Gender Roles in a Raisin in the Sun
Angela Olsen
English 102 ONLN 3
Professor Thea Howey
May 3, 2013
Female Gender in A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry was a forward thinker for her time in the 1950’s, which was evident in her writing. “It is believed that hidden behind her work was Hansberry’s own personal struggle with gender” (Wiener 10-11). After many years of marriage and eventually divorce, it was discovered that she was a closet homosexual (Wiener 11). Male and female gender roles are heated topics that have been debated for generations. Women in the United States are still regarded as taking care of and nurturing children as well as the responsibility for taking care of the home. The majority of women in America have a career outside the home, yet still assume the majority of domestic responsibility. Women have struggled to find balance between career and family for years. During World War II there was a rise in feminism because women had to begin working in military factories because the men were at war. It became evident that women were just as effective and hard working as men. These gender roles were more pronounced in the play A Raisin in the Sun, especially with regard to its female characters. The story of the Younger family accurately portrays the strength of family, specifically relating to the three female characters. Mrs. Lena Younger, Mama, is a strong woman in her sixties who has overcome many obstacles in her life with many yet to come. Ruth Younger, Lena’s daughter-in-law, is in her early thirties, and when the play opens the disappointments in her life are evident by her exhaustion. Beneatha Younger is a smart, liberated woman in her twenties with aspirations of her own. Lorraine Hannsberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun expresses the dreams and apprehensions of the three strong female characters in atypical gender roles through different generations. Lena “Mama” Younger is the matriarch of the Younger family. In the 1950’s a woman was not the typical head of the
English 102 ONLN 3
Professor Thea Howey
May 3, 2013
Female Gender in A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry was a forward thinker for her time in the 1950’s, which was evident in her writing. “It is believed that hidden behind her work was Hansberry’s own personal struggle with gender” (Wiener 10-11). After many years of marriage and eventually divorce, it was discovered that she was a closet homosexual (Wiener 11). Male and female gender roles are heated topics that have been debated for generations. Women in the United States are still regarded as taking care of and nurturing children as well as the responsibility for taking care of the home. The majority of women in America have a career outside the home, yet still assume the majority of domestic responsibility. Women have struggled to find balance between career and family for years. During World War II there was a rise in feminism because women had to begin working in military factories because the men were at war. It became evident that women were just as effective and hard working as men. These gender roles were more pronounced in the play A Raisin in the Sun, especially with regard to its female characters. The story of the Younger family accurately portrays the strength of family, specifically relating to the three female characters. Mrs. Lena Younger, Mama, is a strong woman in her sixties who has overcome many obstacles in her life with many yet to come. Ruth Younger, Lena’s daughter-in-law, is in her early thirties, and when the play opens the disappointments in her life are evident by her exhaustion. Beneatha Younger is a smart, liberated woman in her twenties with aspirations of her own. Lorraine Hannsberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun expresses the dreams and apprehensions of the three strong female characters in atypical gender roles through different generations. Lena “Mama” Younger is the matriarch of the Younger family. In the 1950’s a woman was not the typical head of the
Cited: Domina, L.M. “An overview of A Raisin in the Sun.” Drama for Students. Detroit: Gale. Literature Resource Center. Web. 17 April 2013. Ehrenhalt, Alan. “From the Lost City: Discovering the Forgotten Virtues of Community in the Chicago of the 1950’s.” Schilb and Clifford 517-526. Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Vintage Books, 1958. Print. Hylton, Raymond Pierre. "African Americans." The Fifties in America. Ed. John C. Super. 3 vols. Salem Press, 2005. Salem History Web. 21 Apr. 2013. Poitier, Sidney. “From the Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography.” Schilb and Clifford 526-531. Schilb, John, and John Clifford, eds. Making Literature Matter: An Anthology of Readers and Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 512-531. Print. Tackach, James. “A Raisin In The Sun.” Masterplots, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 17 April 2013. Wiener, Gary, ed. Gender in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. Print.