Raisin In The Sun Lena Character Analysis

The play Raisin in the Sun is set in Chicago during the 1960s. This play focuses in on a lower-middle class family who has recently lost the man of the house. While the family overcomes how to spend the insurance money it becomes clear that the three main female characters have major differences due to the ways they were raised in their generations. The women often butt heads on different topics like what duties women have in the house and in society. Each generation changes slowly but eventually the differences in them are very clear because of the evolution of duties of women.
Lena (Mama) is a prime example of a woman who was brought up in a pre-World War One era. Although she is strong-willed and not afraid to speak her mind, Lena takes
Her goal is to become a doctor, which was very unheard of at the time since “in 1949 only 5.5% of entering (medical) students were women” (Lo). Beneatha is very liberal compared to her mother’s conservative views. Beneatha doesn’t want to have the traditional life her mother and sister-in-law have by getting married and settling down. Her career is the most important thing to her and wants to achieve that by getting an education. Ruth’s standards in men also differ from her female relatives. While she is taken on dates by George Merchison, a wealthy man who could take care of her financially, Ruth finds him incredibly boring and shallow. Joseph Asagai, though poor and non-traditional, has truly captured Ruth’s heart with his sincerity and colorful heritage. Ruth was also brought up when women already had the right to vote or was introduced to it at a young age. This is completely different from the 1800s when Lena was raised when women were punished for voting: “Susan B. Anthony was arrested, tried, and fined for voting successfully” (Rights). Because she was brought up in a time when women were beginning to have basic rights and be considered more equal, it’s not so scandalous that she wants to have a career before a