The ideas of American dreams as the main characters` motive of life as seen in Lorraine Hansberry`s a raisin in the sun...

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ABSTRACT

DANITA IRIANTI MALUTE (2008). The Ideas of American Dream as the Main Characters’ Motive of Life as Seen in Lorraine Hansberry’sA Raisin in the Sun. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.

This thesis discusses the play by Lorraine Hansberry entitled A Raisin in the Sun, which was written in 1958. Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun tells about the life of an Afro-American family in Chicago, South of America. This thesis discusses the ideas of American Dream as the main characters’ motive of life in the playA Raisin in the Sun.

To achieve more about the ideas of American Dream that are revealed as the main characters’ motive of life in the play, two questions are formulated to guide the analysis. They are (1) How are the main characters’ characterizations portrayed in the playA Raisin in the Sun? (2) In what way are the ideas of American Dream revealed as the main characters’ motive of life in the playA Raisin in the Sun?

The method applied in this study is library research. The approach used in this study is psychological approach. The sources that are needed to support this study are taken from the play A Raisin in the Sun and sources that contain the theories of literature, theory of psychology, and theory of American Dream in terms of books and internet.

Based on the analysis, the results of the study are as follows. Firstly, it can be concluded that there are four main characters in the play A Raisin in the Sun. They are Lena (Mama), Walter, Beneatha, and Ruth. Mama as one of the main characters is described as a religious woman who is strong, wise, and really loves her family. Having a better house in the comfortable place is one of her dream that becomes her motivation of life. Walter as another main character is an uneducated man who has an ambition to be a rich man. His focus of life is money. Another main character is Beneatha or Bennie. Bennie is describes as an Afro-American girl who is smart and independent. She really loves challenges to express herself. The last main character is Ruth. Ruth is Walter’s wife who is described as a patient and hard working woman who really loves her family. Secondly, the ideas of American Dream that are revealed as the main characters’ motive of life in the playA Raisin in the Sun are Prosperity, Equality and Opportunity, and Liberty. The characters believe that they shall have a freedom to do what they want to do, to make their own decision, to have their own ideas. They also believe that everyone has the same position, the same rights and the same opportunities to express their own ideas or dreams.

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ABSTRAK

DANITA IRIANTI MALUTE (2008). The Ideas of American Dream as the Main Characters’ Motive of Life as seen in Lorraine Hansberry’sA Raisin in the Sun. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Skripsi ini membahas sebuah drama yang ditulis pada tahun 1958, sebuah drama karya Lorraine Hansberry yang berjudul A Raisin in the Sun. Drama tersebut adalah sebuah drama yang mengisahkan tentang kehidupan sebuah keluarga Afro-Amerika di Chicago, Afro-Amerika Selatan. Skripsi ini mendiskusikan tentang ide-ide Impian Amerika sebagai motivasi hidup dari para tokoh utama dalam dramaA Raisin in the Sun.

Untuk mengetahui lebih lanjut tentang ide-ide Impian Amerika yang menjadi motivasi hidup tokoh-tokoh utama di dalam drama tersebut, diformulasikanlah dua pertanyaan untuk memandu proses menganalisa, yaitu: (1) Bagaimana penokohan para tokoh utama dalam drama A Raisin in the Sun? (2) Dalam hal-hal apa ide-ide Impian Amerika menjadi motivasi hidup tokoh-tokoh utama dalam dramaA Raisin in the Sun?

Metode yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah studi pustaka. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan psikologi. Data-data yang diperlukan untuk mendukung studi ini diambil dari dramaA Raisin in the Sundan sumber-sumber yang memuat teori sastra dan teori psikologi dalam bentuk buku-buku maupun data-data dari internet.

Berdasarkan analisis yang dilakukan, hasil temuan studi ini adalah sebagai berikut. Pertama, dapat disimpulkan bahwa ada empat tokoh utama di dalam drama A Raisin in the Sun. Mereka adalah Lena (Mama), Walter, Beneatha, dan Ruth. Mama sebagai salah satu pemeran sentral digambarkan sebagai sosok seorang wanita religius yang tegar, bijaksana, and sangat mencintai keluarganya. Memiliki rumah baru di lingkungan yang lebih nyaman adalah salah satu impian yang menjadi motivasi hidupnya. Walter yang juga menjadi salah satu tokoh utama adalah pria yang tidak berpendidikan yang berambisi untuk menjadi kaya. Fokus hidup walter adalah uang. Tokoh utama lainnya adalah Beneatha atau Bennie. Bennie digambarkan sebagai seorang gadis Afro-Amerika yang cerdas dan mandiri. Dia sangat menyukai tantangan untuk mengekspresikan dirinya. Tokoh utama yang terakhir adalah Ruth. Ruth yang merupakan istri dari Walter yang digambarkan sebagai sosok seorang wanita pekerja keras yang sabar dan sangat mencintai keluarganya. Kedua, ide-ide Impian Amerika yang menjadi motivasi hidup tokoh-tokoh utama di dalam drama A Raisin in the Sun adalah kemakmuran atau kesejahteraan, kesetaraan hak dan kesempatan, dan kebebasan. Para tokoh percaya mereka memiliki kesempatan dan kebebasan yang sama untuk melakukan apa yang ingin mereka lakukan, kebebasan untuk memutuskan apa yang ingin mereka putuskan, dan kebebasan untuk memiliki pemikiran-pemikiran sendiri. Setiap orang memiliki kedudukan yang sama, hak-hak yang sama dan kesempatan yang sama untuk mengekspresikan pemikiran-pemikiran atau impian-impian mereka.

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THE IDEAS OF AMERICAN DREAM AS

THE MAIN CHARACTERS’ MOTIVE OF LIFE AS SEEN

IN LORRAINE HANSBERRY’S

A RAISIN IN THE SUN

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree ofSarjana Sastra

in English Letters

DANITA IRIANTI MALUTE Student Number: 044214142

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2008

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THE IDEAS OF AMERICAN DREAM AS

THE MAIN CHARACTERS’ MOTIVE OF LIFE AS SEEN

IN LORRAINE HANSBERRY’S

A RAISIN IN THE SUN

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree ofSarjana Sastra

in English Letters

DANITA IRIANTI MALUTE Student Number: 044214142

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2008

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MOTTO

(Unknown)

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT

BUT IF YOU TRY

SOMETIME

YOU JUST MIGHT FIND

YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED

(JAGGER & RICHARD)

GowiththeFlow,

EnjoyYourLifetotheFullest

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I dedicate this thesis to



_{MyAlmightyCreator,JesusChrist}



_{MybelovedParent’ssilverweddinganniversary}



_{MylovelySisterandBrothers}



_MyPrince



_{Mybestfriends,M.I.AgirlsandtheBROs}

In the Hope of Better Future

~Danita Irianti Malute~

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, my deepest gratitude goes to my Almighty Creator, Jesus Christ to whom I lay down all my dreams and hopes. I thank Him for all the grace, miracles, and joy in my life. I am nothing without Him.

The writing process of this thesis involved many generous contributions of wonderful people. My enormous thank and award is dedicated for my advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum. I thank her for all her help, suggestions, and guidance during my undergraduate thesis up to the end. I also thank my academic counselor, Paulus Sarwoto, S.S., M.A. for his precious support during my time in Sanata Dharma University. I also would like to thank Maria Ananta Tri S., S.S., M.Ed. for the suggestions and inputs as the co-advisor of my undergraduate thesis. My acknowledgement also goes to all of the lecturers and the staff of Department of English Letters and the librarians of Sanata Dharma University. I thank them for their unforgettable great role during my study in this university.

With lots of love, I would like to express my extraordinary gratefulness to my amazing family. They are my beloved Papa, Ir. Daniel Malute, M.Si., and my wonderful Mama, Monita Patayang who always care of me and taught me to be optimistic in finishing this thesis as soon as possible, and to my colorful sister and brothers, Daniela Malute, Deni Irianto Malute and Dandi Malute. I thank them for all their everlasting love, attention, financial support, prayer and suggestions in my life. All of them become my great spirit in finishing this thesis.

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I would like to express my special gratitude to Marchelynow Alfa Ch. Mengko for his care, patience, love, and help. I thank him for always be by my side every time I need him and always help me to solve every problem I face during the process of writing this undergraduate thesis and also toMengko’s family who always give me love, care, support, and pray.

My gratitude also goes toKoko Fandi’s family who encourage me with love and support. A special dedication goes to my best friends, for “the BROs”, Richo A. Robertho, Maulana Riska Irianto, Maddya Kusuma Widjaya, M. Guruh Agung, and Riolan Manik and also for all Smoensha’03 Community who do not mind sharing their support, advice, laughter, pain, and love with me. The expression of thankfulness also goes to all of my friends at English Letters’04 Sanata Dharma University and also “the M.I.A. (Missing in Action) girls”, Arini Wulandari, Elizabeth Nita Kurniasih, Bertha Yenni Firdinia, Eka Utami Ningsih, and Yuli Satyawati who have shared an unforgettable and craziness friendship in all lovely days during my study at Sanata Dharma University, and special warm thanks to all the Prenggan Sidomulyo team of KKN, and also to Ferdy’02, Gatot’02, Nico’02, Supra’02 Akakom, Adip’04 Psychology, and Dina’04 Mathematics.

Last but not least, thanks for everyone who helps me in hand and those who filled my life and my heart with love that I cannot mention here. You are all the best things I have ever had.

Danita Irianti Malute

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE……….. i

APPROVAL PAGE……… ii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE……….. iii

MOTTO PAGE……….. iv

DEDICATION PAGE……… v

ACKNOWLEGDEMENTS………... vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS………... viii

ABSTRACT………. x

ABSTRAK………... xi

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION... 1

A. Background of the Study………...……….. 1

B. Problem Formulation………... 5

C. Objectives of the Study……… 6

D. Definition of Terms………. 6

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW……….. 9

A. Review of Related Studies………... 9

B. Review of Related Theories……… 13

1. Character……….. 14

2. Characterization………..………. 15

3. The Relation between Literature and Psychology…………... 18

4. Motive and Motivation……… 18

5. The American Dream……….. 22

C. Theoretical Framework………... 24

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY……….. 26

A. Object of the Study………. 26

B. Approach of the Study……… 27

C. Method of the Study………... 28

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS………... 31

A. The Characterization of the Main Characters.……… 31

1. Lena Younger (Mama).………...… 32

2. Walter Lee.………..……… 36

3. Baneatha (Bennie)………..………. 39

4. Ruth………..………..………. 45

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B. The Ideas of American Dream as the Main Characters’ Motive in Life as

Seen in Lorraine Hansberry’sA Raisin in the Sun….………. 49

1. Prosperity………... 50

2. Equality and Opportunity………... 56

3. Liberty………... 65

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION……… 67

BIBLIOGRAPHY………. 71

APPENDIX……… 74

The Summary ofA Raisin in the Sun……...………... 74

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ABSTRACT

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ABSTRAK

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study

Most popular literary works are the reflection of human life. It means that literary works are the portraits of human’s life and what is pictured in literary works is based on the facts and experiences which ever happened in the past or dreams about future that the author has. Many literary works present the phenomena of real life that happen in the world seen from the author’s point of view. Hudson says inAn Introduction to Study of Literature,

Literature is the expression of life through the medium of language; it can be regarded as something essential since it contains about real life, people, thought, and their feeling about life (1958: 10).

That quotation shows that literature contains an essential idea about human’s life. That is why some opinions say literary works can reveal actions, sadness, dreams, motives, happiness, depression, anxiety, even love that happened in human’s life. An author tries to share his/her feelings, inspirations, emotions, even his/her creative imaginations through the literary works. On the other side, through literary works, the readers can get something new and learn lots of things about life. It can also be said that literary works do not only give the readers understanding, new perception, satisfaction, and enjoyment but also enrich their knowledge as an individual and society.

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As Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs (1987: 2) state in their book Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing.

Literature helps us to grow, both personally and intellectually; it provides an objective base for our knowledge and understanding…. It enables us to recognize human dreams and struggles in different societies that we would never otherwise get to know; it helps us to develop mature sensibility and compassion for the condition of all living things.

On the other side, Kenney (1988: 5) on his bookHow to Analyze Fictionstate that, To analyze a literary work is to identify the separate parts that make it up (this corresponds roughly to the nation of treating it to process), to determine the relationship among parts, and to discover the relation of the parts to the whole.

Kenney’s idea has shown that every part in literary work is a unity. It means one element in the literary work has a relation with other elements. As the example, the character always has relations with other intrinsic elements; even it can have a relation with the era or the society that is described in the literary work. In some literary works, an era and society bring a big influence toward the main character’s dreams or hopes that can become his motive in life. As Jung (1978: 4) says, if we talk about motive, we talk about causes or reasons underlying behavior. Therefore, someone’s behavior is a response to other’s behavior or situation, because someone will always respond to something in order to adapt or to be against or to show his feeling toward it.

In this study, I choose one of Lorraine Hansberry’s greatest plays A Raisin in the Sun. This study concerns with a play that is based on the real events that

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happened in the 1950s in the middle of American society and the main topic that will be discussed is about the ideas of American Dream as the main character’s motive of life as seen in A Raisin in the Sun. One thing that makes A Raisin in the Sun interesting to be discussed is the way Lorraine Hansberry’s, the author, uses the African-American Younger family as the characters to represent a struggle of a family to pursue the idea of American Dream in the middle of American society. Dream of a better life becomes their motive in life in the middle of society around them. As state in the Sparknotes webpage, A Raisin in the Sun is essentially about dreams, as the main characters struggle to deal with the oppressive circumstances that rule their lives (www.sparknotes.com). It shows A Raisin in the Sun is interesting since it is colored by dreams as the characters’ motive of life.

The idea of “dream comes true” is based on the story of success that has become an obsession and motivation for everyone in this world. What comes into our mind when we hear the words motive and motivation? Most of people know that motive and motivation deals much with human beings and their effort in gaining something in life. As long as human being is alive he or she will always have goals to achieve and dreams to realize to make a better life.

If we analyze more about motive, we will find that there are lots of factors that influence the motive such as past life, types of personality, and society around us. Those factors can give a lot of contribution toward human motivation in doing something. The process of how the society influenced the motivation of human being

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can be seen inRaisin in the Sunwhere the main characters’ motive influenced by the surrounding society. In Raisin in the Sun, the idea of success in American dream influenced the main characters’ motive of life.

It is related to Ralph Barton Perry’s opinion. (1949: 10) in his book Characteristically American “Success is thought of as the fruit of marriage between circumstance and action”. It means that success is a combination of action, effort, and society. A Raisin in the Sun examines a family’s dreams, human motivation, and social prejudice.

InA Raisin in the Sun, Youngers are African-Americans who lived in America because they think that America is a promising land to get a better future, in fact their opinion is not true. The flow of the play shows that “life is like a game”. People have problems, and problems in life are things that come and go as if they were endless. Sometimes people think it is hard, but it is sometimes easy to face. Problems always exist in everyone’s life, and everyone makes the decision, in which it could effect on the happening situation forward, whether it is good or bad.

As the example, the struggle to rise from economic adversity as the most problem of the family was present in the protagonist in the play. It was described by Walter Younger’s character. He had dreams of achieving economic success, as the central issue in this play. The ideas of American Dream brought lots of motivation for him to open a liquor store and reap from the profits. However, this could not be accomplished unless his Mama gave him the money from a $10,000 insurance check

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that she received from her husband’s death. The other characters that can show the ideas of American dream are Mama, Beneatha, and Ruth characters.

The setting, the flow, the dynamical emotion of getting involved in this play, the sense, and the scope of understanding the play are the things that can be reached more in this play. The writer also admits that this play is considered to be really touchable in revealing it with the real life. Yet, what the writer means “real” is something that constructs certain senses and mind sight blended into one portrait of such condition. Considering the term non-fiction in categorizing this play, we can precisely guess that the way the story goes by the main characters’ experiences of fording such condition through life must be something that we can consider to happen mostly in the real life. The life which is described in the play shows a process in which the characters want to have dreams of changing positions, from the ordinary life into the extraordinary one or into a better future. That is why “THE IDEAS OF AMERICAN DREAM AS THE MAIN CHARACTERS’ MOTIVE OF LIFE AS SEEN IN LORRAINE HANSBERRY’SA RAISIN IN THE SUN” is chosen as the title of this thesis.

B. Problem Formulation

As a guide for the writer in referring to the particular elements to discuss, these questions below will direct the writer’s writing on the certain scope of the analysis. They are stated to be the problems, as well as the basic construction of the thesis.

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1. How are the main characters’ characterizations portrayed in the playA Raisin in the Sun?

2. In what way are the ideas of American Dream revealed as the main characters’ motive of life in the playA Raisin in the Sun?

C. Objectives of the Study

Studying the topic proves that literature has a relation with the real life and the social condition, related to the time of the author’s work. The aim of the study is to answer the two formulated problems above as clearly as possible. Firstly, the writer tries to find how Lorraine Hansberry describes the main characters’ characterizations in the playA Raisin in the Sun.Second, this study aims to explain in what way the ideas of American Dream are revealed as the main characters’ motive of life.

D. Definition of Terms

To avoid any misinterpretations in the title, this thesis will provide some explanation on an important term mainly used and closely related to the topic. The writer tries to explain them by borrowing mainly from the media, particularly from some books.

1. Character

Character is one of the elements of play or novel that has significant role to show the qualities of the novel or play. According to Abrams (1981: 20) in A

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Glossary of Literary Terms, character is the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work who naturally possesses moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that all reflected in the dialogue and action among the person.

2. Characterization

3. Motive and Motivation

According to Frank J. Burno inDictionary of Keywords in Psychology (1986: 140) the definition of motive is hypothetical state in an organism used to explain its choices and goal-oriented behavior. Furthermore, in Psychology and Life the definition of motivation is the process of starting, directing and maintaining physical and psychological activities toward a certain goal (Gerring and Zimbardo, 2002: 364).

4. American Dream

According to Random House Webster’s College Dictionary (2001: 43), “American Dreams is the ideal of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American”. In the book “The American Dream” by

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Robert H. Fossum and John K. Roth (1981: 6), they said that the term American Dream was firstly used by a historian namely James Truslow Adams in his bookThe Epic of Americawhich was written in 1931. He states that “The American Dream is dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement”.

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CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL REVIEW

A. Review of Related Studies

The existence of a literary work always invites criticism from some critics. The criticism can be an agreement or disagreement toward the play or the story. There are some criticisms directed to A Raisin in the Sun and those criticisms are needed to support the analysis of this study.

One of the criticisms is from Martin Luther King, Jr. He said that “Hansberry’s commitment of spirit, her creative ability and her profound grasp of the deep social issues confronting the world today will remain an inspiration to generations yet unborn” (http://www.raisinonbroadway.com/news.html). Furthermore, Brenda Bell says that in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, the Younger family is faced with several issues. The setting of the story takes place in the 1950's when African American families had to deal with blatant issues of poverty, segregation and culture. A reflection of Hansberry's personal experience can be seen inA Raisin in the Sun(http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/kearny/raisin).

Kuiper in Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature (1995: 513) states “A Raisin in the Sunis an insightful study of the stresses that both divide and unite a working-class black family when it is presented with a chance for a better life”. An idea by David D. Cooper (in Guerin, Labor, Morgan, Reesman and Willingham,

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1979: 1585) states that “A Raisin in the Sun is a play about distress, futility, and tragedy, but also about hope and pride and what kind of conviction and commitment it takes to bring hope out of hopelessness, courage out of fear, and idealism out of fatalism”. Those statements refer to The Youngers, especially Walter and Mama who has motivation to bring a bright future for the family’s life, their effort can be clearly seen when they try to fulfill all family’s needs.

Another writer Tammy Burris in Reuben’s article PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide - An Ongoing Project writes that “Her (Hansberry’s) writings reflected her fight for black civil rights, and her views against racism, and sexual and statutory discrimination. Due to her short life her legacy left only a few works but all with dramatic effect on all, no matter race or

color, who came in touch with them”

(http://web.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap8/hansberry.html).

A realistic play likeA Raisin in the Sun according to Stanley Hochman in the Encyclopedia of World Drama(1984: 444) is “a realistic portrayal of a black family struggling to maintain its pride and identity”. It is clearly seen from Walter’s characterization as an African-American in pursuing his family’s hopes to be successful and equal with the whites and also from Beneatha’s characteristics who is struggling to be a doctor in the middle of white community.

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The same idea is also raised by Paul P. Reuben in his article PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide - An Ongoing Project, he notes that

Hansberry’s purpose was to show ‘the many gradations in even one Negro family’, the characters suffer, hope, dream, and triumph over the enormous barriers erected by the dominant culture.

(http://web.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap8/hansberry.html) That statement shows that Hansberry depicts the life of the Youngers’ character. She describes the life of African-American family who always live under the whites’ oppression as the dominant culture.

The play A Raisin in the Sun gives the portrayal of real life and also tells about moral values as Oscar G. Brockett (1995: 583) wrote in his bookHistory of the Theatre, A Raisin in the Sun is “a compassionate drama about a hardworking black family in Chicago whose dreams are shattered but whose values mature in the process”. Generally, many immigrants place a great hope in America; they expect everything the best in that country. It also happens to the Youngers in the play A Raisin in the Sun. The play wants to show that besides describing the condition of the African-American family, Youngers whose dreams seem hard to be fulfilled; it also tells about how finally someone tries to reach his maturity. It can be seen from Walter’s character in the end of the story where his maturity leads his family into a better life.

That idea is also supported by Robert Nemiroff in The Explicator (in Guth and Gabrielle, 1997: 1587), Hansberry’sA Raisin in the Sunis one of the plays that,

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For at the deepest level it is not a specific situation but the human condition, human aspiration and human relationship-the persistence of dreams, of the bonds, and conflicts between men and women, parents and children, old ways and new, and the endless struggle against human oppression, whatever the forms it may take, and for individual fulfillment, recognition, and liberation-that are at the heart of such plays.

Some criticisms above show thatA Raisin in the Suncovers social issues and racial issues during the 1950s. Most of them tell about how the Youngers can still survive under the white oppression as the dominant culture. However, this play also covers the feminist issues at that time. As Emilie Browne said in her article,

Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun challenges the stereotype of 1950's America as a country full of doting, content housewives. The women in this play, Mama, Ruth and Beneatha, represent three generations of black women who, despite their double fronted subordination, continue to dream of a better tomorrow. Although the aspirations of these women differ in subject, they all involve the furthering their roles as women, whether it be owning a house, paying for a child's education or attending Medical School.

(http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/raisin/essay1.html) That statement shows that Hansberry describes Mama (Mrs. Younger) as the representative of an ideal mother who does everything for the family. Hansberry describes how Mama’s role not only as a mother but also as a father in the family. It can be seen in how she places and functions her self as the head of the family whom always tries to improve the family standard of living. Hansberry also describes Beneatha’s struggle in reaching her dream to become a doctor. She is considered as one of the examples of modern feminist.

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Hansberry put her thought about how women can also have high education just like men, how women can have dreams that the men have. Hansberry challenges the stereotype of American women in 1950s through the character of Beneatha. The stereotype about the women should not take high education because they should place their selves in the kitchen and do house jobs after they are married.

Those opinions, criticisms, and comments give deeper information for the reader in analyzing the play. Most of them share the same view about the issues appearing in the time when the play was written and generally focus on cultural diversity. In this thesis, the opinions from Oscar G. Brockett, David D. Cooper, and Robert Nemiroff open a way for the writer to discuss American Dream in relation with motive in human life through the struggle of the characters in the play. Another opinion from Emilie Browne shows another side of the play that focuses on the feminist issues. That opinion drives the writer to function the struggles of the women characters in the play not only as the feminist issues but also as the struggle to pursue the idea of American Dream. In this undergraduate thesis, the writer will emphasize more on how the ideas of Americans as the main character’s motive of life as seen in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. The writer hopes that this study will give something new in understanding the story of the play.

B. Review of Related Theories

Some theories will be used in the study as the guidance in answering the problem formulation that becomes the focus of the analysis.

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1. Theory of Character

Since this study tries to deal with the characters’ motive and their contribution in revealing the ideas of American Dream, the writer thinks that the understanding of the theories of character is needed to do the analysis because character is one of the elements of play or novel that has significant role to show the qualities of the novel or play.

InAn Introduction to Fiction, Stanton (1965: 17-18) says “The term character is commonly used in two ways. It designates the individuals who appear in the story, and it refers to the mixture of interests, desires, emotions and moral principles that makes up each on these individuals”. Furthermore, he also states that “most stories contain a central characters and minor characters. A central character is a character that is relevant to every event in a story, and minor characters are characters whose attitude is very important toward central characters”.

The same theory can be found inGlossary of Literary Terms, Abrams (1981: 20-21) defines characters as “the present in dramatic or narrative work, who are presented by the author as being endowed with moral and disposition qualities that can be evaluated from the dialogue and the action among person”. Abrams also stated that characters are divided into “major” and “minor” character based on their importance in the novel. He mentioned that major characters are substantially involved in the main action as well as becoming the central and the most important in a story, while minor characters are characters that appear in certain setting and they

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are necessary to become the background for the major character. Both theories above show that the major or central character has the important role and becomes the focus of the story. Those combinations of theories of character help the writer in analyzing the main characters in this play. The character can be identified from the dialogue and the action done by the main character.

2. Theory of Characterization

The process by which an author creates a character is called characterization. Murphy in Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students (1972: 161-173) describes characterization as the way in which an author attempts to make his characters understandable and come alive for his readers. He also proposes some methods of characterization to discern how an author conveys the characters and the personalities of the people he writes about.

The first method ispersonal description. By using this method the author can describe a person’s appearance in terms of build, face, hands, skin-color, hair, and clothes in order to help the reader both to visualize the character and to understand his characteristics.

The second method is character as seen by another. Instead of describing a character directly the author can describe him through the eyes and opinions of another. The reader gets, as it were, a reflected image. This method can give the impressions of shape, cleanliness, firmness, smoothness, color, etc. Another character

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will give explanation about what the character is like.

The third method isspeech. The author can give the readers an insight into the character of one of the persons in the book through what the person says. The characters of a person can be seen from whenever he/she speaks, having conversation with others, and stated his/her opinion.

The fourth method is past life. By letting the reader learn something about a person’s past life the author can give the readers a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s character. This can be done by direct comment by the author, though the person’s thoughts, through his conversation or through the medium of another person.

The fifth method isconversation of others. By using this technique, the author can also give the readers clues to a person’s character through the conversations of other people and the things they say about him. People talk about other people and the things they say often give as a clue to the character of the person spoken about.

The sixth method isreactions.By using this method, the author can also give the readers a clue to a person’s character by letting us know how that person reacts to various situations and events. The actions are related to his/her motives and thought.

The seventh method isdirect comment. In this way, the author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly. Usually the author gives comments based on his point of view.

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The eighth method is thoughts. In this method, the author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. In this respect, he is able to do what we cannot do in real life. He can tell the readers what different people are thinking. The readers then are in a privileged position; they have, as it were, a secret listening device plugged in to the inmost thoughts of a person in a novel.

The last method ismannerisms. Through this method, the author can describe a person’s mannerisms, habits, or idiosyncrasies which may also tell the readers something about his character.

Another theory is by Brockett (in Benedetty, 1970: 129-130) as quoted inThe Art of Work that there are four levels of characterization. The first level is physical which is concerned only with such basic facts as sex, age, size, and color. The second level is social, which includes “character’s economic status, profession or trade, religion, family relationship –all those factors place the character in his environment”. The third level is psychological which reveals “character’s habitual responses, attitudes, desires, motivations, likes and dislikes –the inner workings of the mind, both emotionally and intellectually, which precede action. The last level is moralwhich explains that sometimes a moral decision causes a character to examine his own motives and values, in the process of which his true nature is revealed both himself and to the audience. Some of the theories above will be useful to help the writer to identify and understanding characters’ attitude in the play and to do the analysis.

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3. Review on the Relation between Literature and Psychology

According to Wellek and Warren in Theory of Literature (1956: 81), psychology and literature have a close relation in which some literary works take the issue of psychology as the basic idea. The term psychology of literature has four possible meanings. The first is the psychological study of the author as a type or as an individual. The second is the study of creative process. The third is the study of psychological types and laws presented within works of literature, and the last is the effect of literature upon readers (1956: 81). They state that people can learn theory of psychology that may be revealed in works of literature by analyzing the works. There is another theory which states that literature and psychology has a relation in exploring human’s life, “in a variety of ways, a psychological approach has opened new avenues to the study of literature” (Cohen, 1958: 189). Those theories have shown the relation between psychology and literature. Analyzing literary works may reflect certain psychological factors. This study will explore parts of the psychological subjects. That is the motive and motivation.

4. Theories Motive and Motivation

According to Frank J. Burno in Dictionary of Keywords in Psychology the definition of motive is hypothetical state in an organism used to explain its choices and goal-oriented behavior (1986: 140). Furthermore, in Psychology and Life the definition of motivation is the process of starting, directing and maintaining physical

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and psychological activities toward a certain goal (Gerring and Zimbardo, 2002: 364).

Motive makes human beings keep their effort to keep them on their goal and motivation supports them in the process of achieving their goal. Therefore, motivation always influences someone’s action or behavior to pursue their goal. That statement shows that the theory of motive can not be separated from the theory of motivation. So, in this analysis those theories will be used to explain the characters’ motive in life.

Worchel and Shebilske place motives into two groups. The first is primary motive, which concerns in our biological needs, e.g. thirst, sexual desire, hunger, rest, etc. This motive is usually unlearned, common to all animals, and vital for the survival of the organism or the species. The second is social motive which comes from learning and social interaction, includes the needs for affiliation, aggression, and achievement (1989: 374).

Furthermore, Abraham Maslow in Introduction of Psychology (in Atkinson, Atkinson, and Hilgard, 1983: 317) stated that there ispsychological motive. Security, acceptance by and approval from those around us, feelings of self-worth and competency, and the search for new experiences are important part in psychological motives, although the way in which they are satisfied varies with each individual and culture.

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Aesthetic needs: symmetry, order and

beauty Cognitive needs: to know,

understand, and explore

Esteem needs: to achieve, be competent, and gain approval and recognitions

Belongingness and love needs: to affiliate with others, be accepted, and belong

Safety needs: to feel secure and safe, out of danger

Physiological needs: hunger, thirst, and so forth

Maslow proposed an interesting way of classifying human’s motives. Maslow constructed a Hierarchy of Needs, ascending from the basic biological needs to the more complex psychological motives that become important only after the basic needs have been satisfied. As showed in the following pyramid.

*self-actualization needs: to find self-fulfillment and realize one’s potential

(Figure 11-1, (in Atkinson, Atkinson, and Hilgard, 1983: 317)

Maslow’s hierarchy provides an interesting way of looking at the relationships among human motives and the opportunities afforded by the environment. He also states that people must struggle for their food, shelter, and safety (in Atkinson, Atkinson, and Hilgard, 1983: 317). Maslow’sHierarchy of Needswill be used in analyzing how the idea of American Dream can become the motives of the characters.

David C. Edwards inGeneral Psychology(1969: 70-71) classifies motive into three categories, there are: survival, social, and self. The survival motives are those

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which are based on a psychological necessity or other condition of an individual which may directly affect the survival of that individual. The social motives are those which require the presence or participation of another individual for their expression or instigation. The self motives are those which contribute towards the maintenance of the concept of self or ego which each individual has personally developed. Edwards’ idea about motive also will be used in determining what category is the motive of the character.

According to Adler in Human Motivation (in McClelland, 1985: 39), everyone is motivated by desire to compensate for weakness. They want to look perfect in the eyes of other people. Every human being wants to have strong dignity in front of other people and they do not want to be despised even though they know they have some weaknesses. Therefore, they do their best to be stronger even if it is hard to do. In addition, McClelland states that one of human motives is the motive of achievement. He defines motive of achievement as a desire to be successful (1985: 46).

From those theories of motivation and motive, it can be concluded that all people usually have certain motive when they do something in their life because motive is the foundation of every action human beings do. As the example, a girl is working hard to earn lots of money to buy a car. That girl has a motiveto have acar by working hard and earning lots of money. In this case, her effort byworking hard can be categorized as her behavior and the process of earning lots of money is the

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motivation. Also through those theories, the writer can learn and analyze about the characters’ motive in the play, internal and external factors which lead the characters to do a certain action, and their process in achieving their goal.

5. Theory of American Dream

In the book titled American Dream, “historically the motif of new beginning is tied to the image of America as a New World, a potential New Eden in the west, as well as to common America attitudes toward history, opportunity, success, and failure” (Fossum and Roth, 1981: 7). So, there was a land, a virgin land that was known as the New World. The New World means a start of new era and new beginnings for the newcomers that came from others places that faraway from the New World. The newcomers came to realize their dreams with a hope of better life for the family in the new place that they called a New World or a new paradise.

The same idea is also stated in theAn Early American Reader,

The very name calls the New World an idyllic myth, the start of a new golden age, a new beginning for a new Adam. The name conspired with the idea of nature to ensure that the prevailing myth of the New World would be that of a new Garden of Eden. The New World seemed to promise that mankind could recapture the innocence, joys, and eternal life, as well as the freedom from cares and labor that had existed in the Garden of Eden (Lemay, 1989: 1).

In the 1950s, the New World seemed to promise the new Adam a chance to get better life. It shows in that era, there were many immigrants that came to the New World. They came with lots of reasons. Most of them left their country for a better life condition, freedom from wars, a greater economic opportunity, and the freedom from

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political and religious oppression. One of the examples is the Youngers, they came to America to have a better life condition and a greater economic opportunity.

In his article “Who wants to be a millionaire: Changing Conceptions of the American Dream”, Matthew Warshauer stated that Americans are captivated by what many consider as an easy avenue to achieving financial success, the “rags to riches” legend has and continues to be a cornerstone of the American Dream. He said that, the traditional message taught that through hard work, frugality, and self-sacrifice one could achieve financial success and social mobility. (http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=801)

The term American Dream itself, as it is quoted in the book The American Dream, was first introduced by a historian namely James Turslow Adams in his book The Epic of America written in 1931. He suggested the meaning of American dream as:

Dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. The dream might be ‘the greatest contribution’ that the United States has ‘made to the thought and welfare of the world’. (Fossum and Roth, 1981: 6)

Furthermore, Fossum and Roth captured some of the ideals – equality, liberty, prosperity, opportunity – which commonly associated to the idea of American Dream (Fossum and Roth, 1981: 6).

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Many people from outside of America had immigrated to the country. They came from different countries, homelands, ethnic and races. America had shaped their dreams not only to make more money, to get prosperity, or to be more comfortable, but also to live a better life although not all of them could reach a better life.

C. Theoretical Framework

Some theories are employed by the writer to be the basic understanding in doing the analysis of the study. The theory of character and characterization is used because in the first part of the analysis the writer deals with the characters and characteristics of the characters in the play. In here, writer needs those theories to understand the basic concept of characters and to describe the characteristics of the character in the play.

The writer also uses a review on the Relation Literature and Psychology and theories of motivation and motive to find out and analyze the relation between those theories with the ideas of American Dream. Those theories explain about the understanding human’s behavior in doing an action to achieve their goal. It enables the writer to analyze the character’s motive in life, as the answer of the second problem.

To answer the second problem, the theory of American Dream is also needed to explain the basic concept of idea of American Dream. So, it is necessary to know about all about those theories because the this study has a purpose to find the ideas of American Dream in the relation with the character’s motive in life which Hansberry

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tries to reveal as response toward the society in her play A Raisin in the Sun. Those theories are related to one another and built the basic understanding of the study. The theories also give important role in analyzing the problems presented in this study.

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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

This thesis takes Lorraine Hansberry’sA Raisin in the Sun as the object to be analyzed. A Raisin in the Sunwas firstly published by Random House Incorporation, New York in 1958. The play of A Raisin in the Sunwas first performed on 11 March 1959 in New York. The play that the writer used as the primary source of this study is taken from the book with an introduction by Robert Nemiroff, published by Vintage Books Edition, Random House Incorporation, New York in 1994.

The book that is used in this study consists of 151 pages. Lorraine Hansberry divided the play into three acts. Act one was divided into two scenes. The first scene was begun on Friday morning and scene two in the following morning, while act two was divided into three scenes. Scene one, later the same day as in the act one, scene two opened on Friday night, a few weeks later and the last scene of act two began one week later. Act three had only one scene, which opened an hour later. In this edition, the book contains the story of A Raisin in the Sunand some important information. The first one is an introduction of the play by Robert Nemiroff and the second one is the information about the author in brief with her works.

The play itself was the first drama by a black woman to be produced on Broadway in 1959. The production was first taken out of New York and played in New Haven, Philadelphia, Chicago, and in all places audiences loved it. It also won

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the New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award as the best play of the year. The film version of A Raisin in the Sun in 1961, which starred Sidney Portier as Walter Lee, received a special award at the Cannes film Festival. In 1937, her ex-husband Nemiroff and Charlotte Zaitzberg adapted Hansberry’s first play into a musical, entitledRaisin.Raisinwon the Tony Award as the best musical and ran on Broadway for nearly three years. Her success opened the floodgates for a generation of modern black actors and writers who were influenced and encouraged by her writing.

The play takes setting in a house of a black family who live in Chicago, South America.A Raisin in the sunis generally about an African-American family’s efforts to move into an all white neighborhood to fulfill all of their dreams or to find a better future for the family. Even though refused by all white community at the place that they are going to stay, they persist to move there.

B. Approach of the Study

In order to analyze the play A Raisin in the Sun, the writer uses the psychological approach as the most suitable approach to be applied in this study because the writer studies on the main character’s motive of life in the play itself. Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing about Literature divided literary approaches to literature into five basic sections. There are: formalist approach, biographical approach, psychological approach, sociocultural-historical approach, and mythopoeic approach (1971: xi).

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Psychological approach is used to explore the main character’s motive in revealing the idea of American Dream. As stated in Reading and Writing about Literature(Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 81),psychological approach emphasizes on human psychology and believes that human’s creativity, thought, behavior and other psychological aspect that give influence to literary work. By using this approach, the writer tries to find out how the ideas of American Dream influence the character’s motive in life.

C. Method of the Study

In analyzing the study, the writer used library research in collecting the data. There were two kinds of sources used in this study. The primary source of data was a book with an introduction by Robert Nemiroff, published by Vintage Books Edition, Random House Incorporation, New York in 1994.

The secondary sources were some books and criticisms on literature and some books that concerned with the theory of motive and the ideas of American Dream. Some of the books were A Glossary of Literary Terms from Abrams,History of the Theatre by Oscar G. Brockett, Reading and Writing about Literature by Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods Jr., Discovering Literature: Stories, Poems, Plays by Hans P. Guth and L. Rico Gabrielle, An Introduction to the Study of Literature from W.H. Hudson, Understanding Unseens:An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students by M. J. Murphy, Mc Graw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama by Stanley Hochman, Fiction: An Introduction to

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Reading and Writing by Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs, An Introduction to Fiction by Robert Stanton, How to Analyze Fictionby William Kenney, Humanistic Psychology by John Cohen, Understanding Human Motivation: A Cognitive Approachby John Jung,Psychology Principles and Applicationsby Stephen Worchel and Wayne Shebilske, Introduction to Psychology by Rita L. Atkinson, Richard C. Atkinson, and Ernest R. Hilgard, Characteristically American by Ralph Barton Perry, andThe American Dreamby Robert H. Fossum and John K. Roth.

To gather explanation of the play and the theory of American Dream, the writer used some online sources, such as, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Changing Conceptions of the American Dream” by Matthew Warshauer, “A Raisin in the Sun” in the sparknotes.com, “The Aspirations of Women in A Raisin in the Sun” by Emilie Browne, and PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guideby Paul P. Reuben.

In order to have a good understanding about the meaning of American Dream, motive and motivation the writer used some dictionaries, such asMerriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature, Dictionary of Keywords in Psychology, Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, andNew Oxford American Dictionary.

Concerning with the library research, there were four steps that the writer used in this thesis. First, the writer read the play to find the topic. Second, the writer tried to find some references, which could be used to support the topic in revealing the idea of American Dreams. Third, the writer used some theories to analyze the

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relation of character’s motive in revealing the idea of American Dreams in the play. Finally, after having answered the two problems, the writer drew the conclusions from what she had already discussed in the analysis.

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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS

This chapter consists of the analysis of the literary work and the answer of the problem formulation. The first analysis deals with the characterization of Mama, Walter, Beneatha, and Ruth as the main characters in the play. The second analysis is the contribution of the ideas of American Dream as the main character’s motive of life. I would like to answer the formulated problems using the theories presented in chapter two.

A. The Characterization of the Main Characters

Character has various types. As Abrams (1981: 20-21) stated that characters in the novel are divided into major and minor character. The major character takes the important role and becomes the focus from the beginning until the end of the play, while the minor character is the character that appears in certain setting. According to this theory, in Hansberry’sA Raisin in the Sun, Lena (Mama), Walter, Beneatha, and Ruth are categorized as the major or main character because they play the most important role in the play and they become the focus of the story as well.

In order to find out the characteristics of the main characters, Murphy’s theories of characterizations (1972: 161-173) are applied. They are personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, reaction, conversation of

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others, direct comment, thought, and mannerisms. However, from those nine methods, the writer only uses some of them.

1. The Description of Lena Younger (Mama) a. A Strong Woman

Lena Younger is one of the main characters in the play. She is called Mama in the family. She has two children, Walter Younger and Beneatha Younger. According to Brockett’s theory of characterization (in Benedetty, 1970: 129), characters can be analyzed by seeing their physical appearance. By using that theory, Mama’s appearance is described as a beautiful woman in her early sixties, full-bodied and strong. Her dark-brown face is surrounded by the total whiteness of her hair; her face is full of strength. She has wit and faith of a kind that keeps her eyes lit and full of interest and expectancy (Hansberry, 1994: 39).

Murphy (1972: 162) stated that instead of describing a character directly the author can also describe a character through the eyes and opinion of another. Mama’s strength can also be seen in Ruth’s direct comment toward her. Ruth described Mama as a strong woman who can take care of her children.

Ruth : Now…you taking it all too seriously. You just got strong-willed children and it takes a strong woman like you to keep ‘em in hand (Hansberry, 1994: 52).

Another strength that she has can be seen in how she deals with the death of her husband and how she manages the family when she becomes a single mother and the 32

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head of the family. Her role as the head of the family can be seen in her statement in the dialogue.

Mama : (Walking away from BENEATHA, too disturbed fo triumphant posture. Stopping and turning back to her daughter) There are some ideas we ain’t going to have in this house. Not long as I am the head of the family.

Beneatha : Yes, ma’am (Hansberry, 1994: 51-52).

The author can give us an insight into the character of one of the persons in the book through what the person says (Murphy, 1972: 164). From what Mama says above, it is clear that she is a strong woman who has to manage the family by herself after the death of her husband. She has the authority to rule the family.

b. A Wise and Loving Woman

Since her husband passed away, Mama was forced to be the head of the family. It is necessary for her to become a wiser person. She gains wisdom through her experience in facing problems in life. Mama’s wisdom can be seen through not only how she deals with her family but also in her manner and action when facing every problem in the family.

Mama is a wise and loving woman. Mama always trusts her son, Walter, as she never stops loving him by giving him the rest of the insurance money (Hansberry, 1994: 107) and even when she finds out that Walter made a fatal mistake in losing all the money that she gave, she still forgives him. She even wants Beneatha not to hate her brother but to love and support him in that difficult situation.

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Beneatha : Love him? There’s nothing left to love.

Mama : There is always something left to love. And if you ain’t learned that, you ain’t learned nothing. (Looking at her)... Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody most? When they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then, you ain’t through learning-because that ain’t the time at all. It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in his self ‘cause the world done whipped him so! When you starts measuring somebody, measure him right, child, measure him right. Make sure you done taken into account what hills and valleys (Hansberry, 1994: 145).

Mama teaches her daughter Bennie about love. She explained that it is easy for someone to love others who make us happy but actually the true love itself is when we love those who have hurt us, disappointed us, or let us down. She wants Bennie to love her brother though he has made a fatal mistake.

Mama’s wisdom can be seen in her advice for Walter when he had a fight with his wife. Mama wanted Walter to be a real man. As she said, “… I’m waiting to hear how you be your father’s son. Be the man he was… I’m waiting to see you stand up and look like your daddy and say we done give up one baby to poverty and that we ain’t going to give up nary another one…” (Hansberry, 1994: 75). Mama wants Walter to be a wiser and stronger person. When Walter knows that he has lost the money, and thinks that it would be better for him and the family to accept the offer from Mr. Lindner to buy the house back, Mama comes and wisely advised him by telling him that money is not everything, money is not the most important thing in the world. Mama told him that there is something that is priceless more than just thousands of dollars which is pride and dignity (Hansberry, 1994: 142-143).

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c. A Religious Woman

According to Murphy (1972: 164) in Understanding Unseens, we can know the characters deeper through nine methods, two of them are through their speech and mannerism. The author can also describe a person’s mannerisms, habits, or idiosyncrasies which may tell us something about the character (Murphy, 1972: 173). As we can see from Mama’s speech and mannerism, we can conclude that Mama is a religious woman. As a simple example is how often Mama used words such as Lord that refers to God in her sentences. It is very often for the religious black people especially the black women to use the Lord’s name in expressing their emotions, such as amazement. As stated in the following statement, “… Lord have mercy, look at that poor bed. Bless his heart – he tries, don’t he?” (Hansberry, 1994: 40).

Her religious side can also be seen when she was mad at Beneatha because Beneatha used the Lord’s name inappropriately. Mama knows that it is a sin for a Christian to mention the Lord’s name for an inappropriate reason. In this case, she practices one of the commandments. It is showed in the following dialogue,

Beneatha :(Shrugging)How much cleaning can a house need, for Christ’s sakes.

Mama :(Not liking the Lord’s name used thus)Bennie! Ruth : Just listen to her – just listen!

Beneatha : Oh, God!

Mama : If you use the Lord’s name just one more time – (Hansberry, 1994: 46).

The dislike of un-Christian things also shows Mama’s religious side. Mama does not like when Ruth was talking about money in the morning. “...It’s too early in

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the morning to be talking about money. It ain’t Christian” (Hansberry, 1994: 41). She thinks that it is not the way of Christian to talk about money in the morning. She also rejects Beneatha’s opinion about God’s existence. Mama is really shocked when she heard Beneatha’s opinion about God and Christianity. Beneatha does not believe in God, she prefers to be rational than being religious while Mama thinks that God is everything in life (Hansberry, 1994: 51). Other parts that show Mama’s religious life are when she disagrees with Walter’s idea to invest the insurance money to open a liquor store and Ruth’s plan to have an abortion. Mama explains that she does not want her children to be involved in something which is un-Christian.

2. The Description of Walter Lee

Referring to the theory of character mentioned by Stanton (1965: 17), Walter is considered as the central or the major character because his character is relevant to every event in the play. In the play, Hansberry describes Walter as a lean, intense young man in his middle thirties, incline to quick nervous movements and erratic speech habits and always in his voice there is a quality of indictment (1994: 25). In Mama’s eyes, Walter is describes as “a good-looking boy with a god job, a nice wife, a fine boy, etc” (Hansberry, 1994: 73). One of Walter’s interesting characteristics is his ambition. Just like another Afro-American who comes from the oppressed society, Walter grows up as a dreamer. He likes to imagine that someday he becomes a rich man that owns lots of money from his business. This dream of being rich that actually turns him into an ambitious and money oriented person.

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a. An Ambitious and Money Oriented Person

As Brockett (in Benedetty, 1970: 129) stated, one way in analyzing a person characteristic is by using the social condition, which includes “character economic status, profession, religion, family relationship, all those factors place the character in his environment”. In the play, one way in analyzing Walter’s characteristics is by seeing his profession as a chauffeur. Walter works as a chauffeur since there is a limitation of job type for the colored people. He dreams to be a rich person but his job does not support him in reaching it. Unfortunately, his dream of being rich has turned him into an ambitious man.

Walter : … Mama – Mama – I want so many things… Mama : Yes, son –

Walter : I want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy… Mama – look at me.

Mama : I’m looking at you. You a good looking boy. You got a job, a nice wife, a fine boy and–

Walter : A job. Mama, a job? I open and close the car doors all day long. I drive a man in his limousine… Mama, that ain’t no kind of job…that’s ain’t nothing at all… (Hansberry, 1994: 73).

Walter feels that his job as a chauffer is nothing at all. He wants a change of fortune here. He wants so many things and one of them is to have his own business which leads him to the idea of having a liquor store. By putting some money from the insurance money, Walter believes that he can get much money from the liquor store in the future. His ambition in achieving his goal by having a liquor store has brought him into a money oriented person.

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Mama : Son – how come you talk so much ‘bout money? Walter :(with immense passion)Because it is life, Mama!

Mama : (Quietly) Oh – (Very quietly) So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life – now it’s money. I guess the world really do change…

Walter : No – it was always money, Mama. We just didn’t know about it (Hansberry, 1994: 74).

Walter talks about money all the time. He even emphasizes on what money is equal with. Walter believes that money is equal with life because money itself is life. Freedom that used to become life has been put aside by Walter. He states that it is just about money. People never really know or understand how important money is. When Mama bought a house using the insurance money, Walter felt that he has lost his dream along with the money that mama spent. “So you butchered up a dream of mine…” (Hansberry, 1994: 95). Another point that shows how money oriented Walter is when he is going to accept Mr. Lindner’s offer to buy the house back. “Don’t cry, Mama. Understand. That white man is going to walk in that door able to write checks for more money than we ever had…” (Hansberry, 1994: 143). It shows that Walter does not care about anything else but money, even he does not care to his family condition. He feels that money is the only things that can bring pleasure to life.

b. An Uneducated person

Hansberry also describes Walter as an uneducated person. It can be seen through how this character’s ability in using English. Hansberry also portrays Walter as an old-fashioned stereotype of men. He is considered being the type of men who

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thinks that colored women have small minds. He thinks that a wife should always agree with her husband and support them in everything (1994: 24-25). Walter thinks that men should have higher education than women therefore it is unnecessary for a woman to have high education.

Walter : Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people – then go be a nurse like other women – or just get married and be quiet… (Hansberry, 1994: 38).

Walter thinks that Bennie’s dream to be a doctor is something useless. He sees that if Bennie really cares with the sick people, what she needs to accomplish at most is just becoming a nurse. He thinks that if she does not want to, it is better for her to get married and stay at home with the children and the household job.

3. The Description of Beneatha (Bennie) a. A Smart Girl

Beneatha is the daughter of Mama. She is called Bennie by the members of the family. Related to Murphy’s theory of characterization, one of the methods so that we can understand characters in the story is by personal description (1972: 161). As we can see in the play, Hansberry describes Bennie’s appearance as slim and intense as her brother. She is about twenty years old. She is not as pretty as her sister in-law, but her lean, almost intellectual face has a handsomeness of its own. Her speech is a mixture of many things (Hansberry, 1994: 35).

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It shows that Hansberry explains Bennie as an educated girl in the play. One way in showing how well educated Bennie is by having Bennie as the character who uses better English compared to Walter and Mama. As Hansberry states, “ … it is different from the rest of the family’s insofar as education has permeated her sense of English–and perhaps the Midwest rather than the South has finally–at last–won out in her inflection…” (Hansberry, 1994: 35). Another way that Hansberry used to show that Bennie is an educated girl is by having some sophisticated words or scientific words in Bennie’s statements which is not familiar to other characters.

Beneatha : Not Crazy. Brother isn’t really crazy yet – he – he’s an elaborate neurotic. (Hansberry, 1994: 49)

Beneatha : You mean save them fromheathenism –(Hansberry, 1994: 57). Another sophisticated word that Bennie used is assimilationist. As she said “...I am not an assimilationist!” (Hansberry, 1994: 63). The term of assimilationist is well accepted when it is brought to the conversation between Bennie and her collage friends, in this case between Bennie and Asagai and between Bennie and George. It is because they have at least the same level of education. When the term assimilationist comes to Ruth who is considered having less education than Bennie, it is difficult to be understood.

Beneatha : Because I hate assimilationist Negroes!

Ruth : Will somebody please tell me what assimila-who-ever means! (Hansberry, 1994: 81).

Bennie is not only described as a well educated character but also a young girl who becomes addicted to education. It is why she wants to continue her study in the

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medical school. It illustrates how she concerns much about knowledge and education. Bennie believes that education is very important, by having education she can be a doctor that becomes her dream in life.

Beneatha : Get over it? What are you talking about, Ruth? Listen, I’m going to be a doctor. I’m not worried about who I’m going to marry yet—if I ever get married (Hansberry, 1994: 50).

In Bennie’s point of view, her priority is to become a doctor instead of getting married. She is not worried at all about whom will she marry or will she be able to get married later as long as she can achieve her goal of becoming a doctor. Observed in more depth through Bennie’s behavior, in certain ways we can see that she reflects the intelligence of a girl. This idea is emphasized by seeing the way she thinks and acts.

b. An Independent Girl

Independent is one of Bennie’s characteristics. She always tries to stand on her own feet. One of her independence is shown through her own verbal expression of how she feels that she never asked anyone to do anything for her. She believed that she can manage everything that she needs by herself. “I have never asked anyone around here to do anything for me!” (Hansberry, 1994: 37).

She is also quite independent to choose her own pattern to live. Bennie does not want to follow any single way of her brother thinking or acting, therefore she prefers do the opposite way, to be different from her brother’s way of thinking. It can be seen through the following dialogue between Bennie and her brother Walter,

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Walter : Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing’ round with sick people—then go be a nurse like other women—or just get married and be quiet…

Beneatha : Well—you finally got it said…It took you three years but you finally got it said. Walter, give up; leave me alone—it’s Mama’s money.

Walter :He was my father,too!

Beneatha : So what?...Picking on me is not going to make her give it to you to invest in any liquor stores… (Hansberry, 1994: 38). By letting the readers learn something about a person’s reaction, the author tries to give the readers a clue to a person’s character by letting them know how that person reacts to various situation and events (Murphy, 1972: 168). Bennie’s reaction toward Walter’s opinion in the dialogue above shows that Bennie does not want to follow her brother opinion to invest the insurance money to open the liquor store. She thinks that the money belongs to Mama and Mama is the one, who would decide for what the money will be used. Bennie also has a different opinion from her brother about her future. She has her own way to choose her future not to be a nurse, but to be a doctor. As she states in the following statement “…Listen, I’m going to be a doctor…” (Hansberry, 1994: 50). It shows that she is a mature and independent girl. she has her own decision to choose whatever she wants. She does not depend on the other characters’ opinion about her future.

c. A Curious Girl

One of Bennie’s interesting characteristics is her curiosity. Being a person with a high curiosity makes Bennie explores her adventurous spirit. She always feels curious about something new and wants to mastered lots of things in life. Her 42

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women, and by that idea she is sure that not only men who can have high education and become a doctor, not only white people can pursue such a goal of becoming a doctor but also colored people and colored women can have it.

Another interesting idea of American Dream that can be seen from Bennie’s characteristic is Liberty or Freedom. Bennie always wants to have as many experiences as she can in her lifetime. Bennie believes that everybody has the rights of freedom. Freedom where she can explore her talent or express herself or even become what she wants to become. Bennie understands that American Dream brings freedom toward her, free from things like gender, segregation and racism. She sees that people have to express themselves one way or another. In this case Bennie wants to express herself by exploring and learning new things. For Bennie, when someone expressing him/herself, it is one of the ways in finding someone’s identity.

In conclusion, the Youngers believe that they shall have a freedom to do what they want to do, to make their own decision, to have their own ideas. They also believe that all people are free to make up their own minds. They shall have their own private thoughts. Everyone has the same position, the same rights and the same opportunities to express his own ideas. Even very young children are given opportunities to make their own choices and to express their ideas.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1981.

Atkinson, Rita L., Richard C. Atkinson, and Ernest R. Hilgard. Introduction to Psychology. 8thed. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc., 1983.

Benedetty, Robert.The Art of Work. 7thed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1970.

Brockett, Oscar G.History of Theatre. 7thed. Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon, 1995. Burno, Frank J. Dictionary of Keywords in Psychology. Worcester: Billing and Sons

Ltd., 1986.

Cohen, John.Humanistic Psychology. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1958. Edwards, David C.General Psychology. London: The Macmillan Co, 1969.

Fossum, Robert H. and John K. Roth. The American Dream. San Diego: British Association for American Studies, 1981.

Gerring, Richard J. and Philip G. Zimbardo. Psychology and Life. 16th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2002.

Guerin, Wilfred L., Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reesman, and John R. Willingham. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. 2nd ed. New York: Harper & Row Publisher, Inc., 1979.

Guth, Hans P. and Gabrielle L. Rico.Discovering Literature: Stories, Poems, Plays. Englewood Cliffs: Blair Press Book, 1997.

Hansberry, Lorraine.A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Vintage Books Random House, Inc., 1994.

Hochman, Stanley.Encyclopedia of World Drama. 2nded, New York: Mc Graw-Hill, Inc., 1984.

Hudson, W.H.An Introduction to the Study of Literature.London: Morrison & Gibb, Ltd., 1958.

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Jung, John. Understanding Human Motivation: A Cognitive Approach. New York: Mac Millan Publishing Co, Inc., 1978

Kenney, William.How to Analyze Fiction. New York: Monarch Press, 1988.

Kuiper, Kathleen. Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature. Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1995.

Lemay, Leo. An Early American Reader. Washington: USA information Agency, 1989.

Mc Clelland, David C.Human Motivation. New York: Scoot, Foresman Co., 1985. Mc Kean, Erin. The New Oxford American Dictionary. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford

University Press, Inc., 2005.

Murphy, M. J. Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students. London: George Allen & Unwin, Ltd., 1972.

Perry, Ralph Barton. Characteristically American. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1949.

Random House Webster’s College Dictionary. New York: Random House Webster’s, Inc., 2001.

Roberts, Edgar V. and Henry, E. Jacobs. Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs Prentice Hall, Inc., 1987.

Rohrberger, Mary and Samuel H. Woods Jr. Reading and Writing about Literature. New York: Random House, Inc., 1971.

Stanton, Robert. An Introduction to Fiction.New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1965.

Wellek, Rene and Austin Warren. Theory of Literature. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc., 1956.

Worchel, Stephen and Wayne Shebilske.Psychology Principles and Applications. 3rd ed. New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs Prentice Hall, Inc., 1989.

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Online Sources:

A Raisin in the Sun, (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/raisin) accessed on September, 06th2007.

Browne, Emilie. “The Aspirations of Women in A Raisin in the Sun” (http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/raisin/essay1.html) accessed on April, 7th2008.

Bell, Brenda. “An introduction to A Raisin in the Sun” (http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/kearny/raisin) accessed on August, 12th2007

Luther King, Martin Jr. “A Raisin in the Sun”

http://www.raisinonbroadway.com/news.html accessed on April, 7th2008.

Reuben, Paul P. “Chapter 8: Lorraine Hansberry”.PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. (April 2007)

(http://web.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap8/hansberry.html) accessed on September, 27th2007.

Warshauer, Matthew. “American Dream Article”

“Who wants to be a millionaire: Changing Conceptions of the American Dream” (http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=801) accessed on September, 27th2007.

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APPENDIX

Summary of the Lorraine Hansberry’sA Raisin in the Sun

A Raisin in the Sun portrays the life of the Youngers, an African-American family who live on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s. When the play opens, the Youngers are about to receive an insurance check for ten thousand dollars. This money comes from the deceased of Mr. Younger’s life insurance policy. All of the members of the family has their own dream of what he or she would like to do with the money.Mama as the matriarch of the family, wants to buy a house to fulfill a dream she shared with her husband. Mama’s son, Walter Lee, would rather use the money to invest in a liquor store with his friends. He believes that the investment will solve the family’s financial problems forever. Walter’s wife, Ruth, agrees with Mama, however, and hopes that she and Walter can provide more space and opportunity for their son, Travis. Finally, Beneatha, Walter’s sister and Mama’s daughter, wants to use the money for her medical school tuition. She also wishes that her family members were not so interested in joining the white world. Beneatha instead tries to find her identity by looking back to the past and to Africa.

As the play progresses, Ruth discovers that she is pregnant but fears that if she has the child, she will put more financial pressure on her family members. When Walter says nothing to Ruth’s admission that she is considering abortion, Mama puts a down payment on a house for the whole family. She believes that a bigger, brighter dwelling will help them all. This house is in Clybourne Park, an entirely white

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neighborhood. When the Youngers’ future neighbors find out that the Youngers are moving in, they send Mr. Lindner, from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, to offer the Youngers money in return for staying away. The Youngers refuse the deal, even after Walter loses the rest of the money to his friend Willy Harris, who persuades Walter to invest in the liquor store and then runs off with his cash.

In the meantime, Beneatha rejects her suitor, George Murchison, whom she believes to be shallow and blind to the problems of race. Subsequently, she receives a marriage proposal from her Nigerian boyfriend, Joseph Asagai, who wants Beneatha to get a medical degree and move to Africa with him. The Youngers eventually move out of the apartment, fulfilling the family’s long-held dream. Their future seems uncertain and slightly dangerous, but they are optimistic and determined to live a better life. They believe that they can succeed if they stick together as a family and resolve to defer their dreams no longer (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/raisin).

The ideas of American dreams as the main characters` motive of life as seen in Lorraine Hansberry`s a raisin in the sun...

THE IDEAS OF AMERICAN DREAM AS

THE MAIN CHARACTERS’ MOTIVE OF LIFE AS SEEN

IN LORRAINE HANSBERRY’S

A RAISIN IN THE SUN

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME

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THE IDEAS OF AMERICAN DREAM AS

THE MAIN CHARACTERS’ MOTIVE OF LIFE AS SEEN

IN LORRAINE HANSBERRY’S

A RAISIN IN THE SUN

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

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2008

MOTTO

PAGE

(Unknown)

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT

BUT IF YOU TRY

SOMETIME

YOU JUST MIGHT FIND

YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED

GowiththeFlow,

EnjoyYourLifetotheFullest

I dedicate this thesis to



MyAlmightyCreator,JesusChrist



MybelovedParent’ssilverweddinganniversary



MylovelySisterandBrothers



MyPrince



Mybestfriends,M.I.AgirlsandtheBROs

In the Hope of Better Future

~Danita Irianti Malute~

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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