A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry: Character Changes

After reading the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, I noticed a dramatic change take place in one of the characters, Walter Lee Younger, as the story progressed. He begins the story as an angry, hopeless man, declining into depression, yet by the end of the play, Walter proves his worth to his family with his final actions. When the play commenced, Walter was depicted as a rather antagonistic character. His interactions with his wife Ruth were tense and oftentimes involved argument and anger, especially regarding money and the Younger Family’s financial situation as they were very poor. In response to a question as to why he cares so much about money, Walter responds, “Because it is life, Mama!” (Hansberry, 74). That mindset was the reason behind Walter’s initial downfall. Because he focused so much on money rather than actually caring for his family, he hurt his relationship with his mother and sister, his wife, and his son, and lost their support. Furthermore, after Walter truly does lose everything, he breaks down even further, and so do his relationships. Because he wasted his sister’s education money on a business deal gone south, she absolutely detests him, stating “He’s no brother of mine,” (Hansberry, 145). When Walter describes how he is going to grovel in front of a man who is trying to prevent the family from moving into an exclusively white neighborhood in order to get money, he crosses the line with his mother and loses her support too. Yet, his family’s complete lack of faith and loss of hope for him wakes up Walter and brings his true pride as a man to the surface, repairing his relationships. He finally realizes that true wealth and happiness come from one’s family, not from money, and he states to the neighborhood committee man that since his father spent his life earning the new house for their family, they are going to use it, regardless of what their neighbors would prefer. When Mama and Ruth agree that Walter “finally came into his manhood,” (Hansberry, 151), it shows that he has finally changed for the better and proven himself to his family.