A Raisin in the Sun

A Raisin in the Sun is the story of a semi-poverty-stricken African American family known as the Youngers.   The Youngers are currently struggling financially, as both the so-called “Man of the House” Walter Younger and his sister Beneatha Younger challenge each other’s dreams to help both themselves and their family. Their dreams consist of Walter opening up a liquor store and Beneatha paying through medical school in order to become a doctor. They both have almost the same motives; to help their family financially, and to prove a point to their respective challengers.
While they do share some similarities, it is hard to tell which dream is more deserving by just observing the skin of their motives. There is much more to each dream, both showing the positive results, and the very possible consequences. Although there may be a situation in which one dream’s risks outweigh its benefits, and vice versa, effectively rendering that dream lesser than the other’s.
An example of this is Walter’s dream of opening up a liquor store, which he wants to open so he can make enough to provide for his family, and give them everything they could ever want or deserve.   (Although it is very questionable whether or not that that’s the best thing to do for his family, and whether or not it is right for him to do so.) But his main goal is to support his family, and any extra profit made along the way is icing on the proverbial cake. The only issues that could be foreseen from Walter’s dream, is that it could potentially become a bad influence unto his family, seeing is how it is a liquor store (which does not necessarily attract the good kind of attention). Another possible consequence is that the store itself may not provide enough sufficient income to support Walter’s family. Although just based on the positive outcomes, the benefits far outweigh any possible consequences, which makes Walter’s dream far more deserving due to what motivates him.
Beneatha’s dream, on the other hand,...