The Protagonist in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry :: Character Analysis

In the Play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry there are two main characters that numerous people debate upon to be the protagonist of the play. Those two characters are mom and Walter. The story is slightly an African American family bread and butter in shekels in the 1950s. During this time period race was a jumbo import in that area. The family consists of three generations, mum being the mother and grandmother has a lot of responsibilities as what I see her to be as the families anchor. The succeeding(prenominal) generation is Walter his wife Ruth and his sister Beneatha. Walter and Ruth wear a word of honorg Travis who is ten years old at the time of this play. Mama is the moral supporter of the family and deliberates that everything has a purpose and that things should be done by design. One of the main events in this play is the life insurance small town check for ten thousand dollars that Mama receives. This being a large amount of money during t hat time period creates many arguments between the families about what to do with the money. Walter is the type of guy that believes his family shouldnt settle like everyone else and believes that they shouldnt be held back just because they are an African American family living in what is referred to as a white mans knowledge base. I believe that Walter is the protagonist of the play for two main reasons, he isnt a selfish man, he doesnt feel the family should be limited because they are African American and he has distinct options or plans for the future of his family. The first reason I believe that Walter is the protagonist is because he isnt a selfish man. What I mean by this is when he is talking about issues he tends to discuss family issues above his own own(prenominal) things. Though at times in the play when he is inebriated and loses his temper he does start speaking selfishly, I believe that his general attitude in the play is for his family to move up the world. I believe that Walters son Travis is the main reason why he acts so unselfishly. He seems to want the best for this son and doesnt want his son to feel that there isnt anything he cant have or do.