Rasin in the Sun

Walter Lee Younger starts off as an ordinary character that throughout the length of the play transforms into a hero. Walter not only learns the importance of family values, self-respect and that money isn’t the only thing there is in life, but courage. The quote “money is the root of all evil” can describe this play very well.

In the beginning of the book Walter would argue with anyone that money is the most important thing there is to life. He wants to use his mother’s check that her husband (and Walter’s father) worked hard to earn for them, to open up a liquor store. You can tell that Walter care’s about his family to want them to have everything they want and need. Walter is obsessed with money and wanting to be able to live the “good life.” Walter’s plan is to open up the liquor and he assumes that not only his family’s financial problems but personal problems as well will all work out. Walter is a good mix between stubborn and extremely determined and it’s a little hard to figure out which one at times.

Walter has many broken or close to broken relationships in this story. The first one that you read about is between his wife, Ruth Younger. Walter asks Ruth to ask his mother about opening up the liquor store, since the check that she receives will be coming on Saturday. Walter tries to plead his case, something he is very good at, by groaning about wanting to move out of this “beat-up hole” (referring to his mother’s apartment.) Walter tells Ruth that “A man needs for a woman to back him up…” thinking that this would change her mind although Ruth has her mind set about her decision. Walter Lee continues to make a scene at the breakfast table by saying things such as “Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs.” Referring to the fact that Ruth cooked him some eggs prior to their conversation about Walter opening a liquor store. “Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby! And his woman say: your eggs is