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Walter Younger In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1008 Words5 Pages

“The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue, success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream.” - Azar Nafisi. In the book “A RAISIN IN THE SUN”, we learn a lot about the hope of others to accomplish their dreams. The Younger family in this book have many dreams that rely on the money of one of their deceased relatives, but Walter Younger takes a bad decision that destroys some of those dreams. Walter Younger is an obdurate person who is trying to achieve the American dream and get a better life for his family. Walter Younger is the annihilator of dreams in the Younger family. Walter Younger destroyed his sister’s dream of becoming a doctor, “No! I sound like a human being who just had her future taken right out of her hands! According to Beneatha, …show more content…

That money was the core of all the dreams in the younger family, and now it is gone. Walter Younger is the irresponsible person in the family. Walter is irresponsible because“… [He] ain’t been to work for three days! ”, according to Ruth. Walter has been skipping work and going to a bar to drink instead of following his responsibilities. Walter Younger is the black sheep in the family. As Walter says, “I want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy…. Mama- Look at me”. Walter is unlike everyone else in the family; he does not just have one dream but has many dreams. Walter is a person full of dreams, and he desires to strive for success. Walter wants to be different from all the African American people because,” … [African Americans are] all tied up in a race of people that don’t know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies!” Walter believes that his race is full of people that are not important, and that they are just a big group of useless people. Walter wants to be unlike the rest of the African Americans, and

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In the beginning Walter is basically perceived as a jerk-he doesn’t seem to get along with anyone, not even his own family. His character likes to turn discussions into fights, make rude comments to his wife, and act all around immature. A part that accurately shows the way Walter conducts himself is when he is arguing with Ruth and says “Man say: I got to change my life , I'm choking to death, baby! And his woman say- Your eggs is getting cold!”

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Racism plays a big part in the book, this makes him act differently. When Walter was young he tried hanging a young black kid with older kids. Growing up in life, Walter starts seeing whites has a better chance of succeeding in life then blacks do. Back then most southern schools only accepted whites, all blacks, must apply for a “negro” school.

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Walter is the ”man of the house” and the main man in the book, and with this he shows us the most toxic masculinity and what the roles of a man are viewed as. He has a certain view on women, even his wife, and does not truly respect them. He still believes he has a right to the money just because he is the only man in the house and is the only one who can make a good decision with the money. While talking to his son about a business deal he was going to make and how it was going to change their lives, he said, “... secretaries getting things wrong the way they do…”

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A Raisin In The Sun Quote Analysis

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This quote vividly portrays Walter's ambitious aspirations, symbolizing his determination to reach for the stars and achieve something extraordinary for his family. Moreover, his dreams aren't just about himself, they're about breaking the cycle of struggles his family has faced for years.

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Despite intending to improve his family’s financial situation, he disregards their collective desires and ends up losing money that wasn’t his in the first place. This decision highlights Walter’s flawed judgment and contributes to his attributes that make him an anti-hero because his actions bring up negative consequences despite their intentions. Later in the story, the family is planning to move into a neighborhood despite it being primarily white people. Walter and his family are told that they are not wanted in the neighborhood because they are black. A committee within the neighborhood offers them money to not move into the house, but the Youngers know that taking that money would be giving into the idea that they are inferior.

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Walter Lee and her family disapproved of her becoming a doctor as it was not so common for women at the time to be doctors, Walter’s disapproval was reflected heavily when he says “Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people- then go be a nurse like other women- or just get married and be quiet…” (Hansberry 38) Hansberry shows with this line what the perception of women was back in the 1950’s , and how it was almost impossible for young black women to achieve their dreams, but Beneatha wanted to pursue her dream whether her education was paid by Mama’s money or not. At the end of the play when she finds out the Walter Lee lost all the money that was supposed to be saved for her future medical education.

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It shows this because Walter diminishes his sisters Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor by making a misogynist comment in which insinuates on her settling on being a nurse due to a doctor clearly being an often male dominant profession. Furthermore, Walter is deluded by greed on opening a liquor store which causes him to have no regard for the feelings or desires of others. Clearly, the central idea of the text is that in trying to achieve a dream it can bring out a person selfish tendency because people tend to disparage others dreams in order to attain theirs. The author 's use of conflict is important to the developing the central idea that oneself can become selfish when trying to obtain the American dream because it creates tension.

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He wants to be a businessman and own a liquor store. He wants to be able to provide for his family and give them what they have never had. Walter also wants to take his mother’s position as the head of the house and make the financial decisions for the family. Walter can be seen as selfish as instead of putting the money for him and his sister in the bank he uses it all and loses it trying to fulfill his own dreams with no regard to his sister’s dreams or the rest of the family’s.

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He is hitting the white man’s nineteen fifties social ceiling, yet wants to go past that and max out at his own status ceiling. One reason Walter acts the way he acts could possibly be because of his environment, in Act 1 Scene 1, Walter is talking to Ruth about the insurance money and how he wants to invest in a liquor store. Ruth shut him down by saying “ eat your eggs”(Hansberry 1547). Ruth is trying to tell Walter to “walk the line” and do what you have always done, don’t try new things and possibly dig the family into a deep hole, Walter does not like this response from

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A Raisin In The Sun Pride Analysis

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Walter goes into immediate denial, making excuses for where Willy, their second business partner, could be with the money. He continues on until he realizes “THAT MONEY IS MADE OUT OF MY [HIS] FATHER’S FLESH-” (128) and he had lost it all; he felt he lost his chance of pursuing a better life now that he had even lost his father’s support. His false pride is severely injured up until he is struck with an idea which he believes could save the family. He abruptly calls Mr.Lindner, who he had originally turned away, and tells him to come by because he wants to take his offer of being paid to not move into the new house.

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At one point in the story, Mama decides to give Walter the money to support his business because she felt as if she owed Walter. But, she

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Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor, is often affected by some of her family members’ decisions. She begins to lose hope, thus enabling her to become a realist.

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Walter is also not bound by the constraints of society as he dreams of owning a business and becoming wealthy, something that is characterized as outlandish by society due to his ethnicity. Hanberry again highlights the dastardliness of assimilation, as the rest of Walter’s family, constrained by the beliefs of society, discourage his pursuits. However, Walter does not submit himself to society either, Hanberry hints at this when she has Walter join Beneatha in her African, “anti-assimilation” dance. Although unlike Beneatha Walter’s dream and the persistence of his hope not only impact himself, but his son, Travis, as well.

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Why Is A Dream Deferred In Raisin In The Sun

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He has a wife, Ruth, a sister, Beneatha, a mama, Lena, and a son, Travis. His ultimate dream is to illegally sell liquor with a couple of his friends so he can become the main provider for his family and give them a better life. Walter’s father has recently passed away and the family is waiting on an insurance check of ten thousand dollars. Walter says, “Yeah. You see, this liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand

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Walter was introduced as a man who cared about nothing other than his business. He had sacrificed his sister’s dream of becoming a doctor, and held the power to wipe out Mama’s dream for a better home. Walter sees the gender roles as boundaries keeping him from loosening up to his family. He is given the insight that men must be powerful, wealthy, and demanding for them to truly be the head of the household. However, Walter sees past these gender roles, and not only challenges these rigid roles, but he also regains his family’s trust along the

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