I believe that the major purpose of literature is to teach people about the moral values in life. Such values are clearly shown in the four literatures: Raisin in the Sun, Almost a Woman, The Pearl, and The Learning Tree. All of the stories or novels deal with family, and in some levels, discrimination. However, each has a special purpose, and a different meaning.
Raisin in the Sun, which was the first literature we studied, was a realistic play written by Lorraine Hansberry. The story was about an African American family that was living in the United States during WWII. In general, there were many characters that were significant, but I especially want to talk about Walter Lee Younger. Walter Lee was a chauffeur, who wanted to follow his dreams and start his own liquor store business using the insurance money that was left to their family by his late father.
English: John Steinbeck
Grave site of John Steinbeck and family
1st edition coverHowever, he made a fatal mistake when he entrusted his money to a man named Willy Harris, who ran away with the sixty-five hundred dollars. Walter Lee's dream was shattered, and every hope for the future that he ever had was completely destroyed when he lost the money. After the incident, Walter Lee realized what a grave mistake he really made, and how his selfishness made him lose track of the person he really was. In the end, everyone was able to forgive him, and Walter Lee learned how much love and unity still existed in his family.
The second literature we studied was Almost a Woman, which was the story of Esmaralda Santiago (Negi). Negi was a teenager from Puerto Rico, who came to the United States with her mother, and her brothers and sisters. The whole story revolved around Negi and how she was going...