Walter Lee Younger Character Analysis

To start with, this is Walter Lee Younger character analysis essay where we will analyse how Walter changes throughout the entire story. Walter Lee Younger went from a selfish, self-centered, and immature person with an inability to make crucial decisions to a well mannered, selfless, and compassionate person able to make significant decisions to better his whole family. In Lorraine Hansberry's 'A Raisin in the Sun,' Walter Lee Younger dynamic character is shown throughout the story through the dialogue interactions and the direct and indirect characterization in the story. It shows his struggles as he attempts to be the head of the family and try to get his family out of poverty while being a prominent figurehead whom his family can rely on and respect.

Lorraine direct characterization shows the audience Walters personality and paints a picture in our head about Walter. Lorraine says that Walter 'is a lean, intense young man in his middle thirties, inclined to quick, nervous movements and erratic speech habits- and always in his voice, there is a quality of indictment'. Walter is a serious man with lots of pride. His character is very restless and easily agitated as he is not satisfied with his current standard of living and thinks it is unfair, and life had dealt him a lousy hand. Walter is also is quick to blame other people than himself. Walter's dream is to be a wealthy man and help his family out of poverty, and he plans to do that by starting a liquor business to earn money, and with it, respect, adoration, and reverence from his peers His selfishness shines through when he wanted his mother to give him all the money for his business without consideration for the rest of the families wants and needs.

Just as direct characterization can reveal a character demeanor and personality, Indirect characterization can allow the reader to make his own choices and opinion about a character in a story. When Walter gives the insurance money to his friends for the liquor business without his family knowledge gives us the readers the ability to infer that Walter is a selfish and risk-taking man. Walter's primary goal in building his liquor business is out of a need for money,respect,and praise. His need for respect drastically changes his character as he becomes an unstable wreck and starts drinking and taking out his anger and frustration on his family, especially his wife. Walter issue is highlighted through the dialogue between him and his mother, 'Something eating you up like a crazy man something more than me not giving you this money. The past few years, I have been watching it happen to you. You get all nervous acting and kind of wild in the eyes.' Walter hates that his family is stuck a run-down apartment in poverty and he cannot do anything about it, and Walter responds to this statement by saying he does not want any nagging with shows Walter inability to accept the truth and his flaws. Although he is a dynamic character, which is evident by his change from being selfish to considerate of his family's needs, his pride and ambition do not entirely diminish or change instead he becomes mature enough to realize not every situation requires him to be so defensive and prideful. At the end of the play, Walter decides to move into the white-exclusive neighborhood even though they will face discrimination, but he realizes it will give his family an opportunity they never had.

Throughout the entire story, part of Walter's ambition is due to his need to provide for his family, his reasons were only partially selfish, as he cared a lot for his family and wanted to provide them with the best from life, but Walter did not know how to go about it and made many wrong decisions. All this allows us to characterize and see indirectly, without the author telling us,

Walter's dramatic character change illustrates and shows the reader the importance he places on family. Lorraine words used to describe Walter paints a picture of an eccentric and self-centered man who wants the best for his family and even though he makes the wrong decisions, he rises to the occasion and becomes a caring paternal figure for his family.