Ruth Younger Quotes

“RUTH (sincerely, but also self-righteously): Now that's your money. It ain't got nothing to do with me. We all feel like that— Walter and Bennie and me—even Travis. MAMA (thoughtfully, and suddenly very far away): Ten thousand dollars — RUTH: Sure is wonderful. MAMA: Ten thousand dollars. RUTH: You know what you should do, Miss Lena? You should take yourself a trip somewhere. To Europe or South America or someplace — …” (Act, 1 scene, 1). Ruth Younger a young wife and mother finds herself living the typical life of any other woman in the 50’s. Apart from having to support and help her family she had to work. She is an african american woman who worked as a housemaid for a white woman because she needed and wanted to help her family financially.

Like any other wife at the time, she also had to take care of what goes on in her house. Ruth one day while speaking with Lena about her children, begins to feel sick but does not tell Lena. Soon Lena notices and says “ That song always lifts me up so- (She turns at last to see that RUTH has stepped quietly to the floor, in a state of semi consciousness) Ruth! Ruth honey- what’s the matter with you . . . Ruth!” (Act,1 scene,1). Since Ruth is constantly working and rarely rests she fainted, but she did not want to rest because she knew she needed to work at home and take care of her family. Later in the book Ruth finds out she is pregnant but her relationship with her husband Walter is not seeing a bright future because of the constant arguments about money. Since they are still living in the small apartment Ruth decides that it is best if she aborts the baby. Abortion in her time was something very dangerous and it was very hard for Ruth to give up her baby. All along Walter still has no idea that his wife is expecting, and when he is informed by his mother Lena the plan that Ruth has for their baby walter does not seem to understand why. So Lena tells him the answer to almost all the reasons Ruth does what she does which is “MAMA: When the world gets ugly enough —a woman will do anything for her family. The part that's already living.” (Act, 2 scene,1). It is shown here

Walter and Beneatha had a different perspective on almost everything and rarely agreed. One of the things Ruth and Lena had in common was that they had children and understood what it is to be a mother. Ruth knew how much Lena hated her children fighting, so she tried to minimize the times they did so. But we can also see how Ruth had problems on her own, other than her family. She was pregnant and wanted to abort, because of the conditions they were in. When the opportunity came to get their own house Ruth said she was willing to work more and help as much as she could. Although she knew she was pregnant she was willing to make the sacrifice, but she also had the plan to abort. After Walter was inform of this it was like his world was falling apart even more, and because he was the “man” of the house maybe getting a house would not be possible. If Ruth had decided to abort her relationship with her husband would have most likely ended. But because she was strong and always had the best intentions for her family she was able to achieve her dream of getting a house with enough room for her whole family. This shows many people that although it might, in some way be easier to give up, it is best to push a little harder and aim for better things. In conclusion Ruth, with the many difficulties that were thrown her way