Betrayal In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

People may often be far too familiarized with the trials of betrayal from those they trust most. In the play A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry exhibits several acts of deception. One character commits one of the most front facing acts of betrayal. Walter Lee Younger, a simple family man holds a dark side . He betrays the trust his family has placed into him with the remainder of a check his mother chose to give him.
Walter lives with his mother, sister, wife and child Travis. After the receival of a life insurance check from the deceased Walter Lee Senior, Mama makes a decision to give it to Walter to make him feel like the man of the house. She places endless trust into her son; she gives him the money that is needed for his sisters school, and the house payments. She has high hopes Walter would not let her down by the use of it for something that goes against her values. Unfortunately, as he receives the money one can see how hastily he works to use it for a meer liquor store as he confesses his wrongdoings: “Mama… I never went to the bank at all… It’s all gone.” (Hansberry 129). Prior to this moment, Mama had asked Walter to

set some of the money aside for Beneatha's schooling; this was clearly not done.
This act of betrayal also lets one see how the other characters change under this newfound stress.

Mama is usually seen as an affable and nurturing character, but when she discovers Walter’s use of the money her husband works so hard for her patience towards him snaps, “(... Mama stops and looks at her son without recognition and then, quite without thinking about it, starts to beat him senselessly in the face.)” (Hansberry 129). Most would be appalled to see a mother beat her own son; however, her anger had taken her conscience at this point. One will also see an interaction between Walter and his sister Beneatha as she says to Mama: “That is not a man. That is nothing but a toothless rat.” (Hansberry 144) The siblings have mild scuttles before he gives away the money, but nothing quite at the audacity of this specific

betrayal.
Therefore, the betrayal contributes to the work as a whole by pushing the conflict even further. The Younger family already has little to no wealth; as a result, the loss of this money is detrimental to them. Throughout the whole story, one will see Walter seamlessly mope about his lack of ability to ‘be a man’ and open his liquor store. When an opportunity finally arrives for Walter, he betrays his family in turn by giving away the money that Mamas husband worked so desperately for.