Question
85 WALTER (After him, pointing with pride) That’s my boy. (She looks at him in disgust and turns back to her work) You know what I was thinking ’bout in the bathroom this morning?
86 RUTH No.
87 WALTER How come you always try to be so pleasant!
88 RUTH What is there to be pleasant ’bout!
89 WALTER You want to know what I was thinking ’bout in the bathroom or not!
90 RUTH I know what you thinking ’bout.
91 WALTER (Ignoring her) ’Bout what me and Willy Harris was talking about last night.
92 RUTH (Immediately—a refrain) Willy Harris is a good-for-nothing loudmouth.
93 WALTER Anybody who talks to me has got to be a good-for-nothing loudmouth, ain’t he? And what you know about who is just a good-for-nothing loudmouth? Charlie Atkins was just a “good-for-nothing loudmouth” too, wasn’t he! When he wanted me to go in the dry-cleaning business with him. And now—he’s grossing a hundred thousand a year. A hundred thousand dollars a year! You still call him a loudmouth!
94 RUTH (Bitterly) Oh, Walter Lee …
95 (She folds her head on her arms over the table)
96 WALTER (Rising and coming to her and standing over her) You tired, ain’t you? Tired of everything. Me, the boy, the way we live—this beat-up hole—everything. Ain’t you? (She doesn’t look up, doesn’t answer) So tired—moaning and groaning all the time, but you wouldn’t do nothing to help, would you? You couldn’t be on my side that long for nothing, could you?
97 RUTH Walter, please leave me alone.
98 WALTER A man needs for a woman to back him up …
99 RUTH Walter—
100 WALTER Mama would listen to you. You know she listen to you more than she do me and Bennie. She think more of you. All you have to do is just sit down with her when you drinking your coffee one morning and talking ’bout things like you do and—(He sits down beside her and demonstrates graphically what he thinks her methods and tone should be)—you just sip your coffee, see, and say easy like that you been thinking ’bout that deal Walter Lee is so interested in, ’bout the store and all, and sip some more coffee, like what you saying ain’t really that important to you— And the next thing you know, she be listening good and asking you questions and when I come home—I can tell her the details. This ain’t no fly-by-night proposition, baby. I mean we figured it out, me and Willy and Bobo.
101 RUTH (With a frown) Bobo
102 WALTER Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be ’bout thirty thousand, see. That be ten thousand each. Course, there’s a couple of hundred you got to pay so’s you don’t spend your life just waiting for them clowns to let your license get approved—
103 RUTH You mean graft?
104 WALTER (Frowning impatiently) Don’t call it that. See there, that just goes to show you what women understand about the world. Baby, don’t nothing happen for you in this world ’less you pay somebody off!
105 RUTH Walter, leave me alone! (She raises her head and stares at him vigorously—then says, more quietly) Eat your eggs, they gonna be cold.
106 WALTER (Straightening up from her and looking off) That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs. (Sadly, but gaining in power) Man say: I got to take hold of this here world, baby! And a woman will say: Eat your eggs and go to work. (Passionately now) Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby! And his woman say—(In utter anguish as he brings his fists down on his thighs)—Your eggs is getting cold!
107 RUTH (Softly) Walter, that ain’t none of our money.
108 WALTER (Not listening at all or even looking at her) This morning, I was lookin’ in the mirror and thinking about it … I’m thirty-five years old; I been married eleven years and I got a boy who sleeps in the living room—(Very, very quietly)—and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live …
109 RUTH Eat your eggs, Walter.
110 WALTER (Slams the table and jumps up)—DAMN MY EGGS—DAMN ALL THE EGGS THAT EVER WAS!
Based on the information in paragraphs 85-110 of the play, what conclusion can you draw about the Younger Family?
The Younger family is unified and supportive of each other’s dreams and ambitions.
The Younger family experiences internal conflict and struggles with balancing dreams and practical concerns.
The Younger family is indifferent to the financial opportunities and personal growth available to them.
The Younger family is wealthy and does not face significant challenges in their daily lives.
86 RUTH No.
87 WALTER How come you always try to be so pleasant!
88 RUTH What is there to be pleasant ’bout!
89 WALTER You want to know what I was thinking ’bout in the bathroom or not!
90 RUTH I know what you thinking ’bout.
91 WALTER (Ignoring her) ’Bout what me and Willy Harris was talking about last night.
92 RUTH (Immediately—a refrain) Willy Harris is a good-for-nothing loudmouth.
93 WALTER Anybody who talks to me has got to be a good-for-nothing loudmouth, ain’t he? And what you know about who is just a good-for-nothing loudmouth? Charlie Atkins was just a “good-for-nothing loudmouth” too, wasn’t he! When he wanted me to go in the dry-cleaning business with him. And now—he’s grossing a hundred thousand a year. A hundred thousand dollars a year! You still call him a loudmouth!
94 RUTH (Bitterly) Oh, Walter Lee …
95 (She folds her head on her arms over the table)
96 WALTER (Rising and coming to her and standing over her) You tired, ain’t you? Tired of everything. Me, the boy, the way we live—this beat-up hole—everything. Ain’t you? (She doesn’t look up, doesn’t answer) So tired—moaning and groaning all the time, but you wouldn’t do nothing to help, would you? You couldn’t be on my side that long for nothing, could you?
97 RUTH Walter, please leave me alone.
98 WALTER A man needs for a woman to back him up …
99 RUTH Walter—
100 WALTER Mama would listen to you. You know she listen to you more than she do me and Bennie. She think more of you. All you have to do is just sit down with her when you drinking your coffee one morning and talking ’bout things like you do and—(He sits down beside her and demonstrates graphically what he thinks her methods and tone should be)—you just sip your coffee, see, and say easy like that you been thinking ’bout that deal Walter Lee is so interested in, ’bout the store and all, and sip some more coffee, like what you saying ain’t really that important to you— And the next thing you know, she be listening good and asking you questions and when I come home—I can tell her the details. This ain’t no fly-by-night proposition, baby. I mean we figured it out, me and Willy and Bobo.
101 RUTH (With a frown) Bobo
102 WALTER Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be ’bout thirty thousand, see. That be ten thousand each. Course, there’s a couple of hundred you got to pay so’s you don’t spend your life just waiting for them clowns to let your license get approved—
103 RUTH You mean graft?
104 WALTER (Frowning impatiently) Don’t call it that. See there, that just goes to show you what women understand about the world. Baby, don’t nothing happen for you in this world ’less you pay somebody off!
105 RUTH Walter, leave me alone! (She raises her head and stares at him vigorously—then says, more quietly) Eat your eggs, they gonna be cold.
106 WALTER (Straightening up from her and looking off) That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs. (Sadly, but gaining in power) Man say: I got to take hold of this here world, baby! And a woman will say: Eat your eggs and go to work. (Passionately now) Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby! And his woman say—(In utter anguish as he brings his fists down on his thighs)—Your eggs is getting cold!
107 RUTH (Softly) Walter, that ain’t none of our money.
108 WALTER (Not listening at all or even looking at her) This morning, I was lookin’ in the mirror and thinking about it … I’m thirty-five years old; I been married eleven years and I got a boy who sleeps in the living room—(Very, very quietly)—and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live …
109 RUTH Eat your eggs, Walter.
110 WALTER (Slams the table and jumps up)—DAMN MY EGGS—DAMN ALL THE EGGS THAT EVER WAS!
Based on the information in paragraphs 85-110 of the play, what conclusion can you draw about the Younger Family?
The Younger family is unified and supportive of each other’s dreams and ambitions.
The Younger family experiences internal conflict and struggles with balancing dreams and practical concerns.
The Younger family is indifferent to the financial opportunities and personal growth available to them.
The Younger family is wealthy and does not face significant challenges in their daily lives.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The conclusion that can be drawn about the Younger family based on the information in paragraphs 85-110 of the play is:
**The Younger family experiences internal conflict and struggles with balancing dreams and practical concerns.**
This is evident from Walter's aspirations for a better life, his discussions about investing in a liquor store, and Ruth's practical concerns and apparent exhaustion from their struggles. There is a clear tension between Walter's dreams and Ruth's emphasis on immediate realities, encapsulated in their dialogue about money, responsibilities, and the frustrations of their living situation.
**The Younger family experiences internal conflict and struggles with balancing dreams and practical concerns.**
This is evident from Walter's aspirations for a better life, his discussions about investing in a liquor store, and Ruth's practical concerns and apparent exhaustion from their struggles. There is a clear tension between Walter's dreams and Ruth's emphasis on immediate realities, encapsulated in their dialogue about money, responsibilities, and the frustrations of their living situation.