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Loraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Decent Essays

A Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansberry has a multitude of themes throughout all of which seem to focus around poverty, dreams, and gender roles. Poverty seems to be the universal theme; the theme that affects all other themes. It seemed to strengthen these differences and problems they shared and appeared to be the central issue the family struggled with the most. These three themes seem to be embodied in one major character throughout the store: Walter Lee Younger. Through the character progression of Walter, you can follow the transitions of three major themes: poverty, dreams, and gender roles, while watching Walter’s character transition alongside the themes as well. The first instance the gender roles seem to be significant is with Walter, feeling the need to be the “man” of the family. He takes it that after his father’s death, being the oldest male, it was his duty to provide and support the family. Of course, this is an aged concept, as we know as times go on women are becoming more and more prominent and being recognized for the duties they provide. Walter uses this idea of being a powerful man, as an excuse for why things should be handed to him. His wife should support him, why? Well, because he is a man. His mother should provide him with the money for no other reason than that he is a man. He uses his ‘superior’ masculine attitude to try and get what he wants, and he leads his life with this this attitude throughout the play. He states at one point, “Somebody tell me – tell me, who decides which women is supposed to wear pearls in this world. I tell you I am a …show more content…

This play provides a theme of weak men who use their insecurities to belittle women around them. Walter feels entitled to respect, and support, among other things, purely because he is a man. This belief is proven further by insinuating that a woman’s job is to support him in this idea, and to further help him feel entitled to whatever he pleases by allowing him to dictate their own

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