A Raisin In The Sun Quote Analysis

What would I do if I was handed a ten thousand dollar check? My goal would be to turn that ten thousand dollar check and turn it into a one million dollar check. That is also the same for the character Walter Lee in the play A Raisin in the Sun. Walter is being blinded by the potential growth of money he can have by investing in a liquor store. Since Walter is the man of the house, there is a lot of stress on his shoulders to support his family. Greed overflows Walter’s blood when he smelt the chance to buy the liquor store and his strong sense of pride would make him not to listen to anybody else. Walter would begin to only think about the potential future he can have from the money he made at the liquor store. Consequently, this leads to

conflict in his family’s relationship and also his mental mind.

Lorraine Hansberry uses the character Walter Lee to show the audience that pride can have a positive and a negative effect on a person.

To start off, since Walter is the oldest male in the house, his decisions are responsible for the whole family and he dignifies that he needs to make smarter decisions. One part where Walter identifies that he needs to make an important decisions is when Linder offered the Younger family money for them to move out of the neighborhood. Linder thought that the Younger does not belong to an environment where a majority of the population in the neighborhood is white, and he advise them is was the best interest for them to move out. As the man of the house, Walter politely declined the offer because he knew that this was the chance for the Younger family to be happy and to prosper. For instance “… what I mean is that we come from people who had a lot of pride. I mean – we are very proud people. And that’s my sister over there and she’s

going to be a doctor – and we are very proud,” (Hansberry 885.) this quote shows identifies that Walter accepted the role to be responsible for the family. He knew how much the house meant to the family because it was an opportunity away from poverty. But on the other hand, before Walter recognized that his decisions affected others, Walter has committed irresponsible decisions that he thought what’s best for him and not the whole family. During the near end of the play, after Mama gives the remainder of the check to Walter. Mama specifically instruct Walter that half of the money is his authority and the other half belongs to Beneatha’s college tuition. But Walter spent his and Beneatha’s college tuition money on the liquor store. Eventually, Walter lost the entire money because Willy Harris ran off with the check. Walter’s pride went overdrive and blinded him to make the right decisions because he was distracted of the hunger of wealth.
Next, Walter’s strong sense of pride drives him to be a better person but also can affect him in a negative way. Walter works as a chauffeur and he is tired of driving someone around town. But it is a motivation to Walter to work harder because even though he has a job, Walter is not satisfied because he knows that he is capable of better things. It inspires Walter that one day he will make enough money to buy two cars and a house. Also Walter’s strong pride can also hurt him. Walter is described to be lean intense young man. He always looks angry and has erratic speech movement. Walter feels desperate that he is his late thirties, but things are not resolving in the way he wants it to be. Walter envisions one picture and he is confident that it will work out as he planned to but his family thinks of another and this would lead to conflict in the family’s relationship because Walter believes that no one is supporting his plans. For instance, Walter and Ruth is talking about the incoming check and Walter explained his idea of the liquor store. But Ruth believes that it is not the right of Walter to decide what to do with the money since it belongs to Mama and she does not want to deal with the check anymore. In result, Walter believes that no one understands him. In this quote said by Walter to Ruth “You tired ain’t you? Tired of everything. Me, the boy, the way we live this beat up hole everything. Ain’t you. So tired moaning and groaning all the time, but you wouldn’t do nothing to help would you? You couldn’t be on my side that long for nothing, could you” (Hansberry 854.) illustrates that his pride in conflicting with the family. It is a sign where Walter is taking the liquor store in extreme because it is hurting his family’s relationship.
Last but not least, Walter Lee wants to be a role model for Travis and he set his standards high to be a good parent. In the beginning of the play, Travis begs his mother Ruth for money to participate in a school event. But Ruth declined, reasoning that they do not have enough money to spend on unnecessary stuff. Walter does not want to disappoint his son, so he gives Travis the fifty cents and sees his boy in full of joy. But Walter sacrificed his money for the bus fare and gave it to Travis. This quote “In fact, here’s another fifty cents… Buy yourself some fruit today – or take a taxicab to school or something” (Hansberry 836.) shows that Walter will sacrifice anything to make his boy happy. Another part where Walter wants to be a good role model to Travis is giving him advices on life. In the middle of the play, Walter sits with Travis and they talk about the future. Walter gives motivation to Travis about that he can achieve anything in life as long as his mind is focused and determined. Walter says to Travis, “Just tell me where you want to go to school and you’ll go. Just tell me what do you want to be - and you’ll be it- Yessir. You just name is son and I’ll hand you the world,” (Hansberry 844.) this example shows Walter giving Travis life advices to guide him to the path to be successful.
In conclusion, many people in modern day society can relate to the character Walter Lee.

Majority of the population is independent and they all want to strive for greatness. In result, they set their standards high and also their pride. Everyone has a big responsibility and everybody also fantasize about their future. That is the same for the character Walter Lee also. Walter has a big responsibility because he is the man of the house. He has a big burden because it is his responsibility to take care of the family. But his drive and pride will not let him down, it will actually help him. Overall, Walter Lee is a very aggressive person who is looking for success and his pride can affect him in a positive or negative

way.