What Is Personal Ambition In A Raisin In The Sun

For many people, individual dreams and goals develop from adolescence, and evolve into something more feasible, as responsibilities and the onset of reality arise. The influence of these dreams can be different for every person, depending on how elaborate their ambitions may be, and the circumstances which they face in their lives. The play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, which debuted in 1959, is a story about a black family living in Chicago in the 1950’s, in which the adults have differing views about the direction of the family after they come into a large sum of money. Each person’s recommendation is based on their personal goals and dreams, whether they concern the entire family or not. Through various characters, Hansberry

In a sense, individual ambitions may take subservience to things that become evidently more important, such as holding a job, attaining higher education, or caring for a family. The fact of the matter is that the majority of one’s aspirations would require a degree financial stability that is just not present in today’s society, especially among the general populous in Westernized countries. In “A Raisin in the Sun,” two characters come to mind that depict this quality about personal goals and ideals. Lena and Ruth are two members of the Younger family, which have most readily accepted their life in the US during the 1950’s. These two women in particular dealt not only with racial prejudice aimed against them, but with sexist bigotry from their male counterparts as well. For Lena, the protagonist 's mother, better known as “Mama” in the play, a home big enough to house her family, a garden to grow flowers in, and the assurance that her family was taken care of was enough to fulfill her dreams in life. The circumstances of her life lead her to settle for a small, one bedroom apartment, and a potted plant sitting in the lone window in her kitchen instead, through which Mama was able to live out her dreams to her best ability. It can be inferred from the dialogue that this outcome was not Mama’s nor her husband’s ambition, but that racial prejudice and segregation of the time lead to the social stresses and financial hindrance that made progress for the Youngers so difficult. She recalls the circumstances of her husband’s life with the line, “[seems] like God [did not] see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams - but He did give us children to make those dreams seem worthwhile,” (503). It reinforces the retelling of the adversity that black people of this time had to face, and how certain values are what