A Raisin In The Sun Alcoholism Essay

Alcoholism can have devastating effects on bonds with loved ones, especially their hopes and dreams. A Raisin in the Sun, is a play about the life of the Youngers, a Black family of five living in a cramped apartment in the 1950s and their struggles to decide what is best for the family by using the $10,000 life insurance check. Walter Lee Younger, the new man in the family and a seemingly desperate alcoholic who struggles to support his family, feels entitled to the insurance check that his mother received after his father’s death. Walter sees this money as an opportunity to live a comfortable life with his family and for him to be free from his exhausting job as a chauffeur of rich white folk, however this money is also the hope that could

This can be seen when Walter says, “You are the head of this family. You run your life like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what do you need me to say it was all right? So you butchered up a dream of mine, you always ‘bout your children’s dreams.” (Hansberry 96). For a while, Walter’s mother resolved the familial conflict by telling the family that she bought a house and entrusted Walter with the remaining $6,500 of the insurance money to put half into his sister’s medical school and to keep the rest for himself, however, when Walter’s mother asked what happened to all the money, Walter sorrowfully responded, “Yessss! All of it. It’s all gone.” (Hansberry 129). The first quote shows the anger of Walter when his mother used the insurance money for a new house, but Walter viewed the investment from the liquor store that he always dreamed about to be his only option to get his family out of a poor state. The second quote connects to the first quote as after Walter told his mother that his dreams were butchered up, his mother decided to give him the remaining $6,500 for him and his sister’s medical school, however the second quote means that Walter did not do what his mother

This can be seen as Hansberry writes, “And we have decided to move into our house because my father—my father—he earned it for us brick by brick. We don’t want to cause no trouble for anyone or fight no causes, and we will try to be good neighbors. And that’s all we have to say about that. We don’t want your money.”(Hansberry 147). Although the story had an optimistic ending, it would have been much more so if Walter hadn’t been so desperate and persuaded by the thought of his deferred dream. For example, Hansberry writes, “And there’s this other guy who plays the piano. and they got a sound. I mean they can work on some music. They got the best little combo in the world in the Green Hat. You can just sit there and drink and listen to them three men play and you realize that don’t nothing matter worth a damn, but just being there.” (Hansberry 107.) The optimistic quote shows that despite being at your lowest, if you are reminded by others of the things you were able to have right now, given by the people who sacrificed it for you, there is more than enough reason to uphold it. Whereas the pessimistic quote shows absolute despair, Walter makes his mother guilty enough into