Everyone in America wants to achieve financial success in their life in one form or another. Sometimes living in a capitalistic society entices many to become too materialistic. This is most commonly referred to as the American Dream. For most Americans, this high status is very difficult to achieve. The play ,A Raisin in the Son,(written by Lorraine Hansberry) examines an African-American's family's struggle to break out of the poverty that is preventing them from achieving some sort of financial stability, or the American Dream. It focuses on Walter's attempt in "making it," or "being somebody." In this play Walter has become corrupted by the more Materialistic ideals of America's society

The frustrations that Walter has to deal with affects the family a great deal. For example, if Walter gets upset at work or has a bad day, he can't get angry with his boss and risk loosing his job; instead he takes it out on his wife Ruth. Also, the job that he holds can only provide so much to the family. He's not even capable of providing his son Travis with some pocket change without becoming broke himself. Walter Younger is thirty-five years old and all he is, is a limousine

driver. He is unhappy with his job and he desperately seeks for an opportunity to improve his family standing. He tells his mother how he feels about his job when she wouldn't give him the ten thousand dollars to invest in a liquor Store," I open and close car doors all day long. I drive a man around in his limousine and I say, "Yes sir; no sir, very good sir; shall I take the drive, sir?" Mama, that ain't no kind of job... that ain't nothing at all. Mama, I don't know if I can make you understand." Walter is not able to provide for his family by American standards, and as a result , his family lives in poverty. The poverty they experience is noticeable in their living arrangements. In the very beginning of the play we see how a family of five shares a one bedroom, dilapidated apartment, on Chicago's south side, Living on the south side of Chicago doesn't exactly represent the American dream that Walter so desperately wants to obtain. In this part of town there are no big yards or picket fences where most white American kids have while growing up. Here, on the south side of Chicago the son Travis is only exposed to the concavity of the inner city and the milieu of the projects.

The predicament that Walter finds himself in motivates him to want to invest in a liquor store in order to grasp some type of financial freedom

Some common words found in the essay are:
American Dream, Charlie Atkins, Mama Walter, Sun America, Walter Walter, Lorraine Hansberry, Willy Harris, Dream Americans, Langston Hughes, liquor store, american dream, provide family, thousand dollars, hundred thousand, loud mouth, invest liquor store, invest liquor, wife ruth, sir sir, beginning play, hundred thousand dollars,
Approximate Word count = 896
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)