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Walter Younger Sr., also known as Big Walter, is Mama’s husband as well as Walter Lee and Beneatha’s father. Although his death occurs before the beginning of the play, he inevitably plays a crucial role by serving as the catalyst for the central conflict. The money that Mama receives from the insurance company in the wake of Big Walter’s death has the power to change their lives, and everyone has their own ideas about the best way to use it. Mama, for example, wants to honor her late husband’s sacrifices by purchasing a family home with the money. Through her conversations with Ruth, the audience learns that they had picked out a house when they were newly married, but they never managed to save enough money to afford anything other than their small apartment. Big Walter’s love for his children also becomes a topic of discussion that calls attention to just how much he sacrificed during his life. Not only did he raise his children to believe that they could achieve their dreams, he worked himself to death with the hope that he could give them a life that would set them up to do so. Enabling future generations of his family to break barriers was one of Big Walter’s ultimate goals. Although Mama admits that her husband had his fair share of shortcomings, his investment in family redeemed him.
Big Walter’s identity as a dreamer also influences Walter Lee’s ideas about how the insurance money should be used. He aspires to invest the money in a liquor store, an act which shows that he has inherited his father’s tendency to dream big. The similarities between father and son reinforce the notion that each generation of the Younger family has fought to rise above their station, and Big Walter himself symbolizes where the family has come from. This image of his hardworking father is part of what ultimately inspires Walter Lee to stand up to Mr. Lindner and refuse his offer to buy their newly-purchased home. Big Walter’s memory and legacy truly shape the arc of the play.
