Father

The father plays an essential role in the novel A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Even though the father is deceased, his presence is key in  parts of the novel. His death has significantly impacted the family and their financial status. Because of his death, conflict and tension has developed with the family. The family is constantly bickering and disagreeing on how to use the $10,000 insurance check that Mama will receive from the death of Big Walter. He is also influential in his son Walter's life. When Ruth is considering the abortion, Mama talk to Walter about standing up for his soon to be child, just like his father stood up for him. Mama states,"I’m waiting to see you stand up and look like your daddy" (Hansberry, 75). Even though Big Walter is gone, Walter is still constantly being compared to his father. He is expected to be the man that his father was, before he was taken away from the family. The term gone but never forgotten perfectly describes Big Walter in the Younger household.