Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Although some may argue that buying Mama’s house would be the sounder investment, it is evident, due to the current situation of the Younger family, that it would be better if the life insurance money was used to fulfill Walter’s dream of the liquor store.

The main support for Walter’s dream comes from the current situation that the Younger’s find themselves in. The Younger’s lack financial stability, but with the help of the liquor store, they can get back on track. Walter expresses his frustration toward poverty when he states, “I got a boy who sleeps in the living room (Very, very quietly) and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live” (Hansberry 5). While the investment in the liquor store may be a risk, anything is better than their current living conditions. Walter is tired of living a poor life, and he has dreams for both his family

However, there are a few things that detract from Mama’s dream house. Firstly, Mama’s idea creates no real plan for the future, or any way to create financial stability. She says, “[Y]ou should know all the dreams I had 'bout buying that house and fixing it up and making me a little garden in the back (She waits and stops smiling) And didn't none of it happen” (9). Mama is clearly a woman who has been around for a few years. With that said, it is obvious that she lives in the past. Her dwelling in the past hinders her from being able to plan anything in the future, which may be a tragic flaw in the elderly woman. The Younger’s need a plan for their future, and Mama’s dream does not present this plan. Walter’s plan presents the liquor store, a place where the Younger’s can receive constant income and eventually create a solid base for their new life as a family. On the other hand, Mama’s plan can only provide temporary prosperity, as the family will eventually need some sort of salary higher than that they are receiving