearean literature, especially illustrates how a woman is psychologically and physically lesser to their male counterpart. The play, Othello, uses that aspect in many different ways. From a Feminist lens others are able to vividly examine how women were subjected to blatant inferiority. Being displayed as tools for men to abuse, women were characterized as possessions and submissive; only during the last portion of the play did the power of women take heed.
Walter decided he wanted all the money from his dead father’s insurance money in order to start up a liquor store, selling alcohol. In his mind, the money not only meant the means to survive, but rather, as a way to have power. Just like Beneatha thought becoming a doctor would earn her respect, Walter felt as though getting extremely rich would earn him all the respect in the world. With his current job, he states all he does is “open and close car doors all day long. [He] drive[s] a man around in his limousine and [he] say[s], ‘Yes; sir; no sir; very good sir; shall I take the Drive, sir?’” He adamantly states that “that ain’t no kind of job… that ain’t nothing at all” (73). Walter feels as though his job as a chauffeur makes him inferior to the white man, so he doesn’t even consider being a chauffeur as a job. In his mind, being a chauffeur possibly can be as horrible and undermining as being a slave would have been for his
His position in life can be regarded as symbolic of every black male struggling to provide for his family by any means necessary. Although Walter has a job, it seems inadequate for his survival. As a result, he has become frustrated and lacks good judgement. Throughout this play, Walter searches for the key ingredient that will make his life blissful. His frustrations stem from him not being able to act as a man and provide for his family and grasp hold of his ideals to watch them manifest into a positive situation.
Walter attempts to reinvent himself through his work and relationships to try and provide for his wife and family. Walter is fighting a battle within his household because he believes that Ruth, his wife, “couldn’t be on [his] side that long for nothing,” even though she is just trying to do what is best for everyone involved (Hansberry 32). Walter cannot see past his dream to realize the impact it would have on everyone else if it failed, so he drowns his sorrows in alcohol. Although “he knows the possibility of failure is also a vital part of the American success story” Walter is not just risking his own future, he is risking his child’s, mother’s and sister’s and without a second thought to his personal relationships, he blindly makes an investment on the chance of having the wealth and house he desires for everyone (Washington 98). Walter is so focused on reinventing his work life and having money that he loses sight of his family’s values and ideas. He does not care about Ruth being pregnant and the possibility of aborting their child as long as he can achieve his goals. Walter is living in a dream where he believes that “anyone can become anything he wants to be,” and that is not true in his case with the social and racial standards that are set against him (Washington 95). Walter sees wealth as ensuring happiness and having everything he desires, which is why he is pushing his family so hard for the money, causing issues. Even though all the odds are set against him in this time period, Walter cannot see past being able to provide for his family and having the American Dream that he most
In the beginning of the play, Walter is foolish and quarrelsome, with his heart set on becoming affluent. As he grasps how hard work his father worked and how hard his family works, he reasons that living by his standards is more important than gaining wealth, and he stops feeling resentful towards them. This play highlights how many members of society focus more on making money than living by their ethical
To start off, Walter’s obsession with money is going to cost him a lot since it is the only thing he cares about. In the beginning, Walter starts out by only caring only about himself, but towards the end, he starts to care for everyone else as well. This shows that Walter is a selfish person. As Walter Lee states to Ruth, “Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be ‘bout thirty thousand, see” is the dream that Walter Lee has for himself (Hansberry 33). Walter wants the money that the Younger family is getting from the insurance company to buy the liquor store. He thinks that the liquor store will make them rich and the family would not have to struggle anymore. At the end, Walter changes his whole point of view towards the insurance money. Walter declares to Mr....
She does not spew out all the reasons why she loves Othello or say that she is unavoidably attracted to him as she could have. Instead, she picks a practical reason –
This article's main point discusses the role male characters must take on, concentrating on the male development in Othello especially. Headlam begins with the idea on how Othello, "burns with a desire to avenge the imagined loss of his masculine honour" (88). Othello takes on a role of a husband that is being "cheated" on by Desdemona, therefore, he is made a fool in front of the other male figures. His social class in Othello gives him a powerful position, and having others look down on him makes his masculinity disappear. When the idea of Desdemona cheating forms into Othello's mind, he considers on how to gain back his masculinity. Headlam suggests, "the corrupting power of a seductive woman is one of the reasons that Othello gives for
The portrayal of gender roles in William Shakespeare’s play Othello, demonstrates the inferior treatment of women and the certain stereotypes of men placed on them by society. Both the male and female characters in the play have these certain gender expectations placed on them. In a society dominated by men, it is understood that the women are to be seen rather than heard. The women are referred to and treated much like property. If indeed they do speak up, they are quickly silenced. One woman’s attempt to be the perfect wife is what ultimately led to her demise. The expectations of men are equally stereotypical. Men are to be leaders and to be in control and dominant especially over the women. The male characters compete for position and use the female characters in the play as leverage to manipulate each other. Shakespeare provides insight in understanding the outcomes of the men and women who are faced with the pressures of trying to live up to society’s expectations, not only in the workplace, but also in the home. The pressure creates jealousy issues amongst the men and they become blind to the voice of reason and are overtaken by jealous rage, leads to the death of many of the characters.
A Dream Deferred in A Raisin in the Sun and Harlem In Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun, the author reveals a hard-working, honest African-American family struggling to make their dreams come true. Langston Hughes' poem, "Harlem," illustrates what could happen if those dreams never came to fruition. Together, both Hansberry and Hughes show the effects on human beings when a long-awaited dream is thwarted by economic and social hardships. Each of the characters in A Raisin in the Sun has a dream for which they base their whole happiness and livelihood on attaining. However, the character of Lena Younger, or Mama, differs from the other members of her family.