“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in awhile and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy” (Lorimer). Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun is about the Youngers, an African- American family, who discovers that money is not the most significant thing in life. The setting takes place in a crowded, run-down apartment on the southside of Chicago during the 1950s. Throughout the story, there are various conflicts that uprise when the family finds out that they would be receiving a life insurance check of $10,000. Everyone in the family has their own idea of what they would want to do with it, if it was up to them (Cooper). Whether it is taking a risk through …show more content…
Walter Lee is a thirty-five-year-old African-American man who believes wealth is the answer to his feelings of despair and unhappiness as an employee of a dead-end job (Austin). Furthermore, Walter dreams about the way money would increase his social standing and allow him to get the material needed to follow his dream of running a liquor store (Austin). With his low-paying job as a chauffeur, Walter is constantly frustrated with his inability to provide financially as the man of the house, causing his self-esteem to deteriorate. Walter is so blinded by his lust for money that he cannot see beyond the fact that he “wants so many things” (Cooper). Moreover, his lust of money leads him to act upon his selfish feelings while not thinking about the needs of his family. To illustrate, Walter was given $6,500 from Mama and $3,000 of it was to be put in the bank for Beneatha’s education. But selfishly, Walter chooses to put all $6,500 of it toward his liquor store …show more content…
Beneatha’s dream for the money is to use it as a way to fund her medical schooling, which embodies her desire to overcome racism and sexism (Austin). However, as a consequence of Walter losing the money, Beneatha’s dreams are crushed before her eyes. As her dreams are deteriorating, she finds her lifelong goals changing. For example, Beneatha states, “I wanted to cure. It used to be so important to me...but it doesn’t seem deep enough, close enough to what ails mankind! It was a child’s way of seeing things” (Cooper). Without the money, Beneatha creates new view of life and decides that being a doctor will not fix the corruptness of mankind. But as she is losing hope, Asagai, one of Beneatha’s college friends, states, “Then isn’t there something wrong in a house--in a world-- where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of a man? I never thought to see you like this” (Cooper). Furthermore Asagai reminds Beneatha that happiness and successful dreams do not depend on money. Also, Asagai tells her to be grateful for Walter’s mistake because it helped her realize how selfish she has been acting. Before Walter lost the money, she was only focused and concerned about her dreams and how she would achieve them. But now, she realizes that she was blinded by money and she had forgotten about real problems like those in the stories Asagai told her.
While Mama is talking to Walter, she asks him why he always talks about money. "Mama: Oh--So now it's life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life--now it's money. I guess the world really do change . . . Walter: No--it was always money, Mama. We just didn't know about it." Walter thinks that the world revolves around money. He wants to believe that if his family were rich they would have perfect lives. This isn't true though, and Mama knows it. She knows that no matter how much money Walter has, he will never be happy unless he has a family that loves him. Before Walter goes out to invest in the liquor store he has a talk with his son. "Walter: You wouldn't understand yet, son, but your daddy's gonna make a transaction . . . a business transaction that's going to change our lives. . . ." Walter thinks that this transaction will make their lives better. What he doesn't realize is that he already has a good life and he doesn't need more money to make him happy. He should be grateful for what he has instead of worrying about money.
He struggles every day to achieve his dream of getting more money. When the $10,000 check came in, it was his shot at success. His mother gave him a big chunk of it and he invested it in a liquor store and lost the money. After that, Walter became very depressed. He had lost the trust and respect of his family.
Walter’s quote stated this; "Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy- five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be 'bout thirty thousand, see. That be ten thousand each. Course, there's a couple of hundred you got to pay so's you don't spend your life waiting for them clowns to let your license get approved." This shows that he needs approval from his family because he is telling Ruth about him wanting to start the bar and the amount of money he needs to start the bar. Mama finally decides to give Walter part of the check to put in the bank for their family needs. "I want you to take this money and take three thousand dollars and put it in a savings account for Beneatha's medical schooling. The rest you put in a checking account with your name on it. And from now on any penny that come out of it or that go in it is for you to look after For you to decide.
At first, the family viewed the insurance money as a distant entity, much like the dreams of Beneatha and Walter. Beneatha, the independent sister of the family, had dreams of becoming a doctor one day. She felt as though being a doctor “was truly being God” (133). To her, as a doctor, she would not only miraculously cure people and save lives like God, but she would also finally reach a level of divine respect. Much like God has control over all living beings, Beneatha viewed her medical degree as the key to having complete control over her own life. Once she had obtained her degree, her life would take an abrupt turn for the better. Without her degree, Beneatha feels as
Mama only spent $3,500 out of the $10,000 from the insurance check, she decides to give Walter the leftover money, so he could “be the head of this family from now on” (107). Walter takes this matter upon himself and decides to “make a transaction” (108) that will “change our lives” (108). Walter then, takes all the money he is given by Mama and “never went to the bank at all” (129), he then gives all of the $6,500 to Willy Harris, who was trusted by both men, left with all of Walter and Bobo’s money. Mama, who is very upset by this, hits Walter for giving all the money away. Mama then turns to God for “strength” (130). Mama is a Christian woman and, despite her struggles, remains faithful.
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
Beneatha’s dream is revealed because nearly everything Beneatha does is because she wants to be a doctor. Beneatha’s barrier is that she is dependent on others to fulfill her dream. In act 3, Asagai says: “But did you earn it? Would you have had it at all if your father had not died?” (135). Beneatha begins to understand that the money was never hers. Asagai declares in act 3: “Then isn’t there something wrong in a house – in a world – where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death on the death of a man?” (135). After Asagai says this, Beneatha realizes she can’t depend on her father’s life insurance to become a doctor. Ruth and Beneatha both have major barriers keeping them from their
Throughout the play, Walters and Beneatha’s views on wealth clash because according to Walter, money is the answer to all of their issues while Beneatha constantly reminds him that the money was mama’s and she could do whatever she wants with it whenever he pressed on about buying the liquor store. In scene two of act two, after mama gives Walter the money, Walter explains to his son Travis in a long speech how he will invest the money and what kind of life they will live once the business is successful, this also included sacrificing Beneatha’s school money. This speech also shows Walters “American Dream”. Unfortunately, Walter trusted the wrong man with his money and ended up losing it all.
To start off, Walter’s obsession with money is going to cost him a lot since it is the only thing he cares about. In the beginning, Walter starts out by only caring only about himself, but towards the end, he starts to care for everyone else as well. This shows that Walter is a selfish person. As Walter Lee states to Ruth, “Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be ‘bout thirty thousand, see” is the dream that Walter Lee has for himself (Hansberry 33). Walter wants the money that the Younger family is getting from the insurance company to buy the liquor store. He thinks that the liquor store will make them rich and the family would not have to struggle anymore. At the end, Walter changes his whole point of view towards the insurance money. Walter declares to Mr....
Walter Sr. was Walter and Beneathas father he died and his wife mama received ten thousand dollar for life insurance. Walter wants the whole ten thousand dollars for himself and put it down on the liquor store. But Beneatha wants to go to medical school and be a doctor. Walter thinks that it is selfish of Beneatha that she wants to attend medical school because he then wouldn't get all of the money for the liquor store. Beneatha "that money belongs to Mama, Walter, and its for her to decide how she wants to use it. I don't care if she wants to buy a house or a rocket ship or just nail it up somewhere and look at it. It's hers. Not ours hers." Mamas getting all the money and it is up to her if she wants the money for herself give it to Beneatha for school or give it to Walter for the liquor store. Now that it is getting closer to the date in which the money will arrive. Walter is acting more and more desperate for that money.
When Walter loses his "sister's school money," the consequences are widespread and Beneatha sees that dream diminish before her eyes. She sees her slipping through Walter's fingers and finds her lifelong goals changing. From the days of her childhood, she has longed "to be a doctor" and "fix up the sick." While her family and friends do not understand Beneatha's dream, she continues longing for the education she needs to create a successful life she desires rather than one where she is waiting "to get married.
After buying a house, Mama gives the remaining money to Walter, telling him to save some for Beneatha’s medical school, and that he can decide what the rest of the money can go to. Walter tells Travis that he is going to change their lives with the money: “One day...I’ll pull up on the driveway...just a plain black chrysler… though I’ll have to get something a little sportier for Ruth---maybe a Cadillac convertible...and I‘ll go inside...to see you sitting on the floor with the catalogues of the great in America all around you… just tell me what it is you want to be---… and I hand you the world!” (108-109). Walter fantasizes about owning classy cars and being able to pay for his son to go to any of the top-notch schools in America. His visions for the future reveal that his perception of reality is unrealistic and that wealth matters very much to him. He is very confident that he will be able to give Travis “the world”, which shows that he has excessive faith in his business deal. His delusions and excitement can hinder his ability to make calculated decisions. Without saving any money for Beneatha’s medical school, Walter gives the money to his friend, Willy, to invest in liquor stores. The next day, Walter’s other friend, Bobo, visits Walter to tell him that Willy ran off with the money. Walter melts down and yells, “Man, I put my life in your
Beneatha’s dream is to become a doctor. She believes that her dream was deferred when she was born since she is coloured and a female. Although she fights this, her dream is deferred even more when Walter looses the money which she needed to get into medical school.
An Analysis of A Raisin In the Sun & nbsp; "A Raisin In The Sun" is a play written by an African-American playwright - Lorraine Hansberry. It was first produced in 1959. Lorraine Hansberry's work is about a black family in the Chicago South Side. the Second World War. The family consisted of Mama(Lena Younger), Walter.
Beneatha is Mama's youngest child. She aspires to become a doctor. Mama wants Beneatha to become what she wants so she decided to put aside some of the insurance money for Beneatha's schooling. Beneatha struggles as a young independent woman who has yet to find her identity. She finds herself trying new hobbies and dating two very different men. During a conversation with one of those men, Asagai, Beneatha is forced by Asagai to realize that she is not very independent at all. In fact she has been depending on the insurance money to get her through school. After this realization, Beneatha gains thoughts on how to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor (Kohorn). She presents her mother with her decision of getting married and how she "plans to find her roots in Africa" with Asagai (Silver).