Social Stereotypes In Little Miss Sunshine And A Raisin In The Sun

Improved Essays
We can all agree that the Youngers as well as the Hoovers had some sort of dysfunctionality in their families. In both films, each character challenges social norms in one way or another. In Little Miss Sunshine, Olive goes against the norms of her society by entering a beauty pageant where society puts absurd beauty standards for little girls. In the film “A Raisin in the Sun”, Beneatha goes up against all the norms of that era, and attends college. Beneatha strives to become one of the first female african american doctor. Even though each film was made in different time periods we see a similarity in both families which is the wanting for something better. We also see some differences in the norms of the time periods like a change in gender roles. Gender typing is also seen in both films.“Little Miss Sunshine”, and “A Raisin in the Sun” centralize in issues like gender, sexuality, and identity.
Olive’s sole dream is to be like Miss America. When she finds out she is eligible to be a contestant in Little Miss Sunshine she becomes ecstatic, and jumps at the opportunity. When the family finally gets there they realize what they got themselves into. A ugly world where sexism is prevalent. Little girls faces are plastered
…show more content…
Like Mama, moving to the north for a better life, and Walter trying to be more of a provider for his family even though his plans do not work out. But one character was a prime example of going against all the norms of the day. Beneatha Younger is a female African American who has dreams of becoming a doctor. Kind of like Olive in “Little Miss Sunshine” she is going against a society with unfair, prejudice norms. The challenges of becoming a doctor in Beneatha’s situation can be compared to the beauty pageant Olive contests in. Even though their problems might seem different because of the time periods they are very similar because they both strive for their

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Lorraine Hansberry’s play, “A Raisin in the Sun”, is about an African American family, the Youngers, who are surrounded by poverty, racism, and family conflict. The Youngers aspire to give themselves a better life to ultimately pass that down to future generations. Their conflict comes into play when the family receives an insurance check for $10,000 and has split decisions on what to do with it. Hansberry’s play suggests that poverty is a symptom of racism by using characters that seem to be of the typical racial stereotypes, and a setting surrounded by racial concepts. This play uses the racial stereotypes of a mammy, jezebel, profligate as well as the racial concepts of institutionalized racism, internalized racism, intraracial racism, and…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “Little Miss Sunshine”, Olive’s teenage brother, Dwayne, has a very interesting characteristic in the movie. He had a strong personality such as he felt disgust about everybody and also he had high motivation to reach his goal. For example, he had a dream which is accepting by the flight school and leave away from his family. In order to reach his goal, Dwayne has been physical training and has not spoken nearly for a year. However, when he realized that he could not be a pilot because he is a color-blind and at the same time, he lost his grandfather, Dwayne felt frustrated and almost lost his faith for future.…

    • 1033 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are many things that can hold one back from their dreams. Prejudice will crush the dreams of those that cannot possess the strength to fight back, as is wont to happen in a society of judgement. This theme is shown in the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The play was written in 1954 and was based on Hansberry’s own experiences. It details the story of an African American family that struggles to prevail and achieve their dreams, largely of which is purchasing a house of their own.…

    • 549 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Occurrence of Different Dreams and Ultimate Lessons How was look like when the Lorraine Hansberry 's play, A Raisin in the Sun, is written? At that time, from the abolition of black slavery, African Americans could have freedom differently from the past. However, the liberty existed on the only surface. As the reader can find in the play, there were many cases that the African American families that are not different from other normal white families have pain in racial prejudice and discrimination. Even if they had same right on the surface of society, they still had invisible wall that separates their social position and status.…

    • 2305 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Set in the south side of Chicago in the 1950s, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry depicts the Youngers, an impoverished family, fighting through harsh times. Beneatha Younger, a hopeful, ambitious college student, strives to live the best life she can under her challenging circumstances. Her family’s financial status causes her to pursue her dreams, struggle with her own identity, and fight to stay true to herself. While Beneatha and her family struggle to make ends meet, one constant in her life is her ambition.…

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Raisin in the Sun is a drama written by Lorraine Hansberry it takes place in Southside Chicago in about 1959. Hansberry uses the theme that the color of a persons skin is what keeps them from reaching their dreams. She uses characters to create a social divide between the black community, as well as the black and white communities based on wealth. This idea is represented by the polarization of Beneatha’s two love interests: Joseph Asagai and George Murchison. As well as Beneatha’s older brother Walter, who is stuck in between the two love interests when it comes to which side of the spectrum that he is on because he is so infatuated with his dream and the material benefit that it represents for him.…

    • 1069 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the reader’s first encounter with Beneatha and Walter Lee, they almost immediately get into an argument. Walter Lee wants to use his parents’ insurance money to invest in a liquor store and he believes Beneatha is getting in the way. He says to her, “Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? 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).…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Beneatha is a young woman in her twenties who wants to stand out and do something great with her life. She is independent making an effort to stay true to herself and her morals. Beneatha's adult life has just begun and she makes decisions for herself. In act three scene one Beneatha mentions how she wants to help people to her boyfriend, Asagai, who offers to take her back to his home Africa and lead a revolution of change.…

    • 236 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “The Glass Menagerie”, “Death of a Salesman”, and “A Raisin in the Sun” all reflect the human experience. The human experience in this case involves American families during the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s that are co-dependent on each other throughout the economic and social struggles of their time. The families’ struggles transcend their time periods; people empathize with them now and will continue to do so long into the future. The stories depict experiences that feel very real and that people can relate to in their own lives. Economic hardship and dreams of a better future are common themes in these plays.…

    • 1062 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    1. One character that exemplifies the theme of ‘prejudice’ in this text is Walter. One way that he expresses it is that he believes that money is life. In the book, it says, “Mama-Son, how come you talk so much ‘bout money? Walter-…

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In ‘Little miss sunshine’, Hoover’s family is introduced as dysfunctional, however in the end, they re-unite and bond with one another. An example of this idea is illustrated in the scene where the Hoover’s family is arguing in the car on the way to California to participate in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant for Olive. The use of eye level shot allows the audience to see each character’s facial expressions and actions. The gestures and expressions portray an action of having an argument which represents the concept of disunited family. Moreover, the broken car also represents the family and its dysfunction.…

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Beneatha Summary

    • 259 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Education is another important theme. Beneatha is a young womanist college student who wants to become a doctor. She and her nephew Travis go to school but, she is the most educated member of the Younger family. However, the more educated and self-aware she gets, the more it becomes difficult for Beneatha to relate to the rest of her family without apparent obnoxious and self-centered. In addition, she moves from one expensive hobby to the next trying to find a way to express herself.…

    • 259 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Raisin in the Sun showed its audience the different roles that women have. Mama Younger was a conservative and progressive force for her family. Ruth played the role in the family dynamic of a supporter, provider, and in a sense, a follower. Beneatha played a role of someone that was way ahead of her time, and a representative of the future for African…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Hoovers survived because they have dealt with many setbacks and tragedy since with Grandpa Edwin sudden death. The overall goal is for Olive to get her moment of competing in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Olive’s father Richard becomes nervous for her as he watches from the audience, knowing that she will not fit in with the other pageant girls. The Hoover family are skeptical about the competition and for Olive's concern try to call off the performance. Sheryl reassures saying that they have to, “let Olive be Olive” (Little Miss Sunshine Quotes.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    This ties in well with the story Quicksand. Helga Crane is in a situation where she doesn’t feel right or like herself. She wants to tell the Dean why she doesn’t like the school she works at, and she wants to show that people can’t take advantage of the colored children. This is similar to Janelle because she is doing everything to be noticed, and she still isn’t hugely famous mainly because she is a black woman in a business who is run by whites. This shows that people need to be more informed about the history the US has with racial segregation.…

    • 1745 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays