LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 18:2 February 2018
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
         Dr. S. Chelliah, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

Language in India www.languageinindia.com is included in the UGC Approved List of Journals. Serial Number 49042.

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African American Dream: A Reading of
Mulatto and A Raisin in the Sun

Shubhanku Kochar, Ph.D., M.Phil., M.A. in English


Abstract

African-American Dream is counter narrative to American Dream. To attract more people in American system of melting pot, America circulated a myth called American Dream. The idea was that any person irrespective of caste, creed, color and gender could rise above social ladder and become successful thereby rich, provided one works hard with sincerity. This paper argues that this popular version of American Dream was a nightmare for blacks in America. They could not realize or concretize it despite being hard workers, diligent and honest. Both the plays Mulatto and A Raisin in the Sun materialize this aspect. In the former Robert, a Mulatto boy is barred from attending the college by his white father. He cannot use his father’s surname because his father is ashamed of accepting his intelligent son as his own. He cannot enter in his own father’s hall through the front gate. Similarly, in the latter, a black family struggles hard to realize its dream of a better house in healthy neighbourhood. They want to buy a clean house in white neighbourhood so that they could live a healthy life but, unfortunately they are threatened to do the otherwise. Their money is stolen, and they are deprived of minimum basic chance of rising high up in their social position. Hence American Dream was only possible for whites not for blacks.

Keywords: Mulatto, Langston Hughes, A Raisin in the Sun, Lorrain Hansberry, American Dream, Black Protest, African American Revolt, Civil Rights.

American Dream

For Churchill, America has always been regarded as land of opportunities. Countless people have reached her shores for better living conditions since her discovery in 1492. These emigrants have been carried by the popular notion of American dream. Though, the word American dream was first coined in 1931 by James Adams in his book The Epic of America, the idea had always been there. More than a concept, American dream had been a set of ideas and beliefs. Its seeds are there in declaration of independence which proclaims that all men are created equal and all have right to life, freedom and happiness. The belief that attracted many settlers was that in America one can reach the highest ladder of success without any impediment. If you play according to the rules, your gender, race, nationality, condition of birth will never stop you from realising your potentials.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.


Shubhanku Kochar , (Ph.D. , M.Phil., M.A. in English)
Assistant Professor
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
New Delhi – 110078
India
shubhankukochar@gmail.com

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