American Family In The Glass Menagerie And A Raisin In The Sun

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An American family has changed drastically over time; however, the American Family has the same fundamental values and issues that still linger underneath the surface of the ever changing culture of the American Family. These issues and values are seen through Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisins in the Sun, in how they both deal with dreams and the same issues like money throughout the two plays. Moreover, it has been every family's dream to achieve the American dream of a white picket fence, and being successful in life by creating it with one’s own hands while watching their own children grow up with no worries. However, throughout American history, the American dream has created a distorted view of …show more content…
In The Glass Menagerie, Tom dreamed of adventure and becoming a writer, Amanda dreamed of a complete family and the best for her children, and Laura dreamed of being Jim O’Connor’s wife. However, the characters were struck with reality realizing that this hope they had for their dreams was tearing each other a part. Their American dream was shattered, like Laura’s glass unicorn. In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, Mama explains how dreams for black people are fulfilled, “Big Walter used to say, he’d get right wet in the eyes sometimes, lean his head back with the water standing in his eyes and say, “Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams – but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worthwhile” (Hansberry 1.1.46). This quote describes how the dreams Walter has for his family, specifically for Travis, so he could be prideful when he passed down the family liquor store. Travis and the new baby are Walter’s motivations for trying to build up this store; however, Walter is only creating a flawed hope that the store will start up even with Ruth questioning his business partners like Willy Harris. With his dream of becoming a multimillion dollar mogul who can run with the big dogs, Walter is ultimately putting a strain on his wife and family through needing money when they have none, and eventually taking the money from Mama
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