Decisions in A Raisin in the Sun Literature Essay Example

Big or small, it is not uncommon to see people make mistakes in their lives; it’s just human nature. Forgetting to wash the dishes or even being late to work, people make mistakes all the time throughout their everyday routine. However, admitting to making bad decisions and trying to create solutions is always the right thing to do. This idea can relate to the Civil War time era because Americans acknowledged their wrongdoings and as a result, outlawed slavery. Subsequently, African Americans were now free from subjugation. Now searching for better economic opportunities and overall improved welfare, millions of African Americans migrated from the South to the North, Midwest, and the West, known as the Great Migration. In the play Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, the scene takes place in southside Chicago, following the life of the Younger family and their apparent hardships; that is until the death of their father results in a $10,000 check. In a chance to strike it big, Walter, the son of Mama, comes up with a plan to invest that check money into a liquor store. However, Mama makes the decision to make a down payment on a house in a white neighborhood but gives the rest to her children Walter and Beneatha. Nevertheless, Walter takes all the money given by Mama and is swindled by his “friend” Willy. Evident by Walter’s ambition to invest in a liquor store and his family’s disapproval of his dream, the author’s message is trying to convey that learning from bad decisions will eventually result in redemption.  

Walter’s strive to greatness is to open a liquor store with his friend Willy Harris and Bobo using his mother’s check money. This is a big dream for Walter because he wants to save his family from poverty; however, he feels as if no one understands his intentions for the whole of his family. A demonstration in that play that supports this statement is when Walter is ranting about his dream to his wife Ruth, in which he says,” Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment be on the place be ‘bout thirty thousand, see. That be ten thousand each” (Hansberry 1.1). The quote is saying that Walter is thinking of using his mother’s money to build up a liquor business with his friends and splitting the cost amongst themselves. He believes that his business will become successful and he’ll strike it rich. Likewise, Walter doesn’t think that any issues or complications will come up along the way of making his business. By using the phrase “initial investment”, he is convinced of making his business dream a reality. Another quote that shows Walter’s determination in opening a liquor store is when he tells his big dream to Travis, and what his son’s future will look like in the long run: “One day when you ‘bout seventeen years old I’ll come home and… go up to your room to see you sitting on the floor with the catalogues of all the great schools in America around you.. All the great schools in the world! And--and I’ll say, all right son--it’s your seventeenth birthday, what is it you’ve decided? Just tell me where you want to go to school and you’ll go. Just tell me what it is you want to be--and you’ll be it!” (Hansberry 109). This moment connects to the main idea about making mistakes and learning from them. In his head, Walter thinks that his idea will be a success and he’ll be able to provide for his family by selling alcohol. However, being optimistic doesn’t mean everything will go as planned. If anything goes wrong and it is not properly dealt with or prepared for, it will mean it’s just a pipe dream for Walter in the end. Not only does Walter strive to open up his own liquor store, but he faces hardships in which he cannot fully express his dream to his family.

Throughout the play, Walter does not gain approval or endorsement from his family, especially from his own wife Ruth and Mama. This is shown when he tries to explain his liquor store dream to Ruth, but she ends up ignoring him. Walter then relates this to a metaphor, in which he says,”Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs. Man say: I got to take hold of this here world, baby! And a woman will say: Eat your eggs and go to work. Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby! And his woman say--- Your eggs is getting cold!” (Hansberry 1.1). This quote is trying to say that his wife doesn’t understand how Walter is trying to help his family. It shows his frustration and anger with his wife because she uses the phrase “Eat your eggs”, as a way of shunning him. It connects back to my main point because he believes no one listens to him in his family. As a result, he feels disconnected and apart from his family when talking about his dream. Another example in the play in which Walter feels like he can’t speak out his dream is when he gets shut down by Mama,”You ain’t looked at it and you don’t aim to have to speak on that again?...Well, you tell that to my boy tonight when you put him to sleep on the living-room couch...tell it to my wife, Mama, tomorrow when she has to go out of here to look after somebody else’s kids. And tell it to me, Mama, every time we need a new pair of curtains and I have to watch you go out and work in somebody’s kitchen.” (Hansberry 71). In other words, the quote is explicitly saying that Walter feels bitter that he can’t convey his message to his family. He feels that it’s unfair for Mama to not even consider his dream before hearing about it. By telling Mama to “tell” it to the rest of the family, Walter tries to guilt-trip by blaming their current financial situation on her. The last example of Walter being unable to really talk about his dream is when Walter and Mama are alone, and Mama wants reassurance that she did the right thing. Walter then expresses,” What you need me to say you done right for? You the head of this family. You run our lives like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what you need for me to say it was all right for? So you butchered up a dream of mine--you--who always talking ‘bout your children’s dreams” (Hansberry 95). This shows that Walter might be thinking that Mama should be at fault for not accepting his dream. He uses irony by using the phrase,” you--who always talking ‘bout your children’s dreams”, showing the inconsistency between her own actions and words.

Finally, Walter faces mistakes in the play but finds solutions that recompense for his actions. A demonstration of this is Walter’s obsession with money, in which he 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 75-76). However, when Mr. Lindner, a white man trying to buy off their home, first makes an offer to him for their new property, he then says,” We don’t want to hear no exact terms of no arrangements. I want to know if you got any more to tell us ‘bout getting together?” (Hansberry 119). This is trying to show the prideful side of Walter. As a result, Walter realizes that there is more to life than money. If he really wanted to gain more money, he would have sold off their new property on top of investing in his own liquor store. However, he rejects Mr. Lindner’s offer and uses the phrase,” no exact terms of no arrangements”, showing that he has pride and self-dignity rather than taking his offer and slandering his own race. Another example in which Walter makes a mistake and experiences redemption is when Walter himself calls Mr. Lindner to their home. This indicates that Walter is trying to give up his racial pride and sell their home; however, he then says to Mr. Lindner,” What I am telling you is that we called you over here to tell you that we are very proud and that makes this...This is my son, and he makes the sixth generation of our family in this country. And we have all thought about your offer… And we have decided to move into our house because my father--my father--he earned it for us brick by brick” (Hansberry 148). This is an important turning point in the story because Walter feels ostracized by his family after irresponsibly taking the money for himself and losing it. As a result, he experiences hostility from his sister Beneatha and distress from Ruth and Mama. Conversely, by telling Mr. Lindner they’re moving into the home, he comes up with a solution to fix his mistake and finally receives proper recognition and support from his family, therefore experiencing some sort of redemption.