Examples Of Prejudice In A Raisin In The Sun

During the 1950 's the Civil Rights Movement was progressing which was causing divisions within American society especially economically. Throughout American history there has been a battle against racism. With the way society was it influenced the writer, Lorraine Hansberry, to make the play " A Raisin in the Sun." The play 's message is it shows that even when society is making it difficult, there is still hope and you just have to show them you are not going to put up with being treated differently. In today 's society prejudice is still happening, although it is far less common thing as it was in the 1940 's and 1950 's. Lena, the head of the Younger household, has experienced many difficulties in life, “being a woman who has adjusted …show more content…
According to Ruggles in a survey it came to the conclusion that in the year of 1940 36.4% of children lived in a household that help relatives other than their parents or siblings, (11). Living with other family members puts a strain on how the parents raise their child. There are outside influences that can alter the way the child is raised. In the play Lena always spoils Travis and gives him what he wants, which makes Walter and Ruth look bad when they can 't afford to give their son money for school. According to to the U.S. Department of Commerce the median yearly income for an African American head of household was around $11,000 (1). This did not leave a lot of money for anything other than rent and bills. Also taking into consideration that there may be other family members working but they were not making nearly as much as the head of the household was. Travis also aspires to be like his father, who becomes the head of the household in the play, when he grows up, and wants to become a bus driver. Even though this is not a very luxurious goal for a normal person, to Travis it is the next best thing compared to his father. Travis doesn 't know any better at this age that he deserves to have better chances at prospering in life. During this time the options for growth …show more content…
African American males are now also able to try and get whatever job they want without the out right judgment from others. With African American men able to get better jobs, this brings their annual wage up, therefore they can support and take better care of themselves and their families. There are more opportunities for African American men to be able to get better benefits all together and make more money. The college completion rates have increased since the 1940s from 10% to 35% according to The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (1). With the increase in college completion rates it made African American males more eligible for better jobs, which in the end makes their resume look better and brings in more