This shows that Walter’s dream is not a selfish dream, he just only thinking about his family and himself. But then he gets too obsesses with his dream, which makes him only think about the dream and nothing else in the world that matters to him. During the course of the play we learn that Walter is a very ambitious man, he is also is an obsessed man and the most important thing is money to him at that moment of the play. He also keeps talking about his dreams and how he wants to fulfil the dream.
Walter’s lowest point in the drama is when he loses sixty-five hundred dollars. Walter gave the money to Willy Harris, who he trusted but Willy Harris lost his trust by running away with the money. At that moment Walter feels like everything he hoped and dreamt of has been shattered in a moment. He also realises he has let Mama down and he destroyed Beneatha’s dreams. The quote that show’s this is, “Son… Is it gone? Son, I gave you sixty-five hundred dollars. Is it gone? All of it? Beneatha’s money too?”. This quotation shows Mama trusted Walter with the money but he broke her trust just in a moment and he destroyed Benetha’s chances to be a doctor and her dreams. As a result of this Walter decides to accept money from Lindner even if he has to grovel and beg for the money. The quotations that show this are, “Gonna put on a show for the man. Just what he wants to see”, “Maybe-maybe I’ll just get down on my black knees…..Captain, Mistuh, Bossman” and “ Great White Father, just gi’ussen de money fo’God’s sake and we’s ain’t gwine come out deh and dirty up yo’ white folks neighborhood”. These quotes shows that his ready to justify and be bought of by Lindner’s money. Walter also feels at the moment of the final act that there are takers and “token”. He feels that he is always “token” and never been a taker, so he decides to be the takers and take money from Lindner. His feelings are shown by the quotation, “Mama, you know it’s all divided up. Life is. Sure enough between the takers and the token”. At this point of the play money seems to be the most important thing to him.
When Mr Lindner first arrives, Lorraine Hansberry uses the staging to show that the moment Mr Lindner arrives he tries to gain attention from the family, that he is here and ready to accept he proposal he made to the family. But the family is in a horrible, upsetting mood and get even more angry and upset when they see Mr Lindner. For example one stage direction is, “Walter has began the trek out of the room, slowly and awkwardly, rather like a small boy, passing the back of his sleeves across his mouth from time to time”. This shows that Walter feels very awkward towards Mr Lindner and his family because deep inside him he knows whatever his doing is wrong but doesn’t want to admit it and he realises his family going to be watching him doing the biggest mistake of his life. It also shows that Walter doesn’t really know how to go up to Mr Lindner and say I want your money if you want my house. However, later in the act Walter becomes more emotional and questions to himself if he is doing the right or wrong. The stage directions that show this are, “Looks down into his boy’s eyes”, “He breaks down completely” and “Starting to cry and facing the man eye to eye”. The first stage direction shows that Walter really cares for his child, Travis and he can’t bare to do anything wrong in front of his son because his son is watching him and smiling at him. The reason his son is watching Walter because Mama told Travis to stay with them and make him see what Walter is going to do. She also wants Travis to stay because she wants to see if Walter is a man like her husband and not grovel or beg in front of anyone, no matter how bad things are and she also wants to see if Walter loses his family’s and his self respect in front of Mr Lindner. The quote that shows this is, “No. Travis, you stay here right here. And you make him understand what you doing, Walter Lee. You teach him good. Like Willy Harris taught you. You show were our five generations done come to. Go ahead, son”. This quote shows that Mama wants Walter to do the right thing and realise it. Mama also wants Walter to be a man like his father. The other two stage directions shows the Walter is very emotional and very relieved when he turns against the idea of getting the money from Mr Lindner.
Language is used in several ways to show the different feelings Walter is having and his family. It also shows what kind of mood and atmosphere the room is in. for example, “Really like a small boy, looking down at his shoes and then up at the man”. This shows that Walter is using body language and feeling awkward towards Mr Lindner and Walter cannot get the right words to tell Mr Lindner to give him the money for the house. Another examples are, “we can see Walter within his room, alone with himself” and “there is a sullen light of gloom in the living room”. These quotes shows that Walter wants to be all alone and he does not want no ones company or feel sorry for him. It also shows that the room is in a dark, depressed mood because the family is in upsetting mood.
An important theme in the final act is when Walter’s feelings and decisions have changed. When at the beginning of the final act he was all ready to be a taker, even though he is wrong. Suddenly he realises he was wrong when Mr Lindner arrives and he decides not to take the money after all and another theme is when Mama realises his son has become a man just like her husband and is very proud with her son, Walter. The quotations that show these themes are, “We don’t want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no causes-but we will try to be good neighbors. That’s all we got to say. We don’t want your money” and “ He finally come into his manhood today”. Hansberry uses these themes to show her audience that Walter has good qualities in him, it shows that no matter how bad things are you should always stick with your family and family decisions, it shows the audience that Walter is an emotional man who finally takes the right decisions and finally shows that Mama has realised that her son, Walter has become a man and is very proud with him.
At the time that the play was first produced, it would have made the audience think about how this thing with Walter and his family happened with them. Lorraine Hansberry trying to say about Black experiences in the 1950s that Black people had a very tough life and were discriminated against by white people. Also that no matter how Black people are treated unfairly and badly they will always stick together and this includes with family as well.
In my opinion about Walter is that Walter is an emotional man and has good qualities in him, but never really shows these feelings. I also think that he is the type of person that get obsessed quickly and he is the type of person who will do anything or say anything jus to get what they want.
My opinion about the play, “A Raisin In The Sun” is that the play is an interesting play, the play shows us the audience how life was for Black people in the 1950s and the play gives us many messages. For instance always help your family and accept their decisions and never lose your self-respect in front of others.
