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Sexism In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

664 Words3 Pages

“A Raisin in the Sun “ by Lorraine Hansberry is story about many family disappointments and In the story Lena (Mama) get $10,000 dollars insurance for her husband death .For Beneatha and ,Walter and Lena have their desires to do something with the money.Beneatha dream is to become a doctor and hope for Lena(mama) to help her pay for medical school and Walter Lee dream is to open a liquor store with partnership with his friends as for Lena (mama) hopes to finance a home where they have space to live decently and Travis can play outside also Lena(mama) can finally grow a garden. In “A Raisin in the Sun“ by Lorraine Hansberry shows many examples about sexism in the 1950’s ,Beneatha and Walter represent many of the stereotypes shown of a female and male roles .Above all as times have progress will still see sexism for example the wage gap in sport between a female athlete and male athletes . …show more content…

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… (Act1.Scene1 pg 38)”.Walter belittles Beneatha's dream of becoming a doctor, implying that women are fit only for supporting

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Her most famous work was A Raisin in the Sun which was “set against a backdrop of overt racism and pervasive housing discrimination in the 1950s (#8 59). In this work, a black family has just lost their patriarch, Big Walter Younger, and is trying to decide what to do with the ten-thousand dollar life insurance policy that they have been awarded. The story line focuses on each member of the family’s different opinion of what should be done with the money. While Lena Younger, the late Big Walter’s wife, would like to invest the money in buying a home in a better neighborhood so that her family can enjoy the kind of home that they deserve, Walter Lee, her son, believes that he should be allowed to use the money as an investment in a liquor store so that he can support the family and have some of the nicer things that life offers. His wife, Ruth, says that she would rather have more space for her their son, Travis, and her unborn child than anything else.

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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.

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The 1950s were oppressive and degrading towards the culture and identity of African Americans. This principle is especially personified through the drama, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry. As a black female author in this time period, she was easily able to capture the racism and forced stereotypes poignant within the lives of the minorities. Beneatha, a fictional character in the play, represents the ambitious and suppressed black female intellectual who is stripped of her identity at every turn. The men in her life are as different as black and white, and in essence that is what they are.

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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.

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She is also upset because Walter is giving in to racial tension and calling Mr. Lindner back to negotiate taking money in exchange for not moving into the white neighborhood. Lena immediately snaps back and calls out Beneatha for not learning to care for her brother. In this scene Lena’s maternal instinct really shines through. Even though she is disappointed in Walters foolishness and lack of pride, she knows that Walter is at his lowest point and that persecution and ridicule will not help the situation in any way. She also understands that his pursuit of money wasn't for self interest but to make things better for the whole family.

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