A Raisin In The Sun Greed Quotes

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People can argue that money is the root of all evil, but some claim money unlocks joy. The truth about money is that an object can’t be moral or immoral. Money depends solely on how people tend to use it. People may use money to pursue their dreams and goals, some people have a dream of being wealthy, and this can ultimately lead to greed. Money is also helpful in aiding and supporting people's loved ones. In the play A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry expresses the individual attitudes towards money shown by Walter, Beneatha, and Ruth in order to reveal how money is used by different people for different motives, ultimately concluding that money can be used for positive or careless reasons. In the play A Raisin in the Sun, Walter's selfish …show more content…

In this quote, Walter takes an interest in investing in a liquor store. This quote shows that Walter is selfish and wants to take Big Walter’s money for himself. Walter also proves his greed when he says, “Mama.I never.went to the bank at all.” (Hansberry 129). This confirms Walter's selfishness; he never put Beneatha’s money into the bank. Instead, he decides to put the money in an investment, and he loses the money that doesn’t fully belong to him in the first place. He wanted to invest their money for his own selfish reasons, ultimately ignoring how his family would feel for trusting him with such a big task. In a different way, Beneatha is the complete opposite of Walter. Beneatha replies to Walter talking about the check with, “That money belongs to Mama, Walter, and it's for her to decide how she wants to use it” (Hansberry 36). In this response from Beneatha, it is evident that she is standing up for Mama against Walter, displaying how Beneatha is far from selfish. In another quote, Beneatha says”the insurance money belongs to mama”. Picking on me is not gonna make her give it to you to invest in any liquor stores” (Hansberry …show more content…

Beneatha also has plans on being a doctor, “I’m gonna be a doctor and everybody around here better understands that” (Hansberry 50). Beneatha desires to go to school to become a doctor, yet she still doesn’t want to take the money for herself, and she remains defending her fathers money from Walter. On the other hand, Ruth is a mixture of both Beneatha and Walter. Ruth is selfish in her own way, while still providing and caring for her family. In the play Ruth says to Lena, “You should take yourself on a trip somewhere” (Hansberry 43). It shows that Ruth doesn’t know what Lena wants to do with the money, so instead she recommended what she thought would be enjoyable. After saying that she mentions it again, “I’m serious, just pack up and leave, go on away and enjoy yourself some” (Hansberry 43). Ruth suggesting to Lena that she should go on vacation away from the family is actually showing what Ruth's dream is. In conclusion, money isn’t always the root of all evil. Money is just an object, it can’t make you evil. It’s the greedy people who use money for immoral

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