Trapped

A Raisin in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry
Question 9

Throughout the novel, the reader gets a strong sense that Walter feels trapped.  Walter does not feel like he can provide fully for his family, and this inability to provide coupled with the fact that the apartment is small and run-down leads to Walter feeling discouraged.  Walter does not find pleasure at home, so he goes out with friends and drinks.  He wants to provide, but he feels he can only achieve this if he has enough money, and he thinks he can get this money from investing with Willy.  When Mama won't allow this, Walter feels trapped.  Walter feels that his Mama and Ruth don't have faith in him, don't listen to him, and are keeping him from his dreams.  "Man say: I got to take hold of this here world. baby!...Man say: I got to change my life, I'm choking to death baby! (Hansberry, 33)
Walter complains about how all Ruth ever talks about is food and work and Mama used to say that dreams were so important, but now she was destroying his.  Walter felt cornered and that might have led him into making the ill-informed and not well thought out decision to give Willy his money.  When Willy runs off with it, Walter feels hopeless and even more trapped.  This desperate feeling leads to Walter considering abandoning his dignity for money.  But in the end, no matter how hopeless he felt, his pride and dignity won out and the trapped feeling went away when he decided to go ahead with moving into the new house.