Express Yourself

Do you ever stop to think about how much the world has shaped you? People are so absorbed in worldly possessions that they lose who they are during their lives. Every character in the novel A Raisin in the Sun possesses some sort of dream in their lives, however they are unfulfilled. One character who particularly sticks out is Beneatha. She tries to get a hold of herself and not be immersed in other worldly items that are causing her family to break apart. While people in society in the novel craze over money, wealthy men, and anything that creates wealth, Beneatha wants to find out what kind of person she truly is. She doesn't want to please anyone but wants to get the most out of life by trying to be who she wants to be. Her brother Walter constantly asks her the question about "how [is] school coming?"(Hansberry 36). She is frustrated about how her family seems to only worry about her decisions in becoming a doctor for the money that she will be making. Studying to become a doctor, despite all the hard work needed, Beneatha wants to seek her inner self, putting money aside from her life problems. 

She also serves as a sane individual when others around her are always craving endless wealth. "Walter, give up; leave me alone--it's Mama's money"(Hansberry 38). I view Beneatha as a very respectable character for she is the one person who tries her best in being different while others around her are living for one sole purpose: more wealth and happiness. It's not that she doesn't value these things but she prioritizes her purpose in life to the max. Individualism shapes her character to a big degree and made her stand out as a meaningful character.

separating from society's "norm" is a better option to take at times

The Orgastic Future Ahead of Us

The most beautiful passage that occurred in this novel was the fabulous ending. The ending of the novel sums up the story's main idea and theme simplistically. "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--tomorrow 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 189). There is a significant tie between the past and the dreams of the future. Humans constantly try to achieve goals and strive for better purposes by trying to relive or recreate the past in the present. The past is the past and people have to understand that when living in the present, you've got to think about the now and later, not the past. The characters in this novel, like Gatsby, are so attached to the good times in the past that he cannot move a step forward in life. His mind is stuck in the past and he is literally like a boat stuck with currents moving against him. Gatsby spent all his life trying to bring the past back into his present life to be with Daisy but didn't get anywhere in approaching his goal. The past events in one's life stays in one's mind throughout their period of a lifetime but people need to learn to move away from the past and make it just a part of their memories. Living in the present and deciding what to do with one's life is more important than being mentally stuck in past moments. If Gatsby lived out of his past mind, he would've been able to live a calm and a non-corrupted life.