Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Discuss the dreams of Beneatha and Lena in A Raisin in the Sun.

I think that both characters in Hansberry's drama
experience a level of fulfillment and deferral in regards to their dreams.  Beneatha is
able to exercise her fundamental notion of freedom in being able to achieve her dream of
self identity.  She is able to use her freedom to define herself in different manners,
with different likes or dislikes.  Yet, at the same time, she is unable to fully
conceptualize who she wants to be.  In this, her dreams are activated, but never come to
a form of conclusion.  This reflects a complex relationship that Beneatha has with her
dreams.


Mama Younger represents a more traditionalist form
of woman that grasps her dreams' realization has to be based on contingencies such as
timing and circumstance.  It is in this light where her dreams are a bit closer to being
accomplished, but one where there has to be a period of waiting and struggle in order to
see them realized.  Her dream of Walter moving the family to Clybourne Park and
establishing some type of stability with a home is something that she envisions for a
while, but must wait.  Unlike Beneatha who is not keen on waiting and simply acts, Lena
must wait for timing and circumstance and in this, a statement about dreams and their
realization could be made.

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