Improbable Goals In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Importance of a Probable Goal Life is an intricate maze of problems and unique pathways to overcome hardship. Some face simple issues while others face convoluted issues. Prior to applying the new historical lens to A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, it is vital that the reader understands that the play was written in 1959, the same time period as several African American Rights movements. With this in mind, Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, emphasizes the importance of establishing an unique American Dream with probable goals for African Americans by providing examples of Mama’s success in moving into a larger house to fulfill family unity, and Walter’s failure in opening a liquor store to achieve prosperity, despite

Such improbable goals not only occurred in the play, but also in history. When looking at Malcolm X’s legacy, it is clear why his attitude towards achieving the American Dream for African Americans was not ideal. He stated that the African Americans are the original people of the Earth, the White people are the devils, Africans are superior to Whites, and that the demise of the White race is imminent. Even though these statements served as a centrifugal force for African Americans initially, his statements were rather disrespectful and suggested violence. Like other violent attempts, this movement also failed as Malcolm X had an improbable goal in his path to help African Americans to achieve their American Dream (Mamiya). In A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry also emphasizes this ideology through Walter. He says that he has “got some plans that could turn [that] city upside down. [He wants to go] Big. [Investing] big, [gambling] big” (Hansberry 84). Walter dreams of gaining money through the liquor store, a highly improbable goal. As the play continues, Walter realizes how absurd this goal is and decides to abandon his American Dream. As a result, he takes it on himself to ensure that his mother’s American Dream gets fulfilled when he mentions “we don’t want to make no trouble for nobody or fight causes, and we will try to be good neighbors … we don’t want your money” (Hansberry 148) to Lindner. By doing so, Walter makes it evident that he lost all interest in money and only wants to move into the house to aid in uniting his family, proving Walter’s shift in his American Dream. Clearly, using evidence from the Malcolm X’s legacy and Hansberry’s emphasis on Walter’s failure of his unique American Dream due to an improbable goal, the importance of every individual person having probable goals is vital to