Long Live the Family

A major theme in A Raisin in the Sun is family and the importance of it.  Almost every decision made is on the behalf of the family. Though the character's goals and desires may have different from each others, any one of them would have benefited the group as a whole.

Although an alcoholic owning a liquor store is quite sketchy, had the idea became successful it would have potentially pushed the Youngers out of poverty.  The reason why this dream isn't taken so seriously is because it came in the beginning of the book, where the family is still relatively divided.  In the beginning of the book, fights are a lot more common and Mama has to keep them together.  It is only until the tragedy at the end of the book happens that the Younger family is finally united.  They have to cope with the loss of the insurance money and Beneatha even disowns Walter, saying that "[Walter] is no brother of mine" (145).  But despite these problems they still unite to overcome Mr. Lindner's racist warnings.  The final goal of the book has turned into the house which represents the creation of one, big, dream for the whole family.

The house itself is also a big factor in the theme of family.  In fact, the whole play is done in the Younger's apartment.  The home is a very cramped one, representing the poverty and oppression, while also remotely symbolizing the togetherness of the family and their dreams. Characters not in the Younger family are still only seen in the Younger's apartment, centralizing the Younger characters.  I have also noticed that most of the bad things happen outside the home, for example Walter's drinking, Travis chasing a rat, and the stolen insurance money.  I'm not completely sure as to what this means, but I think it has to do with the idea that as individuals, the Younger's dreams aren't important.  It is only the dream of the family, of having a new house that is the most important one, and by having undesired events happening outside of the house, this is what Hansberry was trying to exemplify.  It is also fitting that the last scene is Mama leaving the house, representing the family's dream being reached.

Wealth's Corruption

Wealth and corruption seem to go hand in hand in The Great Gatsby and The Diamond as Big as the Ritz.  Money is often paired with happiness . The more money someone has, he/she is generally happier.  Another way of thinking is that money can easily solve all problems.  While all these may be true, money also causes blindness towards reality, making one think that with money, anything is possible.

Gatsby has so much money that he has no use for it.  Yet what's ironic is that he spends his time looking across the bay at another house from his beautiful mansion.  Because he has so much money, he thinks that he is able to reunite with Daisy and bring back the past.  But the reality is that he can't. Wealth's power only goes so high, and fixing the past isn't something wealth can do. Reading about Gatsby also gives the impression that he didn't live for much.  Sure he lived lavishly, but what his purpose in life and what were his accomplishments? He never got the girl, and he died at a young age. All those years of finding and waiting for Daisy goes to waste after one simple misunderstanding.

Similarly, Braddock Washington is insanely wealthy, but what does his wealth mean?  His only purpose in life is to guard the family secret, which means that he can never leave the chateau.  He becomes so consumed with his wealth that he will do what ever it takes to protect it, even if it means killing anyone who knows of it.  This greed causes him to blow up the mountain of diamond.  He
destroys all his wealth and everything he lived for just to make sure that no one else can have it.
He lived luxuriously, but without meaning.

Irony of the Past

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.  It eluded us then, but that's no matter--to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther....And  one fine morning-----
So we beat on,  boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (Fitzgerald 180).

I've come to realize after reading this book that it is basically all about Gatsby trying to re-create his memories.  Because of this obsession, he is essentially living in the past. Even in the very beginning of the book he is reaching out at the green light, which also represents his past.

One thing I have always wondered is why Gatsby allows all those rumors about him to keep going around. It would seem obvious that such rumors would ruin his reputation.  However, I believe he keeps these rumors to hide his purpose, to reunite with Daisy.  He literally has no use for his money.  He holds these extravagant and lavish parties attended by a hundred people, yet the only purpose for them is to attract Daisy.  In fact, the whole idea of Jay Gatsby is an illusion! We find out later in the book that his real name is James Gatz, along with the fact that he never actually went to Oxford University and a whole other bunch of misconceptions.  He is trying to get away from the "janitor's work with which he was to pay his way through college"(Fitzgerald 105) yet ironically enough he is trying to get back together with Daisy.  It's like he's trying to run away from his past yet chase after it.

I really like this ending to the book. The memorable quote characterizes the characters and people who chase after their past as boats against a current.  Unfortunately, these boats usually end up in tragedy.