Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1117 Words5 Pages
Is Walter ideas of the American dream, hindering him? Does his ideology put tension on his relationships within his family? “A Raisin in the Sun” is a story about an African American family facing many diversities in the south side of Chicago. One of the main characters, Walter who is the son of Mama has wild dreams for his family. Mama inherits ten thousand dollars from her husband’s passing, all throughout the house view this money as a key and all want to spend it differently. Throughout the play, his views and relationships with his friends and family are revealed. Walter idea of the American dream is very different from the rest of his family. However, Mama wants to buy a house and keep the family going and furthermore, Beneatha who is…show more content…
Mama who is the matriarch of the family wants Walter to man up and be the man of the house, not be immature and try to take risky decisions. Mama says, “Walter – what you ain’t never understood is that I ain’t got nothing, don’t own nothing, ain’t never really wanted nothing that wasn’t for you. … There ain’t nothing worth holding on to, money, dreams, nothing else – if it means – if it means it’s going to destroy my boy …. I’m telling you to be the head of this family from now on like you supposed to be.” (Hansberry 106). Walter is immature he clearly cares more about his half way ideas with his friends instead of taking head of the household; they just want him to step up. Walters’s family does not trust his friends to begin with the ones whose idea it is to start a business, but Walter being an ambitious pushes them off and continues to take his risky route. Ruth says to Mama, “Ain’t nobody business people till they go into business. Walter Lee say colored people ain’t never going to start getting ahead till they start gambling on some different kinds of things in the world – investments and things.” (Hansberry 42). Ruth is talking about Walter gambling the insurance money to invest in a liquor store. Walter is ambitious but to what cost, he rather risk his family future on something that is not set in stone, unlike a house Mama wants to buy. Walter steps he takes to obtain the American dream…show more content…
Walter only cares about himself unless it pertains to his son Travis, but then again he puts on an image for his son, portraying something that his is not, which is also a selfish act. Walter says to Ruth “Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs. Man say: I got to take hold of this here world, baby! And a woman will say: Eat your eggs and go to work. Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby! And his woman say – Your eggs is getting cold!” (Hansberry 33). This shows Walter selfishness, saying he has a dream and no one wants to listen to him, he feels hindered by his wife. Walter is also showing gender inequalities, he is saying that Ruth or woman are holding men back, only caring about physical things and not caring about the big picture, which is very selfish. Ruth stands by Walter, but Walter has blinders on he only cares about his self-interest. Walter in the play also has an apparent self-hatred for how Beneatha is treated. Walter feels he should be more entitled than Beneatha. Walter says to Beneatha “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). Walter is talking about his own self-interest, the insurance money. He does not want Beneatha to attend schooling to become
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