Dreams are vital to the life of every person. Without dreams, there is nothing
to plan or look forward to; therefore, no reason to live. The Younger family in
A Raisin In The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry has many dreams for the future that a
$10,000 insurance check guarantees them. I also have dreams and hopes for my
future, college, a job, and a family are all things that I want to have, some
day. Due to Walter Younger’s death, his widow, Lena Younger, receives a
$10,000 insurance check. Lena’s dream is to own her own two story house. She
takes the money and uses some of it to put a down payment on a nice little house
in an all white neighborhood. This causes some problems and conflicts, but in
the end, Lena’s dream is fulfilled and she gets the home that she and her
deceased husband always wanted. Her son, Walter Younger Jr., also has great
plans for that money, even though it isn’t really his. He wanted to invest
into buying a liquor store with two buddies. Lena let him have $3,500 to do what
he liked with and another $3,000 to put in a savings account for his sister.
Instead, he puts all of it into the liquor store. Then he discovers that one of
his “friends” took off with the money, all of it. His dream of providing a
better life for his family is shattered. Lena also plans to help her daughter,
Beneatha, get an education so that she can fulfill her dream of becoming a
doctor. Bennie’s dream is not really taken seriously by anyone since black
doctors are unheard of, much less a female black doctor. Still, her mother
believed in Bennie and supported her by giving her $3,000 of her check by way of
having Walter Jr. put it in the bank for her. Unfortunately, he put it all into
his dream instead and lost her future along with his. Ruth’s only wish was for
everyone to be happy and for her life to be peaceful. In a way, her dream came
true because in the end, everybody was satisfied and excited about moving into
their new home. Travis only wanted to have fun and play. His childhood innocence
protected him from the problems that effected the other members of his family.
Like the Younger family, I have dreams for my future. After I graduate from high
school, I plan to go on to college and major in Psychology. I also plan to work
while I am in college to pay for my education. After I get my degree, I hope to
get a job at a hospital or clinic and help the mentally ill. Once I am
established in my work, I would like to get married, if I haven’t already, and
have a few kids. If one or all of my dreams don’t come true, the effect could
be quite detrimental to me. So, dreams are very important to a person’s well
being. If their dreams are not fulfilled, the effects could be disastrous.