Discuss the theme of feminism in A Raisin in the Sun.

Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun illustrates the rise of feminism in the
1950s to the 1960s. The very notion of the play is considered controversial as it was written and
produced by Hansberry, a young, African-American woman of the 1950s. Her play debuted in
1959, becoming the first play written by an African-American woman to be produced on
Broadway. There are three female characters in Lorraine Hansberrys play; each woman
encounters different issues as she struggles for freedom. They are all part of the Younger family,
an African-American family living in a cramped two bedroom household in a dilapidated
apartment building located in Chicagos Southside. As they struggle against various obstacles, all
they want is harmony and unity for their family. The women in this play, Lena, Ruth, and
Beneatha, represent three generations of African-American women who dream of a better
tomorrow.

Beneatha Younger, the daughter of Lena and sister of Walter, is about twenty years old
and highly ambitious. She is the clearest example of feminism within the play with her high
aspirations and dreams, her need to express herself, and her defiance of the stereotypical female
role within America. As a feminist, her goal is to pursue her education and become a doctor a
substantial goal for an African-American woman in the 1950s. She is radical and independent.
Not only is there an age difference between Walter and Beneatha, but there is also a difference in
their dreams. In the beginning of the play, Walter expresses his dissatisfaction with a part of the
insurance money going towards Beneathas education because he is judgmental of her wanting to
become a doctor. He even tells her to go be a nurse like other women or just get married and
be quiet. The belief that becoming a doctor in a white and male-dominated field is within her
grasp as an African-American woman exhibits one example of Beneatha's feministic attitude
within this play. By refusing to accept to become the traditional, doting housewife, she continues
to challenge the stereotypical female character of the 1950s, much to her brother's dismay.
Walters chauvinistic view of Beneatha and other women presents a continuous problem for
Beneatha. The siblings constantly argue and fight about Beneatha's expensive ambitions and
unruly independence.

Besides that, the theme of feminism can be seen throughout the play in Beneathas search
for her identity by rediscovering her African roots. Her wish to distance herself from the
"Assimilationist Negroes" and to express herself as a woman of true African heritage causes her
to chop off her mutilated hair. Instead of forcing her hair to conform to the style of the
stereotypical American female of the time, she cuts off her straightened hair and embraces her
newly cropped, naturally curly hair. The fact that she cut her hair is a strong social statement that
declares that natural is truly beautiful, therefore anticipating the 1960's cultural philosophy that
being African-American is beautiful as well.

Beneatha's love interests in the story also confirm her beliefs. George Murchinson
basically believes in what her brother thinks and Asagai, on the other hand, supports her.
Although George is incredibly wealthy and could provide Beneatha with financial security, he is
not sensitive enough to encourage Beneatha's intellectual needs. Asagai, on the other hand,
appeals to Beneatha's intellectual and psychological desires. Beneatha is at a stage where she
wants to feel at ease and be encouraged to express her opinions. She is definitely more receptive
towards Asagai because he supports her dreams.

Lena, the matriarch of the family, wants to save her family from economic pressures
which are causing the family members to develop resentment towards each other. She represents
the traditional African-American woman of the time. She is the familys pillar of strength and
supports the family through rough times. Throughout the play, Walter is definitely the character
that causes the most problems in the family. He thinks he is less than a man because his family is
poor. During the play, he constantly pleads with his family to give him the support and the
money to invest in a liquor store, and finally in a critical scene, Lena hands over the remainder of
the insurance money to him. This may be important to Walter but it has more of an importance to
Lena. Walter may not know it but she is handing over the duty as the head of the family to him.
Lena doesn't want his dream to be deferred and she feels that she has robbed him of his
manhood by having used part of the money for what she thought was best. She says, "Listen to
me now. I say I've been wrong, son. That I been doing what the rest of the world been doing to
you". She hopes giving this money to him will lift his spirits before the family loses him. Lena is
the type of woman who believes that a man should be in charge. She then says, "There ain't
nothing worth holding on to, money, dreams, nothing else if it means it's going to destroy my
boy".

Although Lena is a woman of the 1950s, her mindset is progressive. With the ten
thousand dollars she received from her husbands life insurance policy, she decides to buy a
house in Clybourne Park, a white neighborhood, because she wants a better life for her family.
Her goal is to live in a home all her own so her grandson could have a bedroom of his own and
play safely in the yard. She also wishes to have a little garden to carry out her hobbies in. She
knows she is taking a risk but she goes through with the plan anyway to improve her family's
current situation. The house that she bought was the best she could find for her money and she
wasn't going move out because of the racist neighborhood.
Ruth, Walters wife, is disappointed because life has not treated her kindly and
disappointment has already begun to hang in her face. She is portrayed as the type of woman
who was not thought of as an equal to her husband. In the beginning of the play, her son, Travis,
tells his mother that he needs 50 cents and Ruth tells him that he can't have 50 cents, "'cause we
don't have it". However, once Walter hears that his son needs 50 cents, he ignores Ruth's
parenting and gives the money to Travis anyway. Evidently, Walter is in charge of making
whatever decisions that he wishes without having to consult Ruth.

Later on in the play, Ruth finds out that she is pregnant and takes it upon herself to
consider abortion because the family cannot afford another child. Since she knows that Walter
will go against any decision that she makes, she keeps it from him in hopes that she can make her
own decision for once on what is best for their marriage, and for their family as a whole. The
abortion is not something Ruth wants to go through, but she feels it is necessary to hold her
family together; her desperate attempt to help her family survive. With regards to this issue that
Ruth faces, it appears that Hansberry may be attempting a strong feminist statement with this
twist in the plot. During the 1950's, abortion was illegal and was thought of by the majority as a
disgraceful act. Ruth, however, had valid reasoning for considering it. Ruth was in no way an
immoral woman, she just wanted to make the right decision for her family.

In a nutshell, feminism is an obvious theme within A Raisin in the Sun. Although Lena
and Ruth may seem subservient to Walter, they too bring up several issues regarding feminism in
this play. Beneatha, of course, is the best example of a feminist in this play, displaying traits of
supporting this social theory through her need to express herself, her defiance of her brother and
other males in the play, and her optimistic stance when facing the troubles of entering a male-
dominated profession.