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Gloria M Finales Montano

Ms.Price

English I

22 May 2018

Walter Lee

Walter is a young man who is trying to do the best for his family but the desire to make

that happen just gives him bad moments and arguments with his family. Walter Lee is a man

who works as a chauffeur. He gets the money from his dead father he tries to make business with

someone who ends up cheating on him and taking all his money. This happened everything is

worse in the house now than it was before. He is full of stress and desperation. Walter has PTSD,

this is characterized by character flaws or dark personality. He does not show this syndrome

from the beginning of the play but after some of the events that happened in their lives during the

play he does show this disorder PTSD can appear after a traumatic event and one of the

emotional responses is anxiety and stress. Symptoms that he shows are avoidance of situations

that bring back memories of the event, depressed mood, guilt, loneliness, and self- destructive

behavior ( Walter’s use of alcohol). People with PTSD can have heightened reactions too.

One of the symptoms that Walter shows throughout the play that proves his PTSD syndrome

is self-destructive behavior. Walter Lee is the kind of man who is always drunk when he is

desperate and feeling depressed by all of the sudden things that have happened recently in his

family. While he is drunk his personality changes completely and not for good but for bad. To

begin with Walter said “Shut up !.. I’m digging them drums… them drums move me !”

(Hansberry 78). This show how aggressive he can be while he is drunk and also his habits and
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personality. After this traumatic event, one of that emotional responses is anxiety. “No Daddy

ain’t drunk. Daddy ain’t going to never be drunk again.” (Hansberry 107) . It also shows him

saying that he is not going to be drunk again while is under the alcohol effects. Which means that

Walter is not even knowing what he is saying at that moment. To concluded Walter’s disorder is

not discovered until the end of the play. Walter maybe think he is a little stressed but what he did

not know is that from that stress, people like him are more likely to get PTSD.

One of the symptom that can be seen in Walter that helps the claim for PTSD is

heightened reactions and avoidance of situations that bring back memories of the event. For

people who struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, as a result of being exposed to extreme

danger, threat, violence, or death, the stress response is heightened and can lead to physical and

psychological distress far beyond what is experienced in a normal stress response. An individual

who is dealing with a normal stress response may respond with abnormal behaviors for a while

that might be upsetting to the individual and loved ones. For example, the moodiness and anxiety

of stress can make personal interactions and relationships more strained. Walter says to Bobo,

“Then tell me what’s the matter with you.” (Hansberry 127) Walter’s reaction while talking with

Bobo was not right. Walter should not get mad and falsely blamed Bobo even though he was not

responsible for the loss of his meny. Walter Lee a man that goes through many different

personality changes. Though there was a heightened sense of tension over civil rights. Altered

the way African-Americans think, behave, and react as human beings.

Despite the evidence that claims of Walter Lee may have or has PTSD many people

believe that Walter just may be stressed about work or he could have another completely

different syndrome, but they fail to see that all the evidence provided that Walter have or will

have PTSD. Those who believe that Walter do not have Post Traumatic stress disorder think that
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because Walter does not have control over his own responsibilities. Even though he tries to be a

loving man, sometimes he does not know how to show the idea of love,

Sometimes...sometimes...I don't even know how to try' (Hansberry 89). His position in life can

be regarded as symbolic of every black male struggling to provide for his family by any means

necessary. Although Walter has a job, it seems inadequate for his survival. As a result, he has

become frustrated and lacks good judgement. Although aspects of this argument are enticing, it

ultimately fails to be a stronger argument because all symptoms that Walter have a show through

the play demonstrated that he could end up having PTSD or he already has it.

To summarize, the point of the whole story is to explain and to imagine that Walter Lee

may have, might not, or will never have the syndrome. Because on the on the play we can see

some symptoms of that condition, but we really do not know if he really have it. Overall, Walter

show those symptoms that corresponds to PTSD but in the same time it can be from a different

disease. It might relate to another syndrome that might have the same symptoms.

Works Cited

“Better Information. Better Health.” WebMD, WebMD, webmd.com/.

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Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New American Library, 1966.

“Know More. Feel Better.” Verywell Mind, Verywellmind, www.verywellmind.com/.

VeryWell.com/.

National Center. “PTSD: National Center for PTSD.” Negative Coping and PTSD - PTSD:
National Center for PTSD, 15 Aug. 2013, www.ptsd.va.gov/.