The value of money is important in today’s society, but the value of family should always come first. In the play written by Lorraine Hansberry, “A Raisin In The Sun”, an African American family of four (soon to be five) struggle financially to make ends meet. They let the greed of money get in the way of what is most important. The money issues within the Younger’s household causes the shift between their family relations.
Money can result in arguments causing marriages to fall apart. In the start of the play Walter and Ruth are arguing about a liquor store. Walter wants Ruth to convince Mama to lend him some money, so he can open up a liquor store. Ruth, who hears this almost every morning, is tired of having this conversation with her husband and knows very well that Mama will not change her mind that easily. Ruth says, “[Walter] never [says] nothing new. [She listens] to [Walter] every day… and [he] never [says] nothing new” (20).
Walter gets upset at Ruth when she tries to brush off the conversation. He claims that black women never stand up for black men. Ruth is tired of hearing this from her husband every day especially because she knows that his dreams may never come true. She later on confides in Mama by saying that she feels something has come between her and Walter ― something she can not fix. Consequently, Walter and Ruth have another argument in which Ruth says, “What else can [she] give… Walter Lee Younger?”(72). Ruth wants desperately to fix her relationship with Walter but he has given so much importance to money that he does not see how his wife is being affected by it. She tries her hardest to make him happy but she realizes that the only thing that can make Walter happy is money, which is one thing she can not give him.
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Money can bring out the true greedy nature of many people such as Walter and Travis. Walter only talks about money which upsets Mama because she feels as though her children have forgotten the real struggle that past generations of their family have gone through. Mama says “… that don’t let [everyone] understand each other. [Walter]… almost his mind thinking ‘bout money” (37). All Walter ever talks about is money. He is obsessed with getting money to purchase a liquor store. Mama says that during her childhood she never worried over money. She just enjoyed life as it was. That is why Walter’s behavior is hurting Mama because she thought that she brought up her children to be better than that.
Furthermore, Walter is influencing his son to act a certain way. Travis who is an innocent child who should not have to worry himself about money, is so intrigued by the check that is arriving. He says, “Check coming tomorrow, huh?” (13). First thing in the morning while Ruth is making breakfast, Travis starts up a conversation about the ten thousand dollar check. Clearly, the money is the only thing on his mind. He is not as greedy about the money as his father is, but he is showing signs similar to the thoughts and actions of Walter, who only talks about money.
Lastly, money can be such an influential factor in the lives of several people, that it causes them to make unwise decisions. After Mama pays the initial cost of the house, Walter is shocked and hurt that she went and made such a big decision for the family without his consent. Due to his sadness and depression, Walter does not go to work for three days. Nobody finds out until they receive a phone call from Mr.Arnold, Walter’s boss. Ruth says, “Mr.Arnold has had to take a cab for three days [Walter] ain’t been to work for three days!” (87).
The little income that the family generates is critical to their lives and well-being. Since Walter did not go to work for three days, he lost three days of money which can further hurt the family financially. Not going to work for a long period of time can also lead to Walter getting fired. The lack of income in the household is tearing the family apart. Another unwise decision Walter made was to go against his mother’s wishes. “… [Mama] gave [Walter] sixty-five hundred dollars. Is [the money] gone? All of it? Beneatha’s money too?” (111). Mama trusts Walter with the remainder of the money to let him know that he is the man of the house. Before giving the money, Mama tells Walter very sternly that he has to put some of it away for Beneatha’s schooling.
Walter decides to go and give it all the Willy Harris so that he can purchase a liquor store. Willy Harris takes off with all the money leaving Walter with nothing. He knew how important that money was to his family and to Beneatha’s dreams, but he went and disobeyed his mother and lost all the money. Due to his irresponsibility, the family turned on him, especially Beneatha. Mama was shocked and very hurt that her son could do such a thing and Beneatha was just angry because she felt that her dreams were taken away from her. This unfortunate situation with money caused the family members to turn on each other.
Through the course of the play, the Younger’s were struggling when it came to dealing with money. They were letting it come between them and tear them apart. However, towards the end, they all realized that they did not need money to be happy. They needed love from one another and to have their dignity as a black family residing in Chicago. So even though money is used for everything today and has become a necessity, its value can hurt the important values of a family and the relationships that they have with one another.
