How Does Raisin In The Sun Support The American Dream

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In Lorraine Hansberry’s play “Raisin in the Sun”, the central theme shown is that is worth it to have dream, no matter the struggle to make it a reality. Throughout the play, the Younger family are struggling to make their dreams come true due to many factors such as lack of money and being an African American family during the 1950s. However, the family never loses their hope of making their dreams a reality. The pieces of evidence that supports the theme is the insurance money, Mama’s plant, and the relations with the American Dream. The symbolism of the insurance money is one of the pieces of evidence that supports the theme. An example is the death of Mama’s husband. While it has brought feelings of grief to her and the rest of the family, it would leave hope for the family with the check feeling like a gift left behind from him and his effort to help the family. Also, he worked very hard to get enough money to provide for the family as a sacrifice according to Mama. Furthermore, this can also be an indication that no matter how much work her husband has done and would likely not get paid much for his work, he would do his best to support the family. “I guess that’s how come that man finally worked hisself to …show more content…

Mama keeps a plant throughout the play and keeps so much care for it, despite it having a low chance of surviving due to living conditions the family lives in. Additionally, this can be seen as an act of keeping hopes as Mama’s dream is to move to a house that has a garden. “Well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home. This plant is close as I ever got to having one.” (p. 53) Furthermore, while she still lives in the cramped apartment with her dream being far from coming from true, the plant she has is the closest experience she will ever have of the dream being a

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