When I embarked on my new life in the United States, I was filled with excitement for new beginnings. However, this transition soon confronted me with the stark reality of conformity, as I navigated through the silent yet forceful currents of societal pressure, urging me to blend in and dilute my Chinese identity. It turns out, this battle with assimilation and the desire to maintain one’s identity amidst the push to integrate is a universal theme, one that is vividly illustrated in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun through the character of Walter Younger, who endures significant stress from both internal and external sources. Walter grapples with his roles as a man and as an African American, with the intersectionality of his identity presenting unique challenges. He is burdened with the societal expectation to provide for his family, yet faces systemic barriers due to his race that prevent him from fulfilling this role. Eventually, Walter yields to these pressures, and while he does not realize his original ambitions, he comes to terms with his own sense of manhood. His journey illuminates the relentless societal pressures that attempt to mold individuals into conventional roles, threatening to crush their dreams and erode their identity. 

The clear division between gender and race is illuminated as Walter’s aspiration to be the family’s provider clashes with his actual job as a chauffeur, a role that falls short of his ideals of manhood. He wants “so many things that they are driving [him] crazy” and believes that being a chauffeur “ain’t no kind of job,” that it “ain’t nothing at all” because “all day long, [he] says ‘Yes sir; no sir; very good, sir’”(Hansberry, 73). He brings up the mundanity of his job, in which he feels trapped and muffled, forced to repeat the same actions day in and day out. The daily monotony pushes Walter towards the brink of madness, yet at its core, his despair stems from the belief that this unchanging routine will perpetually block the path to his dreams. He also heavily emphasizes the word “sir,” underscoring the subservience expected of him in his line of work, and even Mama recognizes that “being any kind of a servant wasn’t a fit thing for a man to have to be… [Walter] wasn’t meant to wait on nobody” (Hansberry, 103). Here, she explicitly highlights Walter’s ambition to transcend his role as a mere servant, rooted in his deep seated need for independence and self-reliance. However, this dream is shared by Mama and, by extension, Big Walter as well. Big Walter thought that “God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams,” but that “He did give us children to make their dreams seem worthwhile” (Hansberry, 45). Walter’s parents emphasize the idea of success across generations as in their lifetime, neither Mama nor Big Walter achieved such dreams due to the racial confines of their time. That is why now, above all, she wants Walter to achieve his dreams and gain his own sense of manhood. As such, Walter faces the dual pressures of chasing his own aspirations and carrying the “sag[ing]... heavy load” of his parents’ unfulfilled dreams (Hughes, lines 9-10).

Despite his passion to realize his dreams, the pressure of society becomes too great a burden for Walter to bear, and a pivotal event causes him to lose faith and give in. Following Mama’s down payment on a new house, Karl Lindner arrives with a proposition: a significant amount of money in exchange for the Youngers not moving into the predominantly white neighborhood. Lindner’s motivation stems from a desire to maintain the neighborhood’s property values, which he believes would decline if the Youngers, a black family, were to move in. After losing a significant amount of money, including money meant for Beneatha’s medical school, Lindner’s offer looks more appealing than ever, and Walter decides to take him up on it. He tells the family, “I’ll just get down on my black knees … Great white… Father, just gi’ ussen de money, fo’ God’s sake, and we’s-we’s ain’t gwine come out deh and dirty up yo’ white folks neighborhood” (Hansberry, 144). Walter’s performance as a caricatured black person reveals the depth of his despair under societal pressures, showing a regression from the progress made by the previous generations who fought to dismantle such stereotypes. He even references Lidner as the Great White Father, showing Lindner in a magnanimous paternal light, as though he is saving the Younger family by asking them to sell out. Furthermore, it perpetuates the idea of a white god that Walter is almost praying to for mercy. Beneatha, after witnessing this, says her brother is “not a man,” and that he “is nothing but a toothless rat” (Hansberry, 120). Rats, commonly viewed as among the lowest of the low in the animal kingdom due to their frantic survival tactics, metaphorically parallel Walter’s actions as he compromises his dignity. The description of him as toothless emphasizes his complete incapacity to resist oppression, embodying the racial stereotype that seeks to diminish his ability to fight back. As if to finish him off, Beneatha also says that he is not a man, affirming that in sacrificing his pride, he also sacrifices his manhood. It seems that, ultimately, Walter crumbles against the external racial pressures from society as well as the internal generated forces. 

Yet, despite these forces driving him to his lowest, the very pressures that made him fall eventually propel Walter towards his true self. This is evident when Lindner comes to the Younger apartment for the second time, when Walter, with Travis present, tells Lindner, “this is my son, and he makes the sixth generation our family in this country. And we have all thought about your offer… and we have decided to move into our house because my father … earned it for us brick by brick” (Hansberry, 148). His reference to his son as the sixth generation echoes Mama’s repeated mentions of her descent from five generations, thereby invoking the support of the preceding generations of men in his lineage. This also plays into the idea that Big Walter earned the house “brick by brick,” symbolizing the painstaking means he endured for the next generation to live a better life. Mama’s ancestors toiled as slaves for her northern escape, Big Walter labored to his death for Walter's independence, and Walter realizes this legacy by confronting Lindner. Furthermore, Walter’s son being there symbolizes a passing of the torch. Just like how his father sacrificed to provide for Walter, Walter sacrifices his financial dreams to give Travis a better home to grow up in. Mama, recognizing her son’s growth, says “He finally come into his manhood today, didn’t he? Kind of like a rainbow after the rain” (Hansberry, 151). This quote, taken from the end of the play, provides a full circle moment. Mama finally vouches for Walter’s manhood, marking the final completion of his journey. Furthermore, the rain Mama mentions is a symbol for the lows and struggles of Walter’s journey, and the rainbow symbolizes the beautiful realization that blossoms from his hardships. This dispersion of rain and the appearance of a rainbow gives the reader a sense of hope and new beginnings, that even though the road ahead is muddy and treacherous, there is light and promise on the horizon, suggesting that perseverance through hardship leads to a brighter future. 

Walter’s journey and development throughout the play is akin to a roller coaster ride. He first shows great ambition, then plummets into disgrace, and finally climbs back up and redeems himself as a man. In many ways, his path to manhood serves as a paradigm of what many men of color go through. While many men feel like it is their responsibility to provide for their families, they are oftentimes unable to due to the color of their skin, which precludes them from many opportunities. Furthermore, Walter’s final blossoming is a message from Hansberry to the audience: that one can fit into manhood without fitting into societal stereotypes. Ultimately, his story serves as a testament to the enduring strength of the human spirit, encouraging us to dare to define our own destiny amidst the raging currents of oppression, conformity, and expectation. 

Works Cited

Hansberry, L. (1994). A raisin in the sun: With an introduction by Robert Nemiroff. Vintage Books. 
Hughes, L. (2002). Harlem. Harold Ober Associates, Inc.