Success/Values: Walter Lee defines success as material and financial gain. Beneatha defines
success as self-actualization, or learning about and nurturing oneself. But to their mother, Lena,
success is less self-centered and lies more in creating a happy, healthy family. Lena frequently
compares her children's values to her own and her late husband's, and finds her children to be
less moral or spiritual in their hopes and dreams. She does not believe that material success will
elevate the family, as Walter Lee does, instead observing that his grasping after success is
damaging his family. Consider the generational differences in defining success, but also consider
how Walter Lee's and Beneatha's notions of success resemble those of their parents.
Dreams: An important aspect of Walter Lee's character is revealed in his interaction with Travis. He sees
and admires his son's ability to hope: Travis is young enough still to believe that the world is open to
and can be his if he wants it, with no limits. Walter Lee wants to believe in limitless possibilities, too,
and he hangs onto his own ability to hope and dream. Travis's innocence and hopefulness remind
Lee of his own potential for dreaming.
Walter Lee's feelings about his dreams and Ruth's attitude toward them crystallize in this passage. He
desperate to escape the circumstances of his life, and his dreams represent his belief that he can still
change his life, in spite of his weak financial position. But the fact that Ruth does not support him
him down; part of Walter Lee's vision of his life is that he should have a wife who believes in him.
Walter is feeling the pressure of having so many people to take care of. He works at a full-time job, but
Ruth must also work in order for the family to stay afloat. Walter Lee lashes out at his sister because he
...