A Raisin In The Sun And The American Dream Analysis

The American dream is a motif that has been present throughout America’s entire history. Two men, in two different plays, both lived lives led by this dream. Supporting each of these men were women, who were forced to watch as their husbands struggled to find and fulfill their dreams. A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, presents the life of a lower class African American family, struggling to get through life in the late fifties. Walter is the leading male. He is a professional driver, with dreams of opening up his own liquor store, in order to get his family out a financial hole. Ruth is Walter’s wife. The second drama, Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, portrays an older white couple, struggling financially from the great Depression. This drama’s leading man is named Willy, his wife is named Linda. Comparisons between Ruth and Linda begin with their financial burdens, how they handle these …show more content…
The curtain opens in A Raisin in the Sun to Ruth attempting to get her husband and son ready for the day. As Walter goes about his morning routine, words used to describe Ruth’s attitude towards his actions are, “impatient,” and “maximum indifference,” showing the passive anger towards her husband. This theme continues throughout the drama, with Ruth projecting her anger at Walter. On the other hand, Linda is very even-tempered and gentle towards her husband. She demonstrates this immediately when the curtain rises by making Willy feel better about his diminishing driving abilities. She comforts him in saying, “Maybe it was the steering again.” Throughout the entire drama, Linda is supporting her husband, even though his brain is no longer working quite right anymore. Later on, the author describes Linda as having, “infinite patience,” towards her husband. How Ruth acts towards her husband greatly varies from how Linda acts towards