A Raisin in the Sun: Question 10

   Walter Younger from A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, goes through an extremely dramatic character change from the beginning of the play to the end. He is very dynamic in character. At the start, the reader can tell that Walter feels suppressed by the world around him. He takes this frustration out on his wife Ruth. "That is just what is wrong with the colored woman in this world...Don't understand about building their men up and making 'em feel like they somebody. Like they can do something" (Hansberry, 444). At this point, Walter is aggressive towards his family and toward the community.

   Then, as the story progresses, we see the personality of Walter's character fluctuate. These roller coller emotions seem to go hand in hand with how Mama is deciding to divy up the insurance money; when she tells him that he doesn't get money, Walter strikes out; when Mama gives into this and gives him a few thousand, Walter is joyous and hopeful.

   However, the most significant change in Walter's character comes at the end of the play. After Willy Harris takes off with his investment money, Walter feels betrayed. His personality seems to completely subside and he comes off rather limp. Then, to prove that he is the man of the house, Walter decided to do whatever he could to get the money back for his family. Even if getting the money meant losing his pride. No matter what Mama tried to tell him, it seemed that she could not persuade him to change his mind. But, finally at the end of the play, Walter sees why pride is so important. "Well-what I mean is that we come from people who had a lot of pride. I mean-we are very proud people" (Hansberry, 532). We see Walter's final transformation when he tells Linder that they are moving in anyway. After this change, the family seems to be joined together in hope for the future.