Is Walter Lee from A Raisin in the Sun considered a Hero?

In the story written by Lorraine Hansberry, Walter Lee and the younger family face many different situations which almost leads to the fall of Walter Lee. Is his reaction to life's battles enough to consider him as a modern-day hero?

If you read my first blog post about Hamlet and whether he is considered a Hero, you have read about how he is considered as a Tragic Hero according to Aristotle. In this blog post, you will read about how Walter Lee is considered as a modern-day hero according to Arthur Miller.

Below is a quote that demonstrates a pivotal time in the story where Walter Lee makes a big decision.

“No Travis, you stay right here. And you make him understand what you doing Walter Lee." - Mama

The quote above is the pivotal point in the story where Walter Lee finally decides to make the right decision and not take Lindner's money for the new home. I believe that Walter Lee finally deciding to move forward in life and teach his son a lesson is the main reason why he can be considered a modern-day hero.

The Modern-Hero

Against Aristotle's definition of a hero, Arthur Miller holds a different set of requirements needed in order to be considered a modern-day hero. Miller stated that Aristotle is no longer relevant to the 20th and 21st century.

Similar to the expectations set by Miller, Walter Lee has a chosen self-image of himself which includes success, wealth and being a successful business man. We see this as Walter Lee describes a situation in his head in which he and his family are happy and have money. However, Walter Lee's chosen self-image of himself is unattainable as the Younger family has very little money to their name.

Walter Lee gets a chance at his admirations but his mistakes cost the Younger family $6500 which was meant to pay for Beneatha's medical school and fund Walter Lee's business dreams. Walter Lee is in a constant fight against the world for success and all he wants in life is to feel valuable. Based on this, Walter Lee is considered as a modern-day hero according to Arthur Miller.