Raisin In The Sun Literary Analysis

In history, women are seen as inferior to men or unable to share the same responsibilities as men. Many believe that women are never given the opportunity to prove their worthiness. During the the 1940s, black women are seen as indifferent to the qualities of men, specifically their husbands and fathers. Blacks are deprived of rights compared to those given to the whites, however, black women are further neglected to receive freedom and liberation. The play, “Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, takes the stereotypical beliefs of womanhood and conveys their prominence in the agriculture of 1940s through the actions of the characters. A common belief of an American wife during the 1940s is to clean the house and care for the children. However, as time evolves, younger generations outgrow that belief and broadcast a message of women being able to do greater things. In act 1 scene 1 of the play, Mama and Ruth are discussing the issue of Beneatha’s relationship with George Murchison. Mama …show more content…
The differing opinions of Mama and Beneatha on marriage show that beliefs evolve as time moves forward and the new status-quo is foreign to those knowledgable to the ideas of the past. By Walter disregarding the discipline of Ruth towards Travis and his apathy on Ruth getting an abortion or her problems, show that women rarely receive equality in an relationship during this time. Lastly, Walter reprimanding Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor and Asagi deterring Beneatha’s desire for independence show that women never get the chance to become their own person without a man being part of their identity. Women, black women in particular, never get the respect they seek and therefore, leave them with the incentive to gain equality and