A Raisin in the Sun (3)

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

If there is one person in Raisin who can be labeled as a doer, it is Walter. Now that may seem a small bit exaggerative in Walter's case considering that for most of the story he is just all talk. However, in the end he does make a great active decision and although it fails, it was quite a strong attempt filled with good intentions. It is his grave mistake in trusting Willy and loosing the money that brings a main climax to the play and for that, he earns the title as the character who drives the plot the most. It is also fitting that he is the doer of the family, considering he is a feeble minded man with the temper and pride of a brute. Therefore, he rarely thinks things out and rather just attempts them.

The watcher in the play would most likely be Ruth. Although Travis offers little to the story other than filling the occupation has the Younger's kind hearted child and the motive for their decisions, the fact that he is just a naive child dismisses him from watcher. Ruth, who is a much more dynamic character, is probably the most relatable character and one of the more reasonable characters. She for most of the play, is perceiving the actions of Walter. While she mainly curses him and adds to the plot with twists such as her pregnancy, her being a more mild character makes her less of a doer and more of a watcher.

The thinker in this play inevitably goes to the college student, Beneatha. She is an obvious choice for one, because she is the most educated (Yet not the most wise) of the family and for the sake that she is always philosophizing with either her boyfriend or Asagai on life's problems and habits. All of her conversations with Asaigi, who is much more inclined to participate in her wonderings than George, all seemed as though Beneatha had conjured these ideas before, or now was swiftly making interesting points as he and she debated. It appears that she is always inside her head, contemplating and calculating risks and rewards and life, "Too many things- too many things have happened today. I must sit down and think" (Hansberry 137). Clearly the thinker.