Pride: A Rasin in the Sun

One of the most defining features of a man is his sense of pride. Pride is a person's self respect, and how much you have and how important it is to you can change your whole life. One must have pride and confidence in order to succeed, but false pride can be worse than no pride at all. In Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun, the Younger family is struggling due to their overwhelming self pride. The main character of the play is proud of being a provider to the family and ends up making irresponsible decisions because of this. His poor decisions lead the family down a slippery path of blame and anger. Not until the end of the play does he realize that before he can be proud of himself, he must learn to be proud of his family. Thus, A Raisin in the Sun shows us that having pride in others allows us to have pride in ourselves so we can achieve our dreams.

Walter is also too proud to take responsibility for his problems, so he pushes them off on other people. From the beginning of the play, we see that from the moment Walter wakes up, he is arguing with Ruth. When Walter decides to go to the bathroom, Ruth tells him that Travis is in there. Frustrated, Walter says "He just going to have to start getting up earlier. I can't be being late to work on account of him fooling around in there." (p. 26) This situation clearly illustrates that Walter blames others for his problems. When he is late for work, he blames his son for using the bathroom when he should be blaming himself for keeping his son up late with his friends and then not getting up early enough. Walter must learn to take responsibility for his faults in order to help his family.

Early in the play, Walter's struggle to find pride in himself leads him to develop a false sense of pride. One morning before school, Travis is asking Ruth for some money which he was told to bring to school. Ruth denies him the money, stating that the family can not afford it. Walter walks in on this conversation and wants to make sure that Travis sees him as a provider. He responds to Ruth "What you tell the boy things like that for?" (p.31) and proceeds to give Travis twice as much as he had asked for. Walter needs to appear as the strong provider in the family. By doing things like giving Travis money that he doesn't have, he convinces himself that he is providing for his family. A short time later in the story, Walter reenters the room after storming out. "I need some money for carfare," (p.39) he says, clearly embarrassed and with hurt pride. Walter did not have the money to pay Travis, but it was more important to him to proudly give his son money. These events show that Walter's pride revolves around his image that a strong man should be able to provide for his family. Walter is constantly searching for ways that he can earn enough money to help his family, such as acquiring the liquor store, but until then he deceives himself to help boost his pride.

As the man of the house, Walter feels that he should he should be able to achieve his dreams without he help of others. After Walter's father died, the family was told that they would be receiving an insurance check. Although the money is Mama's, Walter wants the money for himself. He would use the money to start a liquor store with his two buddies, Willie and Bobo. We see how self centered he is when he complains to Mama, telling her "Mama- I want so many things..."(p.73) This shows that Walter is focused on achieving his own dreams, when he should be caring for his family and trying to help them achieve their dreams.

Later in the play, we see how important pride is to Walter. After Mama spends the insurance money from her husband on a new house, Walter is crushed, as his dreams of spending the money on a liquor store are now gone. Mama knows this, and to help her son, she gives him what is left of the insurance money, telling him to put half of it in the bank for Benetha and to keep the other half. "You trust me like that, Mama?" (p.107) Walter asks after he is told about the gift. Not only is Walter excited to have the money, but his pride is boosted by the fact that Mama would trust him with so much money, including money for his sister's schooling. Out of this excitement, Walter dreams up a scenario in which he becomes rich using the money and is a successful provider to the family. "I'll hand you the world!" (p.109) he states when talking to Travis. Walter's pride is so important that a simple gesture sets off visions of him becoming rich.

We first see Walter beginning to develop pride in others towards the end of Act II. The family has a visitor while Mama is out, a Mr. Lindner. He is a white man from the neighborhood where Mama has purchased her house. Mr. Lindner greets the family respectfully but nervously, and the family treats him well at first, but his true intentions soon become clear. Mr. Lindner has been sent to try to purchase the house back from the Youngers because they are black. "We don't want to hear no exact terms of no arrangements," (p.118) yells Walter in the middle of their conversation. This racism appears to have brought out pride in Walter's family. It seems that Walter is trying to protect his mother's dream, but we soon see that it is more personal than that. "Get out of my house, man," (p.119) he states to Mr. Lindner. Although the apartment actually belongs to Mama, Walter feels that he can be the man of the house by being strong and addressing this problem. Walter is gaining more pride in others, but still has strong pride in himself.

Walter wants to help his family, but with only self pride, his attempts to help the family end up hurting it more than it helps. Walter's self pride drives him to make extreme decisions with his life, rather that take pride in his mother fulfilling her dream. Mama had given Walter some of what was left of the insurance money after buying the house, and she told Walter to put the rest of the money in the bank for Benetha's college. We assume he did, until Bobo comes over and tells Walter that Willy has taken all the money after Walter gave it to him for their liquor store. Even in this situation, Walter still blames Willy rather than himself, shouting "NO WILLY!... WILLY DON'T DO IT!... PLEASE DON'T DO IT." (p. 128) When Walter gave away the money, he was focused on reaching his dreams when he should have been appreciating the fact that Mama's dream of owning a home was about to come true. Walter has still not fully changed and only thinks about his wrongdoing when questioned by Mama. "Mama- I never- went to the bank at all," (p. 129) he says when she asks him. Walter still blames others, but he is starting to see the faults in himself, thanks to Mama. Unfortunately, he did not see this when he gave the money to Willy.

By the end of the story, Walter has changed from a self absorbed man to a true, caring father and son. This change is clear when Walter talks to Mr. Linder. Walter had originally called Mr. Linder over in a moment of weakness to make a deal to sell their house. As Mr. Linder attempts to start the paperwork for selling the new house, Walter interrupts him. "That's my sister over there and she's going to be a doctor-and we are very proud-." (p.148) Walter is finally able to respect his sister and her difficult struggle to be a doctor. This is an enormous change from earlier in the play when Walter blamed Benetha for the family's financial problems. As Mr. Lindner tries to continue, Walter interrupts him again. "This is my son, and he makes the sixth generation of our family in this country," (p.148) Walter proudly announces to him. Walter no longer blames others for problems that are his fault, and he now takes pride in those around him, in this case, Travis. This sense of shared pride makes him even more proud than he used to be. Walter proudly turns down Mr. Lindner's offer to not move into the house, and by this act, Walter has given the family their dream. It is clear that he has won the respect of the family when Benetha responds to one of Mr. Lindner's questions "That's what the man said." (p.148) By showing pride in his family, Walter was able to have pride in himself as the provider of the family.

Throughout A Raisin in the Sun, we see the gradual yet complete transformation of Walter's perspective from a self absorbed man to a supportive father and husband. His dream had been to own a liquor store, boosting his pride and making himself the provider for the family. Walter gave up that dream for the dream of his mother: to own her own house. By having pride in his family rather than himself, Walter became a true provider by giving his family the house of their dreams.

The Paradoxes of Ragtime

Throughout E.L. Doctorow's novel Ragtime, the character Father seems to be constantly in conflict with from his environment. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that despite his claim to be a progressive, he is very stubborn and resistant to change. Father's close-mindedness prevents him from seeing how close-minded he is, a cycle which only reinforces his unbending attitude. 

From the beginning of the book, Father's stubborn attitude prevents him from appreciating the very qualities of the country that welcomed his family because he so fears change. As Father departs on his Arctic journey, his ship passes a ship of immigrants headed to America. As he gazes across the faces of the new citizens, we are told that he "suddenly foundered in his soul." (12) It is odd that the thought of foreigners moving to America had such a dramatic effect on Father. The reader quickly learns that Father judges these people for the simple reason that he feels that they are going to change his country in some way or another. The irony of Father's reaction is that practically all citizens of the United States arrived as immigrants from other countries, and it is likely that Father's parents moved to America shortly before he was born. Still, he does not make that connection and he only sees this ship of people representing a change that is out of his control. 

Even the most trivial changes to society elicit a strong disapproval by Father. At this period of time archaeological discoveries in Egypt had worked their way into modern culture. While his son is fascinated by tombs and hieroglyphics, Doctorow notes that "Father, sensitive to every change, found his appetite diminished" (128) by these new topics. When he decries these changes, he is showing dislike for more than just Egyptian culture, but foreign changes to his own culture. He can not stand this outside influence over his lifestyle unless he is causing it. This need to control outside influences draws him to journey to the North Pole and later will send him on a fatal trip to Europe. However, when he can not control what is going on, he tends to dismiss things as lacking merit.

Father's tolerance for others is tested when the family meets the father of Sarah's child, Coalhouse Walker Jr. After many visits to court Sarah and make a good impression on the family, Father decides that "Coalhouse Walker Jr. didn't know he was a Negro." (134) Coalhouse's sophisticated language and and classy presence differed from Father's image of how a black man should act. In this period, black people were working to advance themselves and gain equality, but Father will not accept that. In his reluctance to embrace a sophisticated black man, he generates the idea that Coalhouse thinks he is white to satisfy his own preconceptions. 

Father appears to become disillusioned with his inconsistent views when he takes his son to a baseball game. To his dismay, the game he loves is now dominated by immigrants. Father thinks to himself that "there was no reason the Negro could not with proper guidance carry every burden of human achievement," however we do know that Father looked poorly upon Coalhouse for being as successful as a white man. Father is in denial about his beliefs; he likes to think of himself as someone who could be accepting of all types, but when it comes time to prove this, he acts much to the contrary. While watching the game, it is also mentioned that Father had "always thought of himself as progressive." (194) However, Father is actually not progressive enough to realize that his views are not progressive at all. This lack of insight shields Father from coming to the conclusion that he can not accept change. 

In spite of Father's progressive self-image, he is actually unwavering in his rigid attitudes and rejects even the slightest of changes. This outlook has a negative influence on his family and leads to the eventual separation of him and his wife. Ultimately, Father's attempt to hold on to the past ends up destroying his future.

Beloved: The Hardships of Sethe

Toni Morrison's post-slavery novel Beloved takes place in a time of hardship for all blacks living in the south. However, one character truly stands out as truly having a hard life. As a mother, Sethe's case of the blues roots in her deceased daughter Beloved who returns to visit her.

From early in the novel, it is clear that Sethe has not lived an easy life. Ever since she live in Sweet Home, her life has been filled with troubles. She tries to forget her past, but it keeps returning to haunt her. While Baby Suggs points out that "not a house in the country ain't packed to its rafters with some dead Negro's grief,(5)" Sethe has additional burdens on top of the average black woman's problems. The ghost of her baby constantly returns to her house to haunt her and make her life difficult. The haunting disturbs & attacks visitors such as Sethe's aquaintance Paul D. The ghost was even frightening enough that her sons Buglar and Howard were "chased off by the dead one(6)." The ghost's presence truly puts stress on her life.

However, Beloved, the ghost who haunted the house, returns to human form and comes to live with Sethe. Although they get along, Beloved begins to wear away at Sethe as time goes on. Sethe gives Beloved all the food while going hungry herself, creates fancy outfids for her and "when Sethe ran out of things to give her, Beloved invented desire. She wanted Sethe's company for hours...(241)" A violent storm is invoked form Beloved whenever Sethe attempts to regain her motherly control, so Beloved continues to drain Sethe's resources. It is through this tormenting that Sethe approaches the point where others need to help her. The love for her own child coupled with the fear of the wrath she may bring prevents Sethe from squelching the torture Beloved brings to Sethe.

The return of Beloved not only brings issues between her and Sethe, but it also adds tension between Sethe and others. With her attention fixed upon Beloved, Denver becomes an afterthought in the eyes of Sethe. Although once close with Beloved, Denver struggles without her mother or sister. Although the three occationaly do things like ice skating together, however "When it became clear that they were only interested in each other, Denver began to drift from the play." The return of beloved sparks the discussion of why Sethe killed Beloved. As one might expect, Paul D is shocked to learn about the brutal murder, proclaiming "You got two feet, Sethe, not four." By uttering this simple comparison, the closest man to Sethe devides himself from her, "a forest sprang up between them; trackless and quiet." After Paul D quietly exits, Sethe is solemn by this sad turn. Out of all the troubles piled up in front of Sethe, she now no longer has him to ease them.