Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Walter Lee is stubborn, very ambitious, and filled with pride at the beginning of the story. He strives for success with the money “Mama,” also known as Lena got from the life insurance from her husband who recently passed away. Walter was so selfish all he wanted was to provide a better life for he and his family because he was not satisfied with their current standards of living. He wants more and wishes to become rich because he believes he never had enough growing up, but at the same time he wants to provide money and societal respect for his family. He put his trust with the money into a person who betrayed him and he ended up losing it all including his sisters schooling money. After this scene in the play Walter was at his lowest point,

When Ruth, Beneatha, and Mama see Walter acting like this, they are shocked and are disappointed in how he is acting. Walter tries to cope with the current situation he is in, and he realizes that his family is by his side and that is what matters to him in that moment.

He is very ambitious and determined in his goals of becoming successful. At the same time he is very immature and naive. He is also very passionate and emotional and this sometimes blocks out his decision making. Walter is dead set on opening up the liquor store in the beginning of the novel and sees it as a way to better the life of his family. In addition he is not content with his current life. His immaturity is revealed when he argues with his adult sister and also when he has frequent emotional breakdowns. An example of his constant fighting with his sister is when he says “You a horrible-looking chick at this hour” (p.35). This displays Walter’s juvenile behavior, since at thirty-five Walter is still fighting with his sister. Walter is like a roller coaster going emotionally up and down. He reaches his highs when he was about to buy the liquor store. Contrary he hits rock bottom when he finds out Willy ran off with the money. Although never said Walter likely suffers from bipolar disorder given his constant mood swings. Nevertheless while the rest of the Younger’s see their lives going down the drain Walter still has optimism and hope. He views the money as a way out the Younger’s current living conditions. Walter was so determined to achieve his dream that he became gullible and naïve and convinced himself that things have to go right, but when they did not he lost his mind. Walter is

Walter Lee Younger a 35 year old man, who lives in a house with his Wife Ruth, Son Travis, Sister Beneatha, and Mother Lena. Walter is greedy, ambitious, and shallow. He obviously shows these characteristics during the play by the way he act towards his family and outsiders. For example, since Walter is unsatisfied with his life he takes it out on Ruth when she was simply just telling him to eat his eggs because they're going to get cold, “ This morning, I was lookin’ in the mirror and thinking about it… 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 to him is stories about how rich white people live.” Walter says selfishly to Ruth after ignoring what is saying. After Walter complains to Ruth about his life she simply says again to him again, “Eat your eggs, Walter.” He became very angry after hearing Ruth repeat this sentence a few times, jumps up, slams on the table and says, “DAMN MY EGGS-- DAMN ALL THE EGGS THAT EVER WAS! This shows that if Walter is not happy then he will make sure that everyone in his family will know. Also, Working for a rich white man as a chauffeur, puts Walter down because he only wishes he could be the person in the back seat. “Honey, you never say nothing new. I listen to you every day, every night, and every morning, and you never say nothing new. So you would rather be Mr. Arnold than be his chauffeur. So-- I would rather be living in Buckingham

Walter lee’s felt also a certain way because he didn’t take the money he felt he was going against his pride and dignity. And because he felt certain things could never be bought. Walter’s son is the biggest motivation for his decision. ..

     Tom and Walter are in similar situations. They are living almost in poverty, and they are denied authority. Walter’s goal is not selfish, in that it is not just for him, but also for the benefit of the entire family.

Because of this Walter has lost his self esteem and will to do anything to make his life better. This is important because it shows that Walter does not have a firm grasp on his own identity.

He is on the most important characters that influenced the plot because of his deportment in the scenes the class has read, deportment is his behavior and manners. Walter became very selfish, he believed that he should have a say with what happens with the insurance money, which accumulates several problems between Walter and all the other characters in the house. In fact, there is a great deal of hostility between Walter, Ruth, and Mama. Walters actions have even threatened Ruth and his marriage. It shows that, as a character Walter is becoming shallow and he is losing family value. In one of his arguments between him and Ruth, Walter exclaimed, “and you turn mine too, baby! That was my biggest mistake.” In these two short sentences Walter is telling Ruth that is biggest mistake was marrying her. With Walter saying this leaves the question, that will Walter and Ruth remain married or are their problems larger than they

Just when Mama was beginning to trust Walter and gives him money to take to the bank, he reveals that he “never went to the bank at all” (129). This shocked Mama and asks, “You mean…you sister’s school money…you used that two…Walter?…” (129); Walter realises what he has done and answers “Yessss! All of it…It’s all gone…” (129), in an ashamed and stressed out tone. Consequently, this makes mama extremely upset she says, “I seen him grow thin and old before he was forty...working and working and working like somebody's old horse...killing himself...and you -you give it all away in a day-” (129). This reveals that Walter betrays Mama, because of his want for money, which Mama would not help him with because of their different

Yessir- whatever you want to be- you name it son! And I?ll hand you the world.? (108-09). Walter?s false confidence allows him to make such a strong promise to Travis. Walter is unable to see that these things he is promising Travis quite easily may not become reality because he is solely focused on his dreams. Therefore, he believes everything he promises as a result of his dream will become a reality. Furthermore, as a result of his sole focus on dreams, Walter is unable to associate himself with decent people. The prime example of this poor association is Willy Harris. At this present time in the novel, Walter is seeing the true extent of his impaired judgment due to focus on his dreams. As he discusses his ?business transaction? with Bobo, one of his colleagues, Walter is unable to see Willy Harris for the true epitomic evil doer he is. As his evident mental block continues, Bobo gives him insight on the growing problem, ??what?s a matter with you, Walter! When a cat takes with your money he don?t leave you no road maps.?? (128). Walter is beginning to learn the consequences of trusting a malevolent man like Willy Harris. Walter is solely focused on his dreams and quite palpably, it was a mistake. His judgment is so impaired, he trusts this man with the money Mama selflessly gives to him and his sister and it instantly vanishes. Finally, Walter is unable to see he is affecting those around him because he is singularly focused on

Walter is a very important character and impacts everybody by his actions and what he says and does. Walter changes a lot throughout the story. He begins to become very hostile and short tempered towards his family. He starts to lose all his family values and only starts to worry and care about the check that is coming in. He says, “did it come?” “will somebody please listen to me today!!!” This shows that he wants everyone to listen to his idea about what he wants to do with the money. While he wants this, he shows no care or regard to anyone else’s ideas or thoughts about it. The quotes show how selfish and rude he is, also it shows how he has lost of all his family’s values because he won’t even listen to anybody else.

When Walter loses the money, his views change. He convinces himself that a man doesn’t need morals, and that the only thing that matters is how

Walter's frustration festers and his anger turns inward towards his family who, in Walters eyes, do not understand him. Walter's family members do understand him and they also want to amass material dreams, but Walter's family members know that it is going to take work to get there.

Did it ever come to your attention that when you really want something bad, it changes your behavior? How it changes in a negative or positive way? Do you think the nature vs nurture debate is what causes Walter’s behavior to change during the time? In the play Walter shows that he is concerned about money and has morality because he’s tired of seeing Travis not have things he needs, he wants to pay to open up a liquor store for him to own and he’s tired of the way his family and himself are living, such as, having to share one bathroom with the rest of the building. It seems pretty tough to be in a situation like this.

What makes a person make a good choice or a bad choice? What influences that person? Is it the people around that person? These are all questions to wonder about, and in the end of the script it is all answered. Walter in “A Raisin in The Sun,” by Lorraine Hansbery, is a character surrounded by women who do not understand him. Over the course of the story, Walter makes many choices that change their lives in the story, because of Ruth, Beneatha, and Mama.