Mama And Beneatha Comparison
Changes in Generations Who....told you you had to be a doctor...go be a nurse like other women – or just get married and be quiet . . . -Raisin in the Sun, (1.1, 125) When one looks at the three generations of women in the Younger household, he can see the obvious differences of each of the women. Each of these three women have different perspectives on life. Mama and Ruth share more traditional values while Beneatha, because of her age and education, has more modern views. There are many subjects where the women contrast: identity, marriage, roles as women, religion, and self-expression, but there are also some subjects where the women are similar. Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha all have contrasting views on life as well as different dreams.
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Beneatha experiments with many forms of self-expression: horseback riding, theatre, guitar while. She is struggling to find herself and her place in the world. This is something that Ruth and Mama do not understand. They were never allowed time to think of how they would express themselves. Mama and Ruth probably spent their lives worrying about their children and jobs. They also did not have options like acting and playing instruments when they were younger. They do not see the importance of Beneatha finding herself. Their educations did not put importance in self-expression, unlike Beneatha’s education. Despite all of the differences between Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha, they all have similar goals they want to reach. They all want the family to progress in life and move to a better home which ends up happening in Act 3. The three women also want to see an end to racism and gain equality for all black people though Beneatha is more vocal about it that Ruth or Mama. One thing that Lorraine Hansberry, the author of Raisin in the Sun, teaches us is that people’s identities change over time and over generations. She shows this by showing her readers the differences and similarities between Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha. The women’s differences come from their childhoods, upbringings, education and the time period in which each of them grew up. These factors somewhat drive the women apart, but the similar common goals of the women also bring them closer
Beneatha experiments with many forms of self-expression: horseback riding, theatre, guitar while. She is struggling to find herself and her place in the world. This is something that Ruth and Mama do not understand. They were never allowed time to think of how they would express themselves. Mama and Ruth probably spent their lives worrying about their children and jobs. They also did not have options like acting and playing instruments when they were younger. They do not see the importance of Beneatha finding herself. Their educations did not put importance in self-expression, unlike Beneatha’s education. Despite all of the differences between Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha, they all have similar goals they want to reach. They all want the family to progress in life and move to a better home which ends up happening in Act 3. The three women also want to see an end to racism and gain equality for all black people though Beneatha is more vocal about it that Ruth or Mama. One thing that Lorraine Hansberry, the author of Raisin in the Sun, teaches us is that people’s identities change over time and over generations. She shows this by showing her readers the differences and similarities between Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha. The women’s differences come from their childhoods, upbringings, education and the time period in which each of them grew up. These factors somewhat drive the women apart, but the similar common goals of the women also bring them closer