Character Analysis of Ruth Younger

Character Analysis of Ruth Younger

Conclusion Continued

Snippet A: Act 1 Scene 1, pg. 1872

Snippet C: Act 2 Scene 3, pg. 1915

Ruth: Emily

Walter: Sarah

Introduction- Act 1 Scene 1: pg 1872, This scene shows Ruth's problems with not only money but her family.

Explanation: This scene shows Ruth's problems with money and family. Walter is talking about investing in a liquor company when Mama gets her $10,000 check. Ruth wont listen because it is Mama's money. Ruth believes that the money should benefit the whole family so they can have a better future. Ruth wants a better future for her colored family in a time when black people were not excepted in society.

Strengths: Ruth is a strong, logical, and independent woman. She wants what is best for her family, even if that means doing things she doesn't necessarily want to. Ruth knows that her family is not financially stable or ready for another baby, so she considers having an abortion when she finds out she's pregnant. This shows that she is logical by putting her family's needs over her's and their wants. Another example of her doing this is when her son, Travis, asks her if he could have some money for school. It wasn't a necessity, so she immediately said no. Although Ruth has her own dreams of having a perfect family, she remains logical and a smart decision maker unlike her husband.

Weaknesses: Ruth Younger's main weakness is that she is not good under stress. On top of the daily stress of being apart of a poor, African American family in the '50s, Ruth has to deal with personal problems going on in her life with her own family. The financial stress is a big problem for Ruth. She has many hopes and dreams for her family, but those dreams are diminished due to the fact that they have to base their lives off of an insurance check being mailed to Mama. When the check finally comes in and Mama purchases a house that Ruth would love, Walter goes out and blows the money, leaving Ruth hopeless and embarrassed. Adding to the stress, Ruth finds out that she is pregnant. Although she would love a new baby, Ruth knows that her and her family are in no place to raise another child in their cramped apartment, and decides to make the best for the part of her family "that's already living" (like Mama says), and abort the baby.

Beneatha- Sarah

Ruth- Taylor

Dialogue

Introduction- Act 2 Scene 3: pg 1915. This scene is shows how overjoyed the family is about moving, especially Ruth.

Explanation: This scene starts with the family getting ready to move. Ruth tells Beneatha about Walter and hers date the night before. Ruth and Walter held hands for this first time in a long time. Ruth and Beneatha get excited as they get ready to move. Ruth is a lot closer with the family now. They are no longer arguing and are just happy. Ruth can be happy now because her family is going to have a better future. Ruth stayed strong for so many years.

Dialogue

Snippet B: Act 2 Scene 1, pg. 1905

Introduction

Dialogue

Conclusion

WALTER Is he out yet?

RUTH What you mean out? He ain't hardly got in there

good yet.

WALTER (Wandering in, still more oriented to sleep than

to a new day) Well, what was you doing

yelling for if I can't even get in there yet? (Stopping and

thinking) Check coming today?

RUTH They said Saturday and this is just Friday and I

hopes to God you ain't going to get up here first thing

this morning and start talking to me 'bout no money

'cause I 'bout don't want to hear it.

WALTER Something the matter with you this morning?

RUTH No I'm just sleepy as the devil. What kind of

eggs you want?

RUTH (Turning on him) Oh, no he ain't going to be get-

ting up no earlier no such thing! It ain't his fault that

he can't get to bed no earlier nights 'cause he got a

bunch of crazy good-for-nothing clowns sitting up run-

ning their mouths in what is supposed to be his bed-

room after ten o'clock at night . . .

WALTER That's what you mad about, ain't it? The things

I want to talk about .with my friends just couldn't be

important in your mind, could they?

(He rises and finds a cigarette in her handbag on

the table and crosses to the little window and looks

out, smoking and deeply enjoying this first one)

RUTH (Almost matter of factly, a complaint too automatic

to deserve emphasis) Why you always got to smoke

before you eat in the morning?

WALTER (At the window) Just look at 'em down there

. . . Running and racing to work . . . (He turns and

faces his wife and watches her a moment at the stove,

and then, suddenly) You look young this morning, baby.

RUTH (Indifferently) Yeah?

WALTER Just for a second stirring them eggs. Just for

a second it was you looked real young again. (He

reaches for her; she crosses away. Then, drily) It's gone

now you look like yourself again!

RUTH Man, if you don't shut up and leave me alone.

WALTER (Looking out to the street again) First thing

a man ought to learn in life is not to make love to no

colored woman first thing in the morning. You all some

eeeevil people at eight o'clock in the morning.

WALTER Not scrambled. (RUTH starts to scramble eggs)

Paper come? (RUTH points impatiently to the rolled up

Tribune on the table, and he gets it and spreads it out

and vaguely reads the front page) Set off another bomb

yesterday.

RUTH (Maximum indifference) Did they?

WALTER (Looking up) What's the matter with you?

RUTH Ain't nothing the matter with me. And don't keep

asking me that this morning.

WALTER Ain't nobody bothering you. (Reading the news

of the day absently again) Say Colonel McCormick

is sick.

RUTH (Affecting tea-party interest) Is he now? Poor

thing.

WALTER (Sighing and looking at his watch) Oh, me.

(He waits) Now what is that boy doing in that bathroom

all this time? He just going to have to start getting up

earlier. I can't be being late to work on account of

him fooling around in there.

Dialogue

RUTH Hey!

BENEATHA (Putting away the case) Hi.

RUTH (Pointing at a package) Honey look in that

package there and see what I found on sale this morning

at the South Center. (RUTH gets up and moves to the

package and draws out some curtains) Lookahere

hand-turned hems!

BENEATHA How do you know the window size out there?

RUTH (Who hadn't thought of that) Oh Well, they

bound to fit something in the whole house. Anyhow,

they was too good a bargain to pass up. (RUTH slaps

her head, suddenly remembering something) Oh, Ben-

nie I meant to put a special note on that carton over

there. That's your mama's good china and she wants

5 em to be very careful with it.

BENEATHA I'll do it

(BENEATHA finds a piece of paper and starts to

draw large letters on it)

RUTH You know what I'm going to do soon as I get in

that new house?

BENEATHA What?

RUTH Honey I'm going to run me a tub of water up to

here . . . (With her fingers practically up to her nos-

trils} And I'm going to get in it and I am going to

sit ... and sit ... and sit in that hot water and the

first person who knocks to tell me to hurry up and

come out

BENEATHA Gets shot at sunrise.

RUTH (Laughing happily) You said it, sister! (Noticing

how large BENEATHA is absent-mindedly making the

note) Honey, they ain't going to read that from no

airplane.

BENEATHA (Laughing herself) I guess I always think

things have more emphasis if they are big, somehow.

RUTH (Looking up at her and smiling) You and your

brother seem to have that as a philosophy of life. Lord,

that man done changed so 'round here. You know

you know what we did last night? Me and Walter Lee?

BENEATHA What?

RUTH (Smiling to herself) We went to the movies.

(Looking at BENEATHA to see if she understands) We

went to the movies. You know the last time me and

Walter went to the movies together?

BENEATHA No.

RUTH Me neither. That's how long it been. (Smiling

again) But we went last night. The picture wasn't much

good, but that didn't seem to matter. We went and

we held hands.

BENEATHA Oh, Lord!

RUTH We held hands and you know what?

BENEATHA What?

RUTH When we come out of the show it was late and

dark and all the stores and things was closed up...

and it was kind of chilly and there wasn't many people

on the streets . . . and we was still holding hands, me

and Walter.

BENEATHA You're killing me.

Thesis Statement: Ruth is a typical housewife with the dream of having a perfect family; she works her butt off to provide for her family but doesn't show the love and compassion that a mother or wife should show.

General Info (Ruth): Ruth is about thirty years old. She has always had big dreams about having a perfect home with a perfect family. Ruth wasn’t expecting to be where she is in life; living in a small 2 bed apartment with her mother in law, sister in law, and her own family. “It is apparent that life has been little that she expected” (1871). Ruth tries to work as often as she can so that she can provide for her family and one day live up to her expectations of having a perfect life. She is constantly worried about the money in the family and how her husband spends the money they have.

Mama - Sarah

Travis - Haley

Ruth- Emily

Introduction- Act 2 Scene 1: pg 1905. This scene is shows how excited Ruth gets when she finds out Mama bought a house.

Explanation: This scene is when Mama uses her $10,000 to buy a house. Ruth gets very excited because her family is going to have a better future. The family is very cramped in the apartment they live in. Owning a house would give everybody space. the only problem with the house is it's in a white neighborhood. This creates a problem for Ruth and her family.

Ruth Analysis: As a character, Ruth displays a somewhat typical '50s housewife. She is a housewife in the sense that she supports her husband and does household chores. Unlike the typical housewife, Ruth takes on jobs outside of the house working for other, richer people. Her main role in the play is to display the hardships of a colored, working class woman while also bringing some light to the family and humor to the play.

Ruth’s Affect on the Family: Ruth has an overall positive affect on the Younger family. Ruth is the one in the family that tries to find the positive in everything. Seeing as though it would be difficult to accomplish her dreams of a big house in a nice neighborhood for her family, Ruth begins directing all energy into making her son, husband, and family happy, and settles for satisfaction rather then fulfillment.

Dialogue

TRAVIS Aw, Mama

RUTH Get on in there (Closing the door behind him

and turning radiantly to her mother-in-law) So you

went and did it!.

MAMA (Quietly, looking at her son with pain) Yes, I

did.

RUTH (Raising both arms classically) PRAISE GOD!

(Looks at WALTER a moment, -who says nothing. She

crosses rapidly to her husband) Please, honey let me

be glad . . . you be glad too. (She has laid her hands

on his shoulders, but he shakes himself free of her

roughly, without turning to face her) Oh, Walter . . .

a home . . . a home. (She comes back to MAMA) Well

where is it? How big is it? How much it going to

cost?

MAMA Well

RUTH When we moving?

MAMA (Smiling at her) First of the month.

RUTH (Throwing back her head with jubilance) Praise

God!

TRAVIS Yes'm

MAMA Well what you think your grandmama gone and

done with that money?

TRAVIS I don't know, Grandmama.

MAMA (Putting her finger on his nose for emphasis) She

went out and she bought you a house! (The explosion

comes from WALTER at the end of the revelation and he

jumps up and turns away from all of them in a fury.

MAMA continues, to TRAVIS) You glad about the house?

It's going to be yours when you get to be a man.

TRAVIS Yeah I always wanted to live in a house.

MAMA All right, gimme some sugar then (TRAVIS puts

his arms around her neck as she watches her son over

the boy's shoulder. Then, to TRAVIS, after the embrace)

Now when you say your prayers tonight, you thank

God and your grandfather 'cause it was him who

give you the house in his way.

RUTH (Taking the boy -from MAMA and pushing him to-

ward the bedroom) Now you get out of here and get

ready for your beating.

Travis: Mama, I

RUTH "Mama I" nothing! You're going to get it, boy!

Get on in that bedroom and get yourself ready!

TRAVIS But I

MAMA Why don't you all never let the child explain

hisself.

RUTH Keep out of it now, Lena.

(MAMA clamps her lips together, and RUTH ad-

vances toward her son menacingly)

RUTH A thousand times I have told you not to go off

like that

MAMA (Holding out her arms to her grandson) Well

at least let me tell him something. I want him to be

the first one to hear . . . Come here, Travis. (The boy

obeys, gladly) Travis (She takes him by the shoulder

and looks into his face) you know that money we

got in the mail this morning?

MAMA (Tentatively, still looking at her son's back turned

against her and RUTH) It's it's a nice house too ...

(She cannot help speaking directly to him. An im-

ploring quality in her voice, her manner, makes her

almost like a girl now) Three bedrooms nice big one

for you and Ruth. , . . Me and Beneatha still have to

share our room, but Travis have one of his own and

(With difficulty) I figure if the new baby is a boy,

we could get one of them double-decker outfits . . .

And there's a yard with a little patch of dirt where I

could maybe get to grow me a few flowers . . , And a

nice big basement . . .

RUTH Walter honey, be glad

MAMA (Still to his back, fingering things on the table)

'Course I don't want to make it sound fancier than it

is ... It's just a plain little old house but it's made

good and solid and it will be ours. Walter Lee it

makes a difference in a man when he can walk on

floors that belong to him . . .

RUTH Where is it?

MAMA (Frightened at this telling) Well well it's out

Conclusion Continued

Additional Moments/Info: (Act 1, Scene 1)

Mama: Well- whether they drinks it or not ain’t none of my business. But whether I go into business selling it to ‘em is, and I don’t want that on my ledger this late in life. (stopping suddenly and studying her daughter-in-law) Ruth Younger, what’s the matter with you today? You look like you could fall over right there.

Ruth: I’m tired.

Mama: Then you better stay home from work today.

Ruth: I can’t stay home. She’d be calling up the agency and screaming at them, “My girl didn’t come in today-send me somebody! My girl didn’t come in!” Oh, she just have a fit…

This conversation between Mama and Ruth shows Ruth being responsible, and is another example of how she does things she doesn’t necessarily want to do. She doesn’t feel well and Mama suggest she stays home, but Ruth insists on going to work to prevent any problems.

Conclusion Continued

Additional Moments/Info: Travis (quickly, to the ally): I have to-she won’t give me fifty cents…

Walter (to his wife only): Why not?

Ruth (simply, and with flavor): ‘Cause we don’t have it.

This conversation between Ruth, her husband and son is also an example of her putting necessities before wants. Walter, being a dreamer, of course wants to give his son the fifty cents. But Ruth knowing their financial situation does not want to give money away for things that aren’t needed.