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A Raisin In The Sun Consequential Actions Essay

732 Words3 Pages

Consequential Actions in A Raisin in the Sun Most people seem to forget that their actions can have a negative effect on others' feelings. In the book, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, the Youngers receive a life insurance check after Walter Sr., the patriarch of the family, dies. The family debates on what to spend it on, and agrees to split it. Walter then steals his sister's money, invests it all, and loses their money. The whole family is really angry at Walter. Lorraine Hansberry explores how one person's actions can have a negative effect on others through the characters of Walter, Beneatha, and Mama. Walter Younger shows how his actions negatively affect others. He shows this by investing all of Big Walters life insurance losing it. Mama responds in anger and disappointment saying, “I seen . . . him . . . night after night . . . come in . . . and look at that rug . . . and then look at me . . . the red showing in his eyes . . . the veins moving in his head . . . I seen him grow thin and old before he was forty . . . working and working and working like somebody’s old horse . . . killing himself . . . and you --- you give it all away in a day ---” …show more content…

In the story, Mama puts Walter in charge of handling the Life Insurance which turns out to be a big mistake. This action makes Beneatha very unhappy, and although Mama expresses anger at Walter, she can be blamed for not handling the situation herself. The negative effect of this decision is shown through the character of Beneatha, who cries and complains to her boyfriend Asagai. “Too many things --” she says, “too many things have happened today. I must sit down and think.” (Hansberry 119) This is Beneatha expressing that she is stressed out. Needing to sit down and think is usually a way people can handle themselves in stressful situations. She is trying to cool down, and debrief her

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