Sexism In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Lindner and the family, are all nearly resolved by the end of the play. The conflicts are only settled after the family members are in agreement with one another, respecting each other and their individual decisions. This new sense of harmony is displayed as Walter acknowledges Beneatha’s dream of being a doctor, and Beneatha realizes that Walter has come into his manhood, respecting his decision to stand up to Lindner and move into their house. These acknowledgments starkly contrast the dysfunctions seen before; whereas the family members were only being attentive to their own wants and needs, towards the end of Hansberry’s play, the family is able to see what its individual members need and give one another just that: each other’s

Beneatha wants to study to become a doctor, but instead Walter Lee wants to spend his family’s insurance money so he can open a liquor store with Willy and Bobo his friends and be a man. Since Walter Lee and his family were in a bad position and were very poor it was Walter Younger’s responsibility to keep the family together and he saw this a very big responsibility. He frequently complained about being a chauffeur and ridding rich people, every day when he woke up in the morning. He would always fight with his wife Ruth, Mama and his sister Beneatha. For instance (Hansberry 32-34) he says to Ruth his wife “You tired, ain’t you?

Walter, believes Beneatha should give up on her dream of becoming a doctor. In the story, he states, ¨If you so crazy ´bout messing ´round with sick people- then go be a nurse like other women- or just get married and be quiet...¨(Hansberry 38). Her attitude towards his response was very fitting for the situation. She is tired of his attitude toward his dream and lets him know by telling him to give up. It seems as if Walter was the reason for Beneatha 's dream to become deferred.

After undergoing the obstacles of being a Black woman trying to attain higher education, her dream is squandered because her brother, Walter, gives the money meant for her education to a con man. Beneatha thus loses her one shot to create the future she has dreamed up for herself; unlike Biff, she does not have additional money to fall back on to ensure the fulfillment of her dream. Therefore, her dream is only brought to near fruition, because it is uncertain if she will ever have the resources to attempt to enroll in medical school. Hansberry is depicting that even those with a plan to seek higher ways of life may be unable to accomplish

Gender Expectations in Different Cultures “Women are supposed to cook and do house chores… Women should be responsible for raising children… Men should tell women what they should do… Men are superior than women.” Gender expectations are evident in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and the society in Korea. Due to their different culture and lifestyle, The Youngers, the African American family, in A Raisin in the Sun have gender expectations that are different from the those in Korea.

Reading and Reimagining Social Life In Allan Johnson’s Privilege, Power, and Difference, Patricia Hill Collins describes the Matrix of Domination as an intersectionality between all the isms, especially racism and sexism. Collins describes this cycle of domination saying “that each form of privilege is part of a much larger system of privilege” (Johnson, 52). Work for change needs to focus on the idea of privilege in all forms and the way in which it enables people to think in relation to inequality and power. The only way to understand the matrix, is by understanding its dimensions.

In Lorraine Hansberry’s play,” A Raisin in the Sun” Beneatha Younger has great dreams for her future, but there are issues such as, race, education, and gender that stand in the way. Beneatha’s dreams of finding who she really is and becoming a doctor are affected by her gender in the play. Walter says to Beneatha,“I'm interested in you. Something wrong with that?

His sister, Beneatha, wants to become a doctor and Walter isn't very supportive of her decision. Walter's wife, Ruth, is the recipient of the majority of Walter's anger and sexist remarks. In Act 1 Scene 1, the audience learns that Beneatha, a colored woman, wants to become a doctor and attends medical school. Beneatha and Walter begin to banter with each other about Mama’s money.

George thinks men should be smarter than women. George also makes fun of Beneatha’s heritage, by saying “ Let's face it, baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy-assed spirituals and some grass huts!” (1571). Even though George is also this heritage, he thinks he’s better than them because he is rich. Thi changes Beneatha by showing that George is wrong and Asgia is the guy for her.

The Younger family in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun faces many oppositions and conflicts, but Mama, the matriarch of the family, keeps them held together. She helps them work out their issues with her wisdom that she has received through her own trials and tribulations. She can best be described as puritanical, dignified and caring woman who would do anything for her family. Hansberry separates Mama from the family through her wisdom and values, but she uses her to tie the story together. Mama’s puritanical values are the basis for how she runs the family.

Beneatha is powerful for turning down George, an educated man with a much richer family than hers, but she is progressive for choosing her happiness over wealth. Beneatha Younger is a dynamic character with a personality fit for the twenty-first century. This monologue embodies her spirit as an opponent of stereotypes set for her, and her denial of assimilation. She clearly knows what she wants and how she’s going to get it, and this conversation with George is another step on her path to becoming a successful

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun presents the rise of feminism in America in the 1960s. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, with the feminist notions displayed in the play, women establish their rights to fulfil their individual dreams which diverge from traditional conventions of that time. Beneatha Younger, Lena Younger (Mama) and Ruth Younger are the three primary characters displaying evidences of feminism in the play. Moreover, Hansberry creates male characters who demonstrate oppressive attitudes towards women yet enhance the feminist ideology in the play. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, the play encourages women to develop an identity for themselves, particularly through education and career.

Overall, Beneatha wants to break racial and gender stereotypes by becoming a doctor. She seeks to find herself and create her own path. In A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry portrays Beneatha Younger as a woman in the 1950s who seeks to find herself in life while also making mistakes along the way. She faces gender and racial stereotypes and wants to break those standards that have been placed. It is frowned upon to do so, however, it is best to walk through

A Raisin in the Sun addresses major social issues such as racism and feminism which were common in the twentieth century. The author, Lorraine Hansberry, was the first playwright to produce a play that portrayed problematic social issues. Racism and gender equality are heavily addressed throughout the play. Even though we still have these issues today, in the 1950’s and 60’s the issues had a greater part in society. Racism and gender have always been an issue in society, A Raisin in the Sun is an important piece of American history during that time period.

Just within the recent decades, men and women started to fight against the gender stereotypes and started to challenge their roles in a family and in the society. The play, A Raisin in the Sun, portrays the lives of African–Americans during the 1950s. Lorraine Hansberry, a writer and a social activist, reinforced the traditional gender roles, especially female’s, by depicting how the Youngers interact and how they act in an economical struggle. Throughout the play, A Raisin in the Sun, she uses Walter Lee Younger, Ruth Younger and Lena Younger to reinforce the traditional role of fathers, wives and mothers within a family.