A Raisin In The Sun Gender Roles Essay

Ebi Hegeman

Ms. Coen

English 10

May 19, 2023

Perpetuation of Gender Roles in A Raisin In The Sun

A study from the University of Maine defines gender roles as “society's beliefs about differences between the sexes” and “roles that men and women are expected to occupy based on their sex” (Blackstone). Women worldwide attempt to break these standards, with often to no avail. These stereotypes were incredibly adverse in the early 20th century. In the play by Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, the characters Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha all attempt to fight domestic roles with gender-defying jobs, possible abortions, and leading the family’s decisions, however, they all eventually perpetuate the idea as they yield to men in their lives, ultimately

Hansberry creates Mama as a character to show the juxtaposition of her power over family decisions and her unwarranted faith in Walter. Mama attempts to defy gender roles as she takes control of her family. This is seen as she “crosses to Beneatha and slaps her powerfully across the face” to enforce her Christian values, claiming that it is her house, despite living with the entire family (Hansberry 51). Mama is written to be a powerful character, the matriarch of the family. This later contrasts as she admits her only dream is to buy a house for her family, further assimilating to the female stereotype of supporting their families. When telling her family that she had purchased a house, she exclaims, “She [Mama] went out and she bought you [Travis] a house (Hansberry 91). The phrasing indicates that the house was bought for the family instead of herself. The main aspect of Mama’s perpetuation is her unfounded reliance on her son. Walter is evidently unstable and unable to fully provide for his family, despite desperately wanting to. When Walter asks for money to

As Hansberry focuses on the idea of the “American Dream”, Ruth’s dream is to have a break. She is projecting her hopes onto Mama as she gives the advice to “Just pack up and leave! Go on away and enjoy yourself some. Forget about the family and have yourself a ball for once in your life” (Hansberry 43). The idea that she has settled and is disheartened by her life is furthered by the quote, “Life can be a barrel of disappointments” (Hansberry 45). Her relationship with her husband is the biggest strain on her life. Walter regularly picks fights and tells Ruth how inadequate she is as a wife. He continues to try and argue, despite Ruth asking him to leave her alone. She replies with “Honey, you never say nothing new. I listen to you every day, every night and every morning, and you never say nothing new”. This illustrates her unrest in her current situation and the feeling of being stuck. Instead of attempting to fix or leave her marriage, she stays purposefully