A Raisin In The Sun Manhood Essay

The idea of manhood is something that has come up again and again throughout history. It is a topic that has been the themes of many novels and even some plays. Lorraine Hansberry focuses on the concept of manhood in her well-known play A Raisin in the Sun. In this play, Hansberry develops the idea of manhood through several characters, primarily Walter. She shows that being a man does not just have to do with what material items you have in your life but also your character and what you are like as a person. In A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry continuously conveys the idea of manhood to the reader and develops the idea throughout the entire play. Throughout the beginning of the play, Hansberry hints at the idea of manhood and what it means

Walter and Beneatha are angry with Lindner and have a very intense conversation. Walter eventually says that, “And we have decided to move into our house because my father- my father- he earned it for us brick by brick” (148). This leads into Beneatha’s response of, “That’s what the man said” (148). This was what Walter was waiting for: finally being acknowledged as a man. But, Hansberry only lets this happen after he (Walter) came to the realization that being a man does not just have to do with material items, but also being emotionally and mentally mature. This is the final development in the play on the topic of manhood and is quite a turn or the character Walter. In A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry develops the concept of manhood and what it means to be a true man by utilizing the protagonist Walter and showing how both he and the idea of manhood can change. Walter starts out by just hoping to attain material items and ends with a deeper knowledge of what it actually means to be a man. By doing this, the play is resolved in a positive manner and Walter has grown as both a character and a