Lorraine Hansberry uses gender identity as a key foundation throughout the play A Raisin in the Sun. The play intertwines masculine and feminine gender roles concurrent with the times. Gender identity has been and always will be an issue that people either advocate for or ignore completely. It is an unspoken rule that men are the leaders and women simply follow orders. Sociologically speaking, gender is a social construct that we are so accustomed to that we rarely speak up about the injustices women face.
Throughout the drama, gender plays a key role in the development of the story. Lorraine Hansberry purposefully incorporated empowered men and women both fighting to be heard and understood, while maintaining their masculinity or femininity. This was done to create the dynamic that gender does make a significant impact on lives and how we choose to live. Hansberry explores the issues relevant in the early 60’s such as abortion, the importance of marriage and the altering of gender roles.
Sexual revolution
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I - I experiment with different forms of expression
RUTH Like riding a horse? BENEATHA People have to express themselves one way or another. MAMA What is it you want to express? BENEATHA (Angrily) Me! (MAMA and RUTH look at each other and burst into raucous laughter) Don't worry I don't expect you to understand. (48)
Beneatha suggests that just because she explores various hobbies does not mean that she does not know what she wants to do. She is simply practicing her liberation and exploring her life much as privileged white people do. While her family is more traditional and by the book Beneatha looks to be different and expand her knowledge to be more well-rounded. Beneatha is a true feminist who believes that gender roles are as ambiguous as religion, that putting your faith into something unknown is naïve. She touches upon many aspects of education in order to stand on her own as a strong independent black