Compare and Contrast Essay: Walter Younger vs. George Murchison (A Raisin in the Sun Essay Example)

📌Category: A Raisin in the Sun, Plays
📌Words: 475
📌Pages: 2
📌Published: 21 February 2022

In Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun, the characters Walter Younger and George Murchison both share similar views on masculinity and power, even though they come from very different economic situations. 

Walter Younger is introduced as a part of the Younger family, him coming off as someone who wants the best for his family. The first example of this is Walter giving his son Travis money for Travis’ school, he even gives him extra “In fact, here’s another fifty cents…buy yourself some fruit today -- or take a taxi cab to school or something (31).” The reader might look at this and get the impression that Walter cares immensely about his family, but we later see that Walter was doing this to rebel against his wife; who told Travis he couldn’t have the fifty cents. As his character builds throughout the book, we get to see Walters’ true colors: someone who is selfish, and views his masculinity in a very tangible way. Walter truly believes that to be a man you need to be the man of the house, provide for your family, and accumulate wealth/possessions. The entire reason he wants Mama’s insurance money is to start a liquor shop, so he can make even more money. Walter insists that this liquor store will turn their lives around, and provide for the family. “Moaning and groaning all the time, but you wouldn’t do anything to help, would you (32)?”

We see this insecure masculinity in George Murchison as well, him also believing he needs things to be a man. George is a very wealthy black man, which is unheard of in this time period. He often acts like he is better than others around him, this even reflecting in the expensive clothes he wears. George is acting this way for power, this is how he sees his masculinity. We can see this in him when Beneatha cuts her hair more naturally. He says “oh don't be so proud of yourself, Bennie -- just because you look eccentric (80).” George is implying that her natural hair is eccentric, strange. Later we hear Beneatha call him an assimilationist, meaning he is detaching himself from his own culture to fit in with the predominant one. George has these assimilationist views because he thinks that’s how a man should act. He insults natural black hair, has a lot of money, and parades his wealth around to “be a man,” when in reality he is desperately trying to attain power in society. 

Both George Murchison and Walter Younger believe they need to show their masculinity, to show that they are in control. They do this because it is/has been hard for them to be in control. George Murchison is rich, but also black which means he is probably looked down upon by other people in his economic circle. Walter Younger cannot get control, because Mama is the head of the family, she has all the control. Both characters are insecure in their masculinity, because of the societal notion in their head that men have to be in control.

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