Death of a Salesman and Raisin In The Sun; The American Dream In the plays Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller and Raisin In The Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry each of the characters are searching for their very own American dream; wealth, home, land, and freedom. But when achieving these goals glory and pain come hand in hand, intertwined with each other. One of the biggest similarities is that both sets of parents begin this journey of the American dream for their children. MAMA: “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 He can somehow accept loans, that he will never be able to pay, but cannot accept a job offer from a friend. This is a similar concept in Raisin In The Sun except that pride for them is exerted in a positive manner.
MAMA: “Plenty. My husband always said being any kind of a servant wasn’t a fit thing for a man to have to be. He always said a man’s hands was made to make things, or to turn the earth with – not to drive nobody’s car for ‘em – or – (She looks at her own hands) carry they slop jars. And my boy is just like him – he wasn’t meant to wait on nobody.” (Act 2 Scene 2)
This pride keeps them going as a whole, it carries them, it tells them how to conduct business, and keeps them strong. When there is too much pride it can be a bad thing but in the case of the Younger family it is a wonderful trait to have. Money is an anxiety ridden word in any household but especially in the Younger and Loman’s. They both are searching for the motherload, to make all their worries go away. WILLY [noticing her mending]: “’s that?”
LINDA: “Just mending my stockings. They’re so expensive!”
WILLY [angrily, taking them from her]: “I won’t have you mending stockings in this house! Now throw them