Raisin in the Sun Dynamic Character Walter

The story “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry portrays a family in conflict against one another when they receive an insurance check of ten thousand dollars from Mr. Younger’s life insurance policy. Each member of the family has their own ideas on how to spend the money, which causes a dispute among them. The play analyzes the outcome when dreams, ambitions, and social issues collide with one another. The majority of the play takes place in the Younger’s home, a very small, crammed apartment.

Mr. Younger, the head of the family dies from an unknown cause and the family is caught in some financial problems.

However, they receive a check of ten thousand from the deceased Mr. Younger’s life insurance, and they need to decide how to use it wisely for the good of the family. To tense up the play a bit, Hansberry brings in a moment of crisis when each member of the family have their own dreams and hopes. Lena, better known as Mama, wants to use it as a down payment for a new home, Walter wants to invest it in a store to sell liqour and make even more money, and Bennie, Walter’s sister, wants to use the money on college bills to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. Walters wife, Ruth, agrees with mama, and travis, walter and ruths son, has no say since he is just a young boy trying to finish school. These dreams of everyone starts the conflict within the family.

This explores the theme of dreams, its purpose, and how valuable these dreams can be. Each of the younger family member has their own dream in which each can help the family as a whole in this time of crisis, however they struggle to complete their dreams due to the conflict against one another. Both their joy and depression are directly related into these dreams. At the end they all unite and decide that buying a new house is the best move for the family. The plays also portrays the struggle of power between the women in the family and the man in the family, Walter. Gender role is a huge thing in today’s society. Every member of the family has a different approach regarding gender roles, and their perspectives is what shows their identity. In an article written by Paul Carter Harrison, he expresses the role of males in family.

In the most generations, it is most common for a male to run a family and in the case of the play the role is somewhat vacant. In reality, Walter loses his status as a patriarch through the powers of white oppression rather than from the women in the family. It is really mama that is harnessing that patriarch role of the family and decides to use part of the money from the life insurance to buy a new house for the family. However, Mama realizes that it should be Walter who should lead the family now that Mr. Younger has passes, and entrusts Walter with the remainder of the money. Paul Carter Harrison refers mamas attempt to restore walter as the head of family back to “Nommo”. Nommo is a very powerful African Concept which defines a human’s body and mind as a being with a life force, in pattern with the earth itself and African relations.

There will always be a conflict that comes up with a particular group, and everyone within that group will have their own opinions and ideas that will solve it. In this case the family struggles with financial problems and needs to decide as a group on how to spend their remaining money and what is best for the family. Amidst this family crisis, another issue comes up regarding racial discrimination and social equality. This play took place during the same time of the civil rights movement. Mama uses the money to buy a house, but the problem is that it is in a neighborhood with no African American people. They deserve to move into a new neighborhood because they have adopted the values of a middle class group. Mr linder, the man in charge of the neighborhood, tries to bribes and persuade them not to move in. Mr. Linder is the character that brings the theme of racial discrimination into the play, it is something that the Youngers will not accept. His offer to bribe the family is what tears the them apart even more, but the Youngers respond with a strong defiance. The story implies that the way to deal with discrimination is to just stand up for yourself and what you think is right.

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