Character Analysis Of Ruth In Hansberry's Ruth

Register to read the introduction… Ruth is the wife of Walter Lee and has a son named Travis. She works as a laborer in other peoples homes. The play describes her as about thirty. “We can see she was a pretty girl, even exceptionally so, but now it is apparent that life has been little that she expected, and disappointment has already begun to hang in her face” (1293 Hansberry). Throughout the play she talks about how life isn't always what it seems. It seems as if she has given up. She is tired settled woman. When she is asked about her dream by her husband, she brushes it off. When Mama asks, she sides with Mama buying a new home. One thing that Ruth is confronted with is the pregnancy. She goes out later and puts a five dollar deposit down for an abortion. When accidentally revealing that information, Beneatha quickly starts badgering her about whether it was planned and suddenly Ruth starts feeling sick. She is now confronted with the thought of the baby living with them in an apartment and if they had a home they would be fine. Ruth has lived in the poverty for a long time and her having a child would be either her struggling more or not. Ruth has not been analyzed much even though she has some part in almost all the scenes. What many don’t realize is that she is essentially the one whose dream matters the most. She has taken the care giving responsibility from Mama, she cooks and cleans the house with barely any help from Beneatha, and she still supports her husband and son. While everyone is off expressing their dreams from Big Walter death , she is the only one who doesn’t parade around or fight about the money. She never gets her way only until Mama makes Walter realize that the family's well being comes before his own. Over all Ruth's dream does come true without her worrying about the money even though her life previously dried up like a raisin in the …show more content…
There are plenty of topics that push buttons such as abortion and segregation, but those problems dont interfere with all of the characters dreams. They collectively all have a dream for advancement but clash with regards to the money. All of the characters resemble the poem from which the title comes from. Walter is festering like a sore over not advancing in business, Beneatha's wanting her family to not assimilate and embrace Africa is stinking like rotten meat. Ruth has dried up with years of taking care of her family and working. Mama is the syrupy sweet that tries to put the good back into her family. We are left with the worry of how they will adjust to a new neighborhood and that thought sags like a heavy load but we wont know if it will