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Tracy Sweet
Characterization of Lena Younger – Turning point in the play
The audience is introduced to Lena Younger, the family matriarch midway
through the first scene. The initial characteristics that stand out are
that she is a little on the meddling side when the issue involves her only
grandchild, Travis. It becomes apparent from her conversations that she
has had a difficult life, with many unfulfilled dreams. She loves her
family, yet she is not comfortable with the people that they are becoming.
“They frightens me, Ruth. My children.” (pg 1493).
Lena has a wisdom that has developed from the hardships that she has endured,
including a difficult husband, the loss of a child, and the struggles of
being a black woman on the south side of Chicago in the early days of the
civil rights movement. It is this wisdom that she tries to instill in
her family. She is disturbed that her son is consumed by money and the
power that comes with it. Lena is worried and distraught that her daughter,
who has dreams of becoming a doctor one day, is questioning things in life
that she has believed and taken for granted, such as the existence of God,
and the role of a woman as a wife and mother.
Lena Younger realizes in the second Act at the end of the first Scene that
Walter is at a turning point in his life. Lena has realized one of her
dreams by purchasing a house for the family to live in. Walter Lee’s
response, rather than joy, is frustration and anger. “What you need me to say
you done right for? You the head of this family. You run our
lives like you want to.” (pg 1515) As a result of this outburst, Lena
makes the difficult decision to give her son the remaining funds from his
father’s life insurance. She gives him instructions to place three
thousand dollars in a savings account for his sister’s education; the balance
of the funds is his responsibility. “I’m telling you to be the head of
this family from now on like you supposed to be.” (pg1518)
Money, as Lena knows, does not solve the problems of the world, or answer all
the dreams that have built up over the years. Walter lost the money by
making a poor choice in business associates, as well as trying to get rich
quick. The audience is left questioning whether a mother can continue
to love a son who has disappointed her so, but they receive their answer in
the next scene. “Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody
the most; when they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well
then, you ain’t through learning-because that ain’t the time at all.
It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself ‘cause the
world done whipped him so.” (pg 1539)
These scenes are not necessarily turning points for Lena Younger, but instead
they reaffirm her character. Lena Younger continues to face hardships,
even in her senior years, yet she maintains the faith in God and her family
to face the struggles of life. It is her strength that has carried this
family into the next generation.
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