Social Issues In A Raisin In The Sun

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A Raisin in the Sun was written by an African American woman by the name of Lorraine Hansberry in 1950 and the play was produced on Broadway. The play was about a black family facing racism living Chicago. Lena, her daughter Beneatha, and her son Walter who was married to Ruth and their son Travis, all lived in a run-down two-bedroom apartment. The characters felt restricted by their physical living space, their home, also by the social roles they’ve been assigned. Lena’s daughter Beneatha was studying to become a doctor, despite the financial strain it had on her poor family. Beneatha’s brother worked as a chauffeur for a white guy, but he dreamt of opening a liquor store with his friends and making more money to help his family get out of …show more content…

Lena was waiting for his life insurance check for ten thousand dollars. Walter felt entitled to the money. Beneatha hoped for tuition funds and all Ruth wanted was for the family to be happy. However, Lena was the decision maker and the head of the household. Lena was accustomed to the suffering and the hardship but she felt in order to rise to life 's challenges she turned to God. She asked God for strength and compassionate to deal with her son’s folly. She then spoke about her late husband’s womanizing and how she could over look some of the behaviors. Ruth also agreed with her but on the contrast her daughter Beneatha represented a new generation of women and Beneatha said she would never tolerate such behavior in a …show more content…

The American Dream for most people is defined as being successful, having a great family, having a good job that allows one to provide for his family, owning a home, and being sociable with your surroundings and connecting with sociality. The play talked about Beneatha wanting to become a doctor but this was difficult for black people especially black woman of this time period to do so. Her American Dream was to have a great career. She was educated and determine to making her own choices. In the 1950s education for African American women was looked down upon. The play mentioned the family’s financial struggles. Beneatha needed tuition funds but her family did not have the money. During this time period African Americans and whites did not live in the same neighborhoods. Blacks did not have the same opportunities as the whites because of the different social classes. Though politic was not very much mentioned in the play, Beneatha’s character would have been an activist for the blacks. She was very much out spoken and

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