Stay True

A Raisin In the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry

In the play, Ruth is most obviously pressured from other people and her current situation into thinking about doing something that she would have never otherwise done. If her situation with her husband and financial situation were better, than she would not have even considered the option, because having an abortion is not in her character. Walter even tells his mother, "You don't know Ruth, Mama, if you think she would do that" (476). Her family is living in this old, beat up apartment, and they are barely making ends meet with the five of them, and adding another child to the picture did not even seem to be an option. How would they have possibly afforded another child? Also, Walter and Ruth had not been getting along at the point in the play where this occurred, so Ruth did not feel that this child would have a loving environment or that the child was a production of their affection for each other.

Even though Ruth never actually had the abortion, the idea was brought forth because of the tension in the household. Pressures can come from all different things in a person's environment. These pressures can lead to people making decisions that are out of character, but it is important to relate this to the real world because of how often it happens today. People should not change who they are no matter how difficult times are or how many forces are working against them. Everyone should stay true to themselves.