Preview

Racism: a Raisin in the Sun and Family

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
786 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Racism: a Raisin in the Sun and Family
The Blind Desperate Man

Walter Lee is a desperate man, shackled by poverty and prejudice, and obsessed with a business idea that he thinks will solve all of his economic and social problems. He thought the novel is looking for ways to carry his family on and give them every material thing they want. He is desperate because he sees the other people with economic resources while his family is struggling to move on. He is the perfect example of the mid twentieth-century men who believe they are the ones who have to carry their families with the economic resources and struggle to achieve it, that’s why he gets desperate because although he tries he seems he is not getting it. Sometime these men get blind and don’t realized what really they are doing because the will to help their family is too big.
Throughout the novel Walter looks for ways to give the family what they want. He works on liquor store and he thinks that will provide him the financial security needed to boost them out of poverty, but sometimes he gets desperate and thinks none of this will help him. “Sometimes it’s like I can see the future stretched out in front of me – just plain as day. The future, Mama. Hanging over there at the edge of my days. Just waiting for me – a big, looming blank space – full of nothing.”(Hansberry 522). One can clearly see how Walter fears that his life will always be a life of nothing. He is overwhelmed by a sense of dread and fears that his suffering will continue on and on forever.
Walter was so desperate he often fights and argues with Ruth, Mama, and Beneatha. Also a thing that makes him like that is the racism at that time he often see who the White people from high social status had everything they want, kids attended different schools, neighborhoods were separate from the other, that also made him be like that. He was so desperate he inks to a new low and calls Mr. Lindner back, saying that he'll accept the Money, a think his family was not agree with. This is

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Walter Lee is the head of the family and in the beginning of the play he seems to be extremely bitter. He works for a rich white man as a chauffeur. This easily makes him bitter on the inside because he sees everyday what it is like to be rich. You can tell this because he tells Mama that he sees the rich white boys sitting down to eat every day and he knows they are talking about business or something about closing a million dollar deal. Walter Lee has had many business ideas in the past but they all seem to flop to the ground in a hurry like humpty dumpty. When he comes up with the idea of going into partnership with some men to open a liquor store his Mama is upset with him. He eventually convinces her into giving him a cut of the money from the insurance company after she buys a house for them to move in to. When he gives the money to his partner for the business, his partner runs with the money and is not seen again. This makes Walter very upset and he goes off the deep end for a short amount of time. The need of money may be important but it is definitely not worth losing your family over. After the money is lost, Walter invites the white man back to the apartment to discuss his offer and plans to accept the bribe to his family for them not to move. When the man gets to the apartment, Walter changes his mind and tells the…

    • 519 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Walter then realizes his mistakes and comes to the conclusion that his family comes before money. When Walter was talking to Linder at the end of the book when Linder thought that the Younger’s were going to take his money. Walter stated “And we have decided that we will move into our house because my father-my father earned it for us brick by brick. We don’t want to cause no trouble for nobody or fight no causes, and we will try and be good neighbors . And that’s all we got to say about it . We don’t want your money”(148) Considering this Walter at the beginning of the book would've had happily taken Linder's money because all he cared about is money. Furthermore, this accurately depicts Walters evolution as a character from being a boy who only cared about money to a man who has realized that money isn't the most important thing in the world. Moreover in the same conversation with Linder. Walter said, “And my sister over there she going to be a doctor and we are very proud.”(148) Furthermore, this depicts that Walter is no longer a selfish person and respects the dreams of his family members . In the beginning of the play Walter did not want Beneatha to go to medical school or become a doctor because it would take away money that would be available for his dream however now Walters supports his sister’s…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At first, all Walter seems to care about is owning a liquor store with his two friends, Willy and Bobo. For example, one way he is trying to attempt his goal is by using Big Walter’s insurance money. He thinks that this is a good idea because it is an opportunity for him to make contributions for his family. In addition, Mama helps him out when she gives him $3500 to invest in a liquor store even…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    My metaphor for Walter would be insurance money. The insurance money arrival instigates happiness and anger, which is also the means by which Hansberry is able to indicate betrayal when Willy Harris steals Walter and Beneatha’s share. The reference to the insurance money is used to illustrate how little the Younger family has and they also demonstrate how money is when one has very little. The check represents the effects of poverty and the play is interpreted as if money is the only way they can escape the prejudices they…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When analyzing the characters in this play, it is evident of their dreams and aspirations are affected by their personalities. Walter Lee, being the main character, had the role of the family provider. Since the family’s income comes from the occupation of Walter, he wants to feel respected and appreciated by his peers. He wants to be the one that chooses how his life is, he wants a luxurious and lavish life for his family. Although the other characters see his actions as selfish and ignorant, the readers know that Walter’s only intention is to provide for others. In Walter’s subconscious mind it is evident that he wants to use the money to invest in order to create a life for his family, a life that his son will able to take with him.…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Beyond the first episode of Breaking Bad, we learn that Walter White is 50 years old who has a PhD in chemistry, but has not achieved anything great throughout the duration of his life. After leaving a multibillion dollar company, Gray Matter, Walter lacks societal placement as well as friendships that have been broken throughout the configuration of his story. Fatal cancer has brought financial chaos, affecting his actions and plans on how he will pursue the next 2 years. While struggling to provide for his family with a teacher's salary, he is perceived as a similar man that wishes things could be so much better for him and his family. He could have the fancy lifestyle and instead of following the rules, he could be like that person that everyone wanted to be like. In addition, Vince Gilligan introduces a co-worker from Skyler's work named Ted Beneke; a well-crafted character that makes it easy to despise. Being a man that has been sleeping with Walter White wife, he has wealth, power, and even charm looks that embody him to take on the appearance that Walter wishes to have. Due to the first perspective of Walter White, the information is not hidden, but if viewed through another character’s…

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Big Walter Masculinity

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The memory of Big Walter, specifically the idealized man that he has come to represent, and the concern of obtaining and maintaining masculinity in general, has a significantly positive impact on Walter Lee. The impact is positive because Walter hits some bumps in the road and some of the bumps were potholes but he got out of them. Walter made a lot of mistakes while trying to be the man of the house. The mistakes he made changed the way his family sees him. He wanted to become a man but he became a failure until he proved himself.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Seeing these symbols of others’ successes (dreams that have actually been fulfilled) causes Walter to think about his dream and the opportunity he passed up long ago when Charlie Atkins had wanted him to “go in the dry cleaning business” (1.1.32). Passing by all of these successful dreams fills Walter with regret and yet motivates him to do whatever it takes to achieve his goal. He wants his son Travis to share the happiness of the new hope in the new dreams. Walter Lee makes promises to Travis of “Cadillac convertibles” and any of the “great schools in America…in the world,” anywhere Travis could possibly want to go…

    • 1179 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    At this point of the play Walter is coming to realization that he is doing a lousy job of supporting the family and he truly believes he can do better. He thinks that in order to do better though he needs money and because of this he believes "life is money." Lena replies to Walter shamefully, "You ain't satisfied or proud of nothing we done" (). Obviously, Walter, not being happy about where he is in life, upsets Mama greatly. Lena and Big Walter had worked really hard to provide a future for their children and now Walter is ashamed of their rundown apartment and lower-class lifestyle. Walter longs for a bigger and better future. Even though her children are losing pride of their lives, Lena continues to be proud of where she and her family have…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Raisin In The Sun Failure

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Walter would be able to get this family back into shape if the business is a success. His dream is to become as rich as the people he drives around in his valet job by owning a liquor store. This will let Walter buy his wife expensive stuff such as pearls. With the purchase of this liquor store he can finally show the real man he is and that he can support his family.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The reality of being unable to achieve his dreams burdens Walter and eventually changes him into a greedy, selfish and cowardly young man who makes poor decisions and hurts those who love him. Walter’s obsession with money has caused his family a lot of trouble, especially when it comes to the discussion of the $10,000 insurance money they receive. He belittles Beneatha’s dreams of becoming a doctor and says, “Ain’t many girls who decide to be a doctor”(36). Walter even claims that spending money on Beneatha’s education is a waste, and that he and Ruth would have been richer and happier if Beneatha dropped school. Not only does he put down Beneatha’s dreams, he also selfishly wants all of the insurance money so that he can open a liquor store to make his own dream of being rich and successful come true. Ruth thought Walter was a dreamer and tells him to “eat your eggs” (34) every time he brings up his dreams. When he realizes that he none of his family supports his desire to opening a liquor store, he becomes a bitter and cowardly man. When Ruth tells him that she is pregnant and considering an abortion, he…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Walter’s life takes a traumatic turn when he learns that he has lung cancer and is only expected to live another few years with treatment. His only concern upon learning this is the financial burden this will place upon his family. They were already tight on money with Walter Jr.’s medical bills and the upcoming birth of a second child. Because of this, Walter initially refuses chemotherapy, claiming he wants to live out his days in the comfort of his own home with his family. However, when he is convinced by his…

    • 5967 Words
    • 24 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racism has definitely changed it’s course in the 2000s. Now, it has shifted from more hate towards black people to more hate towards muslims . Yes, in the recent 7 years there were many black and white issues that led people to believe that all of it was a racist act. For example, the death of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, black men getting shot down by white cops and people did believe it was because of the color of their skin, and the black lives matter movement. For those who don’t know what the black lives matter movement is, it’s a campaign that is against unnecessary violence towards black people. This organization was created because a 17 year old boy named Trayvon Martin was murdered by George Zimmerman. Many people that are African-American had believed at the time it was in fact because he was black.…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    As I read and studied the play A Raisin in the Sun, it really engaged me and exposed so…

    • 1452 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Forbidden Love and Racism

    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the readings from this course one of my two favorite most memorable stories are the Welcome Table and the story Country Lovers. They are both about two black woman in the past dealing with racism and love. Both the stories touched me inside and made me rethink about all the things I take for granted that my ancestors did not have the privilege of experiencing and the things they had to endure. Racism can be subtle or overt and in your face. In these two stories they show both a subtle version of racism and an overt version of racism and the consequences erring that come from being racist.…

    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics