A Raisin in the Sun 4

A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry

Mama is one character who feels compelled to make a decision which she probably would not have taken without the pressures from members of her family.  "I spec if it wasn't for you all...I would just put that money away or give it to the church or something" (Hansberry, page 69).  When she found out about the $10,000 insurance check for the passing of her husband, she did not tell her family what she was thinking about doing.  Ruth suggested she take a nice, long trip in Europe, but Walter had other ideas for spending the money.  He wanted to invest in a liquor store, but Mama thought this to be an inappropriate profession for her well-mannered son.  At last, we learn that Lena put a down payment on a nice house in an all-white neighborhood and wanted to put a portion of the check in the bank for Beneatha and her medical studies.  She also gave Walter a portion to invest because he was so adamant about it and she just wanted to please her children.  This seemed to great until Walter lost all of the money, except for the part that already went towards the new house.  If Walter had not been so annoying and stopped asking her all the time for the money, then she would not have chosen to give him some.  The money could have helped out her family and provided better for the new baby, but Walter let his dreams get the better of him.  He also would have made different decisions regarding the check if he would have controlled his dreams and actually thought through the investment plan before jumping into things.