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A Raisin In The Sun Beneatha Character Analysis

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A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a play which contains many different obstacles that the characters face. One character, Beneatha, faces an obstacle that is out of her control. This obstacle is gender inequality. Throughout A Raisin in the Sun, gender inequality is experienced by Beneatha and reflects the struggles women faced in the 1950s. One of the issues that Beneatha faces in the play is her relationships with two men in her life, George Murchison and Joseph Asagai. Asagai mentions that he cannot take women seriously; George thinks it's funny that a woman wants to be a doctor. The only reason George likes Beneatha is because of her beauty. While Beneatha is with George, she is not allowed to express her feelings to him without being made fun …show more content…

Back in the 1950s, women would be a stay at home mom and take care of the house and kids. However, Beneatha does not want to fit this stereotype. She tells Ruth and Lena that "[she is] not even worried about who [she is] going to marry yet. If—[she] ever gets married" (Hansberry 75). Beneatha gets shamed for not wanting to marry before her schooling. Lena and Ruth laugh at her, and are confused on why she does not want to marry George right away. George thinks it is stupid to not get married right now and wants Beneatha to be like everyone else. Sharon Brubaker notes that Beneatha's version of the American dream is "solitary, less traditional, and not as concerned with family." Beneatha does not want to be "white" or "normal" in her life. Sally Burke says that "Beneatha refuses to accept the subservient position often seen as 'natural' for women" (95). A Raisin in the Sun is a play that addresses gender inequality through Beneatha and her experiences. Throughout what we see about her life, she thinks all men and women should be treated equal. These experiences that Beneatha goes through effects her life and her

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