Extra Credit Critical Lense

Extra Credit Critical Lense

"Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in can hope to escape." I agree with the idea of this quote stated by William S. Burroughs, an American writer. This quote means that people change and make changes only when it is absolutely necessary, and for someone to change, they must give up and forget everything they had once believed in. A true change of character comes when someone finds themself with no other options and nowhere else to turn. Walter, from A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and George from Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, are two characters which face desperation and change themselves as a result. Walter changes his character and becomes more mature as a result of poverty and racial injustice. On the other hand, George makes a change for the worst and gives up on his dreams as a result of poverty and events that were beyond his control. The two characters, Walter, from A Raisin in the Sun and George, from Of Mice and Men, give up everything they believe in and experience a change of character through the literary elements of conflict and theme which cause them to reach a point of desperation.

The theme of a novel is a recurring idea throughout the piece of work. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, there is a theme of the impossibility of achieving the so-called "American dream". In this novel the American dream is defined as owning your own piece of land and not having to work for someone else. Throughout the novel, the main character, George, works as a farm-hand on a ranch in hopes of earning enough money to own his own piece of farm land with his friend, and traveling partner, Lennie. George is continually hoping and aspiring to buy a piece of land and he even had a place in mind that he was going to buy. He was hard-working and hopeful and didn't believe in spending his money going out to brothels and drinking. When this hope is crushed as a result of an external conflict with Lennie, George reaches a point of desperation. Once the conflict with Lennie is resolved, George changes himself and completely gives up on his beliefs and his dream, resorting to a life of drinking and spending his money on unimportant matters, believing he is confined to life as a farm-hand forever. The theme of the impossibility of achieving the American dream caused George to give up on everything he believed in and change himself for the worst.

The theme of trying to achieve the American dream is also prevalent in the novel A Raisin in the Sun. In the novel, the American dream is defined as being treated equally and gaining economic success. Throughout the novel the main character, Walter, keeps on trying to earn money for his family. Walter is an African American living in a small apartment with his family. All he wants to do is make money because he has the belief that money equals power. He struggles daily with his economic status and believes that it is partly because of his race. He attempts investing in a liquor store but has his money stolen, leaving him with nothing. Angry and frustrated, Walter feels that he let himself and his family down and he feels he has no other options. At the end of the novel Walter has a change of character. Just after he reaches Walter reaches his lowest point, he unexpectedly stands up to a white man who is trying to prevent him and his family from moving into a white community. As a result of this, Walter finally begins to change, and lets go of his desire to become excessively wealthy and powerful. His beliefs and view of the American dream had changed from being a dream of economic power to being a good father and having a close family which would cause his happiness. The theme of the American dream nearly drives Walter insane until he experiences a change of character and leaves behind his beliefs of what the American dream was for a new, more mature view of the American dream.

Conflict is a literary element which can be defined as the struggle within a character, the struggle between