People can often change their existing character traits when they realize what they need to do in order to reach their aspirations. Whether it is a high schooler who wants to improve their confidence in order to get a job or a CEO who wants to be more understanding towards her employees, they may try to change how they act to achieve their goals. How people change after having an epiphany is often explored in literature such as Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun. Although the main character, Walter, was initially selfish and irresponsible, he realizes that in order to become a provider and head of the family he needs to become responsible and uphold his dignity.
Throughout the majority of the play, Walter is selfish and irresponsible
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as he tries to pursue his dream of owning a liquor store. The Younger family is poor, but when Mama’s husband dies she receives an insurance check for $10,000. The windfall of insurance money becomes a source of tensions throughout the family as they decide what to do with it. At first, Walter asks for the money and upon not receiving it, he proceeds to mope around in a self destructive manner. He goes out drinking and bickering with people, leading to trouble with work and undermining relationships with his family such as fighting with his wife, sister, and mother as he feels they do not share his vision and dream and do not want to understand him. Mama then goes out and buys a house with the money to “ safeguard her family” and “escape the tensions that plague them”(Anderson) after she sees that their family was going on a downward spiral from the arising conflicts that Walter created. Regardless of everybody’s wishes own a new house, Walter selfishly wants the money for himself so that he can pursue his dream of opening a liquor store. Out of his frustration of feeling emasculated and money-less he resorts to making Mama feel guilty for killing his dream by buying a house with the money he wants by telling her, “So you butchered up a dream of mine-- you-- who always talking ‘bout your children’s dreams…” (Hansberry 95). Even though he then receives Mama’s remaining $6000 with the condition that he “take[s] three thousand dollars and put[s] it into a savings account for Beneatha’s medical schooling”(Hansberry 107), he foolishly invests all $6000 by giving it to his friend Willy Harris. He irresponsibly trusts Willy Harris to get a license to open the store, but Willy runs away, stealing all of the money. Although Walter was planning for his dream to become a wise investment that would increase his family’s financial state, his irresponsible and selfish actions left him and his family at a low with more tensions from the money gone than before. Even though Walter was selfish and irresponsible, he has always wanted to be a provider and the head of his family.
When he says “I’m thirty-five years old; I been married eleven years and I got a boy who sleeps in the living room --- and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live”(Hansberry 34), he shows that he is ashamed that he cannot provide for his son and give him something more. Walter despises the rich white people because they have money that he does not and he believes money “is life”(Hansberry 74). “Although he denounces wealthy people who consider themselves superior [he] is willing to use flattery to make the wealthy assist him, and he wants to give his son a better life,” (Sova) showing that Walter is willing to do anything he can, despite his beliefs, to become the provider for his family and give his son a better life. When he first attempts to take control and become the head of his family, he plans to act like a stereotypical crazy black man that is portrayed in movies to get money by selling their newly obtained house to back to the white neighborhood that did not want them to move in in the first place. Although selling the new house would bring an income to his family, it would stip them of their dignity as they would succumb to the white people’s racist ideals as they did not want black people living in their neighborhood. Even Mama questions Walter’s choice of losing his dignity by stating, “You won’t have nothing left then, Walter Lee” (Hansberry 144). Although selling the house back to the white neighborhood would strip Walter of his dignity, he believes that receiving money and selling the house, in turn losing his dignity, is the only way he can become a provider for his
family. Walter then realizes that in order to be a provider for his family and the man of the house he desires to be, he needs to become responsible and keep his dignity. When he had to speak with a white man who was to buy the house back into the white neighborhood, Walter at first looked “like a small boy, looking down at his shoes and then back up at the man” (Hansberry 147), indicating his unsure and shameful for his not yet demonstrated plan to act like a crazy black person to sell his house. As nobody stood up to speak for Walter, all of the responsibility to make a decision, like the head of a family, shifted onto him. He then decides to prove his responsibility and accept being the head of the house as he ditches his plan to sell the house and states, “We have decided to move into our house [...] and we will try to be good neighbors” (Hansberry 148). By changing his plans, Walter gets to keep his dignity and as he says that his family will try to be good neighbors, he attempts to show that his family is not meant to intrude the white people who do not want black people in their neighborhood, however his family will keep their dignity and not succumb to the racist ideals of white people. Throughout the play A Raisin in the sun, Lorraine Hansberry demonstrated that although Walter was initially selfish and irresponsible, in order to become a provider and the head of his family, he realises that he needs to become responsible and uphold his dignity. Whether it is a teenager gaining confidence to receive a job or a CEO becoming more understanding towards her employees, people can often change the way they act to reach their aspirations and desires.
Mama talks to Walter about her fears of the family falling apart. This is the reason she bought the house and she wants him to understand. Walter doesn't understand and gets angry. "What you need me to say you done right for? You the head of this family. You run our lives like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what you need for me to say it was all right for? So you butchered up a dream of mine - you - who always talking 'bout your children's dreams..." Walter is so obsessive over money that he yells at his mom for not giving him all of it. He doesn't know that what his mom is doing is for the family. He thinks that having money will make the family happy, when in reality the family doesn't need anymore than what they have to be happy.
that a discontented individual is often unable to take ownership of his life until he realizes that he must set a good example for his children. Walter is a protagonist who seems to only care about himself. He is really dependent on his mama's huge insurance check. Walter wants his mama's check so he and Willy Harris can open up a bar. This character continues to go down the wrong path until something tragic happens.
Walter decided he wanted all the money from his dead father’s insurance money in order to start up a liquor store, selling alcohol. In his mind, the money not only meant the means to survive, but rather, as a way to have power. Just like Beneatha thought becoming a doctor would earn her respect, Walter felt as though getting extremely rich would earn him all the respect in the world. With his current job, he states all he does is “open and close car doors all day long. [He] drive[s] a man around in his limousine and [he] say[s], ‘Yes; sir; no sir; very good sir; shall I take the Drive, sir?’” He adamantly states that “that ain’t no kind of job… that ain’t nothing at all” (73). Walter feels as though his job as a chauffeur makes him inferior to the white man, so he doesn’t even consider being a chauffeur as a job. In his mind, being a chauffeur possibly can be as horrible and undermining as being a slave would have been for his
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
People go through a change when influences are made upon them. In the play, A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry published in 1959 focuses on what life was like for the Younger family during the 1950s. During this decade there was two sides, the good and the bad, like two sides of a coin, they’re different on each side but they’re one of the same kind. They faced many issues such as discrimination, unequal rights, and financial problems. Throughout the play the three characters who undergo change the most are Walter, Beneatha, and Mama.
Walter wants the best for his family and he thinks the liquor store will provide him the financial security needed to boost them out of poverty. "I'm thirty five years old; I've been married eleven years and I got a boy who sleeps in living room (Hansberry 34). best describes the sympathy and compassion Walter feels for his son. Although his family's financial position has a strain on it, Walter doesn't want his son to see him struggle. Even in today?s world, children are very susceptible. Walter displays a selfless characteristic which becomes overshadowed by unwise decisions later in the play. In one particular scene, his son Travis asked both parents for money. Walter acts out of pride by giving Travis his last pocket change. This symbolizes Walter's willingness to be a moral father. In a different situation, Walter would not display his selfish intentions. This behavior can be attributed to working in a degrading, underpaid position and not seeing results. Metaphorically speaking, Walter can be related to the furniture in the small apartment, ?tired and broken in spirit?.
Lauren Oliver once said, “I guess that’s just part of loving people: You have to give things up. Sometimes you even have to give them up” (Good Reads). This quote connects very well to the play, A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry. The quote conveys the message that if one loves someone, one must give things up. A Raisin in the Sun is about an African-American family living in the south side of Chicago in the 1950s. The Younger family is a lower-class family that has been struggling to make their dreams come true. One of the character’s in the play named Walter Lee has been struggling to make his dreams come true. Walter’s changes that are shown tie to the quote written by Lauren Oliver. The changes that are seen in Walter Lee throughout the book, A Raisin in the Sun, reflects the theme that one must sacrifice something for the love and happiness of one’s family.
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.
Walter has a steady, but low paying job and wishes that he could do more for his family. The money he makes hardly provides enough for his family to survive. He is constantly thinking about get rich quick schemes to insure a better life. He doesn’t want to be a poor back man all of his life and wishes that he could fit in with rich whites. He doesn’t realize that people won’t give him the same opportunities, as they would if he were white (Decker). Walter feels that he needs to provide more for his family and starts to ask around on how to make some money. He gets the idea of opening up a liquor store and has his heart set on it. Because he wants to please everybody he loses his better judgment and acts without thinking of the long-term effects. He is ready for a change and feels the store will bring his family a better life (Hyzak). “Mama, a job? I open and close car doors all day long. I drive a man around in his Limousine and say, Yes, sir; no, sir; very good sir; shall I take the drive, sir? Mama, that ain’t no kind of job ... that ain’t nothing at all” ( Hansberry 1755).
Living in a poverty stricken area, Walter can only think about one of the many things he lacks, money. On the contrary, there are African Americans on the other side of Chicago who do have money and run large businesses. This pushes Walter to not only want to provide more for his family, but also dream big and become determined. The only way that he sees fit for him to make his dream come true and earn more
Lorraine Hansberry herself clarified it when she spoke about the play. She states, “We cannot…very well succumb to monetary values and know the survival of certain aspects of man which must remain if we are loom larger than other creatures on the planet….Our people fight daily and magnificently for a more comfortable material base for their lives; they sacrifice for clean homes, decent foods, and personal and group dignity”. (Lester 417). Hansberry used Walter Lee to stand for that exact representation. Many African American men in the 1950’s and the 1960’s suffered pride and personal crisis issues because of the incapability to support and provide his family with the minimum of their basic needs. Walter Lee incriminated himself and his family for what he sees as his personal failure. (Lester 417). During the meeting with Mr. Linder the family, with the exclusion of Mama and Travis, stated that they was not interested in the offer of selling the house back to the welcoming committee of the neighborhood. This showed that the family stood firm for their moral values (dignity) that they share as a collective unit. Then something switch; Walter recklessly invested the family insurance money on a shaky liquor business startup. Feeling that all hope is lost and that his way of changing the family way of life is out of reach, he despairingly call Mr. Linder and
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
The conflict that involves Walter and Mama superficially concerns Mama's receiving an insurance check for ten thousand dollars, which she hasn't yet decided what to do with. Walter has hopes for using the money to invest in a liquor store, with the profits providing him and his family a better quality of life than what they have endured in the past. What really is at stake here, though, is more than money. Mama and Walter have different visions of what happiness is and what life is all about. For Mama, the best thing to do with the money is to make a down payment on a house. This house is to be situated within an all-white neighborhood, and represents assimilation. This is Mama's dream, and the dream ...
Selfish. Hard-headed. These are words that could be used to describe something who only thinks of themselves and doesn’t value the importance of family. In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Walter is an unsatisfied family man who wants to provide the best he can for his family, and learns a very difficult lesson about hardships and family. Walter thinks he is doing what is best for his family, but it is actually ruining his family. He is upset at the fact that he cannot chase his dreams because he is an African American man living in the 1950s. Even though his actions don’t show it he is trying to have the best life for his family that he can provide.
Walter attempts to reinvent himself through his work and relationships to try and provide for his wife and family. Walter is fighting a battle within his household because he believes that Ruth, his wife, “couldn’t be on [his] side that long for nothing,” even though she is just trying to do what is best for everyone involved (Hansberry 32). Walter cannot see past his dream to realize the impact it would have on everyone else if it failed, so he drowns his sorrows in alcohol. Although “he knows the possibility of failure is also a vital part of the American success story” Walter is not just risking his own future, he is risking his child’s, mother’s and sister’s and without a second thought to his personal relationships, he blindly makes an investment on the chance of having the wealth and house he desires for everyone (Washington 98). Walter is so focused on reinventing his work life and having money that he loses sight of his family’s values and ideas. He does not care about Ruth being pregnant and the possibility of aborting their child as long as he can achieve his goals. Walter is living in a dream where he believes that “anyone can become anything he wants to be,” and that is not true in his case with the social and racial standards that are set against him (Washington 95). Walter sees wealth as ensuring happiness and having everything he desires, which is why he is pushing his family so hard for the money, causing issues. Even though all the odds are set against him in this time period, Walter cannot see past being able to provide for his family and having the American Dream that he most