Walter Character Analysis in A Rasin in the Sun Essay Example

📌Category: A Raisin in the Sun, Plays
📌Words: 913
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 12 March 2022

What dictates a good life? One that is filled with joy and contentment for the story one leads, or one that holds wealth and prosperity? It is a notorious question with no answer, as it is defined differently for each person. The play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry explores this concept through the character Walter. Taking place in the 1950s, the show depicts a financially troubled Black family who is struggling to find an answer to the question mentioned before. Walter, the son, has been repressed for so long that he craves a life of power and feels that money is the only way to achieve this feeling of masculinity. Unfortunately, due to the time, this manifests itself in an incredibly destructive result: toxic masculinity. This is a consequence when the unhealthy norm that men are supposed to assume a more superior and tough role negatively affects those around. The superiority complex that money brings is a mindset that Walter intends to buy into. This ideal is brought with the feeling of fight or flight and the perpetuation of toxic masculinity. 

Little money makes Walter feel trapped and gives him the yearn to be respected and more superior than those around him. Walter implores his mother that, “I’m a grown man, Mama” (71). Walter desires that his mom treats him as an equal and give him a chance to be the head of the household, a position he has never been relied on to have. Walter understands that being the man of the family would mean complete admiration and control over his family and their assets. Unfortunately, he does not yet hold this respect; “Have a seat. I’m Mrs. Younger’s son. I look after most of her business matters. (RUTH and BENEATHA exchange amused glances)” (114). Walter chooses to take initiative and present himself as the boss of the household to those unfamiliar with the group. However, no matter what others are told, Walter’s family still recognizes the truth: he has little to no power in the group dynamic. It is this that Walter resents the most. He loathes that his family treats him as though he is a joke.

When things go wrong, Walter finds himself in a state of fight or flight. This forces him to become so involved with his demons; “Mama-- I’m going out. I want to go off somewhere and be by myself for a while” (72). There were many instances where Walter chooses flight, as he finds himself attempting to escape from his troubles. When Walter feels as though he is not being treated as an equal, especially by his mother, he leaves the house to find peace in a bottle of liquor. Although, this is not his only way of coping. Caught in his own world, Walter asserts, “(Turning madly, as though he is looking for Willy in the very room) Willy! … Willy… don’t do it… Please don’t do it… Man, not with that money…” (128). Walter constantly feels as though his world is coming to an end when those around him fall short of his expectations. When all hope is lost, he reverts into an almost feral form of anger and hopelessness. The same reaction that an animal emotes when they are trapped. The same feeling an animal reflects when they realize they are no longer the apex predator. 

After constantly being pushed down, Walter determines that the only way to restore his power is to become the man of the family. It is this mindset that results in Walter reflecting his toxic masculinity onto his loved ones; “Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people--then go be a nurse like other women or just get married and be quiet…” (38). Walter’s sister Beneatha is depicted as an independent woman who challenges many gender norms. This power and confidence, from a woman no less, unnerves Walter. He believes that it is himself (the man) who should be the hero. It is this feeling of inferiorness that drives him to become bitter. Ultimately, he views his sister's success as a threat to his manhood. Walter’s closed-mindedness also sustains the tradition of toxic masculinity for all genders. He asks his son, “What do you want to be when you grow up? TRAVIS: A bus driver. WALTER: A what? Man, that ain’t nothing to want to be” (108). In all realism, a bus driver is not an awful thing to be. As long as one has a passion for a job, it can be considered fitting. The most important aspect of this passage is that Walter chooses to inflict his perception of being a man onto his son. Walter is subtly destroying Travis's dream, as he deems the job of a bus driver not sufficient enough for a man. But at the end of the day, what ambition is meant to that of a man? In Walter’s mind, it is a position of high power, and sequentially, a large paycheck. 

Walter believes the power that money will bring him will fix all of the issues he encounters within his family and himself. Unfortunately, his focus on obtaining this goal results in the preservation of toxic masculinity. Not only do Walter’s habits negatively affect those around him, but they also take a toll on his mental health. Being in a constant state of fight or flight puts him through a great deal in the book, weakening his relationships, job, and self. In addition to this, Walter’s intense desire to become wealthy betrays him, as he only feels empty and bitter when things end wrong. So the question that Lorraine Hansberry asks the reader still stands. What dictates a good life? One where someone chases the concept of wealth merely to find their surroundings crumbled, or one that allows an individual to look up and be considerate.

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