In “A Raisin in the Sun” we see a story of an African American family who is going through many hardships and trying to get by with any means possible. In this story we are introduced to a character named Walter who is trying to live out his “dream.” For many people in Walter’s situation living out their own dreams is not as realistic as they believe, and many things are holding them back. Walter seems to always come to disagreements about his dreams and aspirations when discussing them with the family.Walters family believes that they are African Americans and just that is enough to show him that his dreams are just a fantasy. Walter wants to open a liquor store and follow through with his dreams, but many obstacles are getting in his way.
Mama and Ruth are two people in the story who Walter desperately tries to get support from and explains how he does not want to settle for what his life is. He also states how it is emotionally distressing being a black man during his time. Walter says “Mama – sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool-quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking ‘bout things…sitting there turning deals worth millions of dollars…sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me” (Hansberry 74). This example explains how Walter sees rich white men the same age as him and how he feels hopeless about himself and far behind his peers. For Walter having money is the only way he can feel respected and free in the world. Being a black man at Walters time was challenging and they were not seen as equal as well as not having opportunities, while many were serving white men in one way or another. Walter is tired of his boring life as a chauffeur for Mr. Arnold and wants to be worth something in life. “I want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy…Mama – look at me” (Hansberry,73). Walters’ fight to achieve his dreams and want more has taken a toll on his mental health because he wants his dreams to be a reality so much and cannot seem to figure out how to get by. He knows what he wants and imagines it but needs to turn it into reality. Walter does not feel like race should hold someone back like the rest of the family thinks. Walter does not want to be serving people anymore and wants to the boss of his own business and must take a leap of faith to do this. If successful with his investment he would make more money, feel respected, feel more free and be able to provide for his family. He would show his son that you can be anything you want and do not have to do what society thinks is right for you, in his case driving around another white man all day. It even gets to the point where Walter does not show up to work for three consecutive days because he is tired of his meaningless life.
For Walter to go after his dreams he needs support through the process and that is lacking throughout his journey. Ruth is one character who is not supportive of Walters investments and always thinks they will fall through. Walter has seen one of his missed investment opportunities fall through because Ruth thought his partner was a “good-for nothing loudmouth.” In this case Ruth was wrong since Charlie Atkins was grossing a hundred thousand a year but she still does not support the liquor store investment. Walter is tired of the way they live, and Ruth believes Walter never says anything new and is always talking about his so-called investments that will get them money. In one of the scenes when Walter is talking about the liquor store investment, all Ruth can say to Walter is “eat your eggs.” He is pouring his emotions out and trying to get support and all Ruth can say is “eat your eggs.” Walter believes that the phrase “eat your eggs’ illustrates how women keep men from achieving their goals. Also, if Walter just sits down and eats his eggs, he is accepting the misfortunes that he faces in life and living the same day as he did the day before, not pursuing his dreams. Not having any support and getting held down by race is why Walter thinks African American men cannot pursue more in life.Walter does not need nourishment in life and wants moral support, not something he is expecting every day. This is just another one of the difficulties Walter faces in trying to go pursue his dreams.
Discussion Questions:
1) Is too much trust a bad thing in a relationship? Did it cause Walter to make bad financial decisions?
2) Is support an essential component in a relationship? Can to much support be a negative quality in a relationship?
Work Cited
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Vintage, 1994. Print.
