Introduction to Multicultural Literature

In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, the character Beneatha brings a feminist perspective to that play that was written in 1959. In the 1950s, men were expected to be the head of the household, and the sole provider, while women were expected to be the homemaker and take care of the children (Anderson). Beneatha is a twenty-year-old woman of color who decided to continue her education to become a doctor. During the 1950s, only 1.2% of women pursued a college education, and only 2% of those women were black (Anderson). Additionally, almost 0% of those women were pursuing a degree in science-related fields (Anderson). Most women were looking for a wealthy man and financial security during this time. Beneatha’s brother, Walter, even says, “If you so crazy ’bout messing ’round with sick people—then go be a nurse like other women—or just get married and be quiet” (Hansberry, 13). Even her brother thinks she should settle for a lower-level career because that is “like other women.” Despite everyone around her having traditional views, Beneatha’s feminist perspective continues throughout the play.

Beneatha is described as “about twenty, as slim and intense as her brother. She is not as pretty as her sister-in-law, but her lean, almost intellectual face has a handsomeness of its own.” (Hansberry, 35). The definition of handsome is (of a man) good-looking (Oxford). Beneatha’s face is described as “intellectual” and having a “handsomeness of its own.” Hansberry is giving Beneatha these masculine qualities because women were not supposed to be known for their intellectual ability and instead for their ability to apply makeup or cook a meal. Also, Hansberry says Beneatha is “as slim and intense as her brother.” Beneatha is being compared to a male rather than a female, but when she is compared to Ruth, she’s described as “not as pretty.” Her knowledge caused her to lose some of her beauty, making her more masculine because women did not need knowledge; they required beauty. Lastly, Beneatha is pursuing a degree to become a doctor. Very few women received a college education, let alone a Ph.D., during this time. The man she is seeing, George Murchinson, does not believe that she is going to be a doctor. Beneatha says, “First, I’m going to be a doctor, and George, for one, still thinks that’s pretty funny.” (Hansberry, 50). George sees becoming a doctor as a job that a man would pursue rather than a woman, and as a rich man himself, he would not understand why Beneatha would need a career at all. Many women do not seek out employment and especially careers as a doctor. However, Beneatha still wants to enroll in medical school to become a doctor. 

Beneatha feminist perspective also pertains to money and the security of marriage. Beneatha is currently seeing a man, George Murchinson, who is very wealthy. Mama and Ruth bombard Beneatha with many questions about George, and Beneatha responds with, “Oh, I just mean I couldn’t ever be serious about George. He’s- he’s so shallow.” (Hansberry, 48). Beneatha is looking past the financial security that this potential marriage would bring her and is looking at the qualities that George has. She realizes he is shallow and not a man she would want to marry. Mama and Ruth find it insane that Beneatha would not marry him, at least for the financial security he would bring to her and the whole family. Beneatha grows frustrated with her family’s comments and says, “Listen, I’m going to be a doctor. I’m not worried about who I’m going to marry yet- if I ever get married.” (Hansberry, 50). Mama and Ruth are stunned by this statement because they have different viewpoints on how marriage can bring financial security to a woman and her family. Beneatha is focused on becoming a doctor and securing her career first rather than marrying a wealthy man who can financially secure her. Additionally, Mama receives a ten-thousand-dollar life insurance check, and Beneatha has not expected a penny of it, unlike her brother, Walter. In a conversation between her and Walter, Beneatha says, “That money belongs to Mama, Walter, and it’s for her to decide if she wants to buy a house or a rocket ship or just nail it up somewhere and look at it. It’s hers. Not ours- hers.” (Hansberry, 37). In this scene, Walter brings up the cost of Beneatha going to medical school. Beneatha has no desire to use her mother’s money because she knows that money is not meant for her, Ruth, Walter, or Travis but for Mama to do something she wants with it rather than using it on bills, business investments, or medical school tuition. Beneatha is confident that she will be able to afford the cost of medical school and does not want to touch her mother’s money.

1. If Ruth had similar views as Beneatha, do you think that she would have still married Walter? Explain.
2. Based on the views that Beneatha has, how is her idea of the “American Dream” different from the idea of it that Walter has? 

Work Cited

Anderson, Barbara. “Women in College During The 1950s.” Social Change Interviews, 30 Mar. 2020, https://sites.lib.jmu.edu/sc-interviews/2020/03/30/women-in-college-during-the-1950s/. 

Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Vintage Books, 1994.

“Oxford Languages and Google – English.” Oxford Languages, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun conveys the struggle of racial discrimination in the early to mid 1900s Chicago, through the Younger family and their pursuit of bettering their housing situation. The play starts with the Younger family living in an undesirable situation. A small, crowded two bedroom apartment in which Travis has to sleep on the couch in the living room, and they have to share a bathroom with their neighbors. The living room is described as having to “accommodate the living of too many people for too many years.” (Pg. 23) and the furniture is referred to as “worn.” (Pg. 23) This family is packed into a space much too close together, and are constantly physically and emotionally bumping into the other members of their family. All of this changes when Mama gets a $10,000 life insurance check after the death of her husband. 

It had been Mama’s dream for years to move out of their apartment and into a house where she can have her own garden. “Well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home.” (Pg. 53) Mama decides to finally make these dreams a reality and she buys her family a house. Everyone is so excited for the news until Mama tells them where they are going to move- Clybourne Park. Ruth says, “Mama, there ain’t no colored people living in Clybourne Park.” (Pg. 93) Mama responds that the reason she bought the house where she did is because “them houses they put up for colored in them areas way out all seem to cost twice as much as other houses. I did the best I could.” (Pg. 93) This speaks to not only the Younger’s housing situation, but Chicago’s housing situation as a whole during this time period. This was due to a legal practice called redlining in which African Americans could be charged more for homes where other African Americans lived due to the area being considered a risky investment, and kept costs down for houses in predominantly white areas. “Anywhere where African-Americans lived, anywhere where African-Americans lived nearby were colored red to indicate to appraisers that these neighborhoods were too risky to ensure mortgages” (Gross) While white people had better jobs and better income, they also had access to better, safer housing at a lower cost. The options for black families at this time was to continue to live in overcrowded apartment buildings or pay more than double for a house in a predominantly black neighborhood. Mama decided she was finally going to live out her dream and buy her family the best house that money could afford, regardless of the ramifications that might come their way. 

Concerns about the safety of the Younger family in this new neighborhood begin to arise and are propelled by the visit of their neighbor, Mrs. Johnson. While appearing to make a normal visit to the Younger family, Mrs. Johnson shares the news of a black family that was bombed out of their home when they moved into a white neighborhood. She later says “I bet this time next month y’alls names will have been in the papers plenty- NEGROES INVADE CLYBOURNE PARK-BOMBED!” (Pg. 102) This ignorant comment further raised concern for Mama and Ruth about their safety moving into an all white neighborhood. While Mama took all of this into account before buying the home, she was not trying to put her family at risk, integrate into the middle class, or attempt to take a large stand against discrimination. She was just trying to achieve their dreams and have a better living situation where the whole family could be happy. Not only did this quote raise awareness to the Youngers of the danger they would be facing, but also to the readers. Ransberry was letting the readers know the true danger of racial discrimination at this time, which could be the cost of their lives. 

Racial discrimination was largely symbolized through the character of Mr. Lindor. He is the representative of the Clybourne Park Improvement Association. He shared a visit to the Younger’s apartment in which he appeared as if he just wanted to have a civilized talk with them. He says “that we don’t try hard enough in this world to understand the other fellow’s problem. The other guy’s point of view.” (Pg. 117) Instead, he had an ulterior motive. This motive was to tell them “our association is prepared, through the collective effort of our people, to buy the house from you at a financial gain to your family.” (Pg. 118) The people of Clybourne Park were willing to do just about anything to keep a black family from moving into their neighborhood and ruining their perfect suburbia. Mr. Lindor truly thought this plan would work and was not prepared for the stand the Younger family took against him when they told him, in no uncertain terms, no. He was outraged by their response and then said “well- I don’t understand why you people are reacting this way. What do you think you are going to gain by moving into a neighborhood where you just aren’t wanted…” (Pg. 119) His passive aggressive tactics to convince the Youngers not to move into his neighborhood was unsuccessful. The Younger family was going to achieve their dreams and better their housing situation regardless of the racial discrimination surrounding them. 

Discussion Questions:
1- The scene with Mrs. Johnson was taken out of many editions of this play according to Robert Nemiroff. How did this scene deepen your understanding of racial discrimination throughout the play? What emotions did this scene convey for you and the Younger family? 

2- How did the character of Mr. Lindor symbolize racial discrimination? What quotes from him stood out to you the most? 

Citations: 

Gross, Terry. “A ‘Forgotten History’ of How the U.S. Government Segregated America.” NPR, NPR, 3 May 2017, https://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/526655831/a-forgotten-history-of-how-the-u-s-government-segregated-america. 

Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Vintage Books, 1994.

“A Raisin in the Sun” is a play by a black woman, Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959, and showed us oppression and the ramifications of oppression. At the same time, it also showed us, the audience, how one can defy those expectations, limits, and barriers. This play broke stereotypes in that time period, not only on the stage through the story and its characters, but as well in real life as the playwright broke barriers too. The breaking of stereotypes in the story is shown so far by one character named Beneatha. Beneatha is a 20 year old female who is going to school to be a doctor.  Six years after the time period that the play is set around and debuted in, only 8% of women were medical students, and out of that percentage only 10% were represented in med school classes during 1965. Out of the 8%, only 6.7% graduated and went into positions in the medical field (Women physician pioneers of the 1960s: Their lives and profession over a half century & nbsp;: Archives Talk). It is very hard to find statistics on African American women in the medical field during the 1950s/60s.  But, “In 1900, when 11.6% of the nation’s population was Black, 1.3% of physicians were Black. In 1940, when 9.7% of the total population was Black, 2.8% of physicians were Black — 2.7% were Black men and 0.1% were Black women. By 2018, when 12.8% of the total population was Black, 5.4% of U.S. physicians were Black — 2.6% Black men and 2.8% Black women.” (Rivero, Proportion of black physicians in the U.S. has changed little in 120 years, UCLA research finds, April 9th,  2021). When looking at this context and Hansberry’s character, Beneatha we, the audience, can see how her acts were so radical and a first for many in her time. There have been a lot of (but not enough) laws and acts since then to help create a society where everyone is treated not only more equally, but also fairly. Women still to this day make 83 cents for every dollar a man makes, even though our education costs the same (Sonam Sheth These 8 charts show the glaring gap between men’s and women’s salaries in the US).

 “Forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all!” Beneatha says on page 37 when having a heated conversation with her older brother, Walter over money. To me this quote represents feeling bad for taking the same opportunity as someone else,  even though you deserve the same right to take it. As I don’t believe she feels that way, Beneatha is pointing out that society along with her family, more specifically her brother, does not think she should have dreams like wanting to be a doctor. So, when or if you do take the opportunity,  you feel as if you are imposing; doing something you shouldn’t be doing.  As a female, I feel this quote represents how a lot of minority groups feel when they break societal stereotypes, barriers, and expectations. Society’s standards and norms hold an enormous amount of power, and if you benefit from them you might not even be aware of them, as opposed to those who are treated differently and are therefore well aware of the disparity. Bennie and Walter are compared to Mama’s plant which is a reflection and a metaphor of how society treats those who are “presumed” to be different. “Like this little old plant that ain’t never had enough sunshine or nothing.”  (Hansberry, A Raisin In The Sun, 52). These disparities go against the famous “American Dream,” which also happens to be one of the major themes in this play;  that as long as you work hard you can accomplish anything, but in reality when you take an opportunity that was not made for you you are judged. “Seems like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams—but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worthwhile.” (Hansberry, A Raisin In The Sun, 45). In reality, where we start does matter. We do not get the same chances, opportunities, and expectations; some people get a head start by having the benefit of the doubt through privilege. This view is represented by the character, Walter when in conversation about his son and life to wife, Ruth.“I’m thirty-five years old; I have been married eleven years and I got a boy who sleeps in the living room—(Very, very quietly)—and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live …” (Hansberry, A Raisin In The Sun, 33). What Beneatha’s character represents to many is not only hope, but a chance to change societal stereotypes and barriers. The play and her character were created during a time in our history when it was so radical to be a black woman to write and successfully get a play on Broadway.

In conclusion, I do believe that huge disparities remain and that people’s dreams and career paths are heavily affected by racism and gender norms and stereotypes, which influence families’ beliefs, values, and judgments. Some families’ cruel and strict religious and marriage beliefs are still unfortunately a prevalent issue in today’s society, like conversion therapy and arranged marriage. Whether we choose to see these disparities or not, does not make them go away. What I do believe is that the representation of the character Beneatha on the surface appears to be relatable, when in reality she is not due to her time period and that most of us can’t begin to imagine the courage, power, and grace she holds. Through the  representation of her character and her aspirations, she is taking one step for herself and another step for a future and society that is built to support and benefit all genders, races,  socioeconomic classes equally, and breaks the boxes stereotypes put us in. 

1. Citations:

• “Women Physician Pioneers of the 1960s: Their Lives and Profession over a Half Century  : Archives Talk.” LibCal, 16 Mar. 2022, 
• Sonam Sheth, Madison Hoff. “These 8 Charts Show the Glaring Gap between Men’s and Women’s Salaries in the US.” Business Insider, Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/gender-wage-pay-gap-charts-2017-3.
• Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Vintage Books, 1958
• Rivero, Enrique. “Proportion of Black Physicians in U.S. Has Changed Little in 120 Years, UCLA Research Finds.” UCLA, UCLA, 20 Apr. 2021, https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/proportion-black-physicians-little-change.

2. Discussion questions:

-How do discrimination, oppression, and stereotypes affect one’s dreams and aspirations? View the question through the character Beneatha and the norms broken by her in the play.

-How do these quotes represent the points made in this play so far? Are these quotes metaphorical, and if so what do they represent? Do the quotes below seem to maybe foreshadow future events, and if so what?

“MAMA: ….If this little old plant doesn’t get more sun than it’s been getting it ain’t never going to see spring again. (39)”

“MAMA: Bennie and Walter. Like this little old plant that ain’t never had enough sunshine or nothing—and look at it … (52)”

When discussing oppression in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, the most obvious example is the racism and discrimination that is experienced by the Younger family. However, the play also more covertly tackles the issue of misogyny, specifically through the character of Walter Lee. Walter is an ambitious man with big dreams, but he is also egotistical, chauvinistic, and dismissive of the people (especially the women) around him. Walter fears that his future is “a big, looming blank space—full of nothing” (37), a thought that leaves him feeling trapped and helpless. Walter Lee constantly belittles and asserts his dominance over the women in his life, especially his wife, because it makes him feel more in control and allows him to escape the emasculation of being unable to provide for his family.

The first example of this behavior from Walter takes place when his son, Travis, asks for 50 cents to take to school. After Ruth says that they don’t have any money to give, Walter feels ashamed and offers Travis the 50 cents anyway, even going so far as to throw in extra to prove to Travis that the family has nothing to worry about financially. As Walter hands Travis the money, the stage directions say that he does so “without even looking at his son, still staring hard at his wife” (8). These very intentional directions show that Walter is doing this to assert his dominance over Ruth. He is clearly telling Ruth not to embarrass him in front of his son and that he does not care what Ruth thinks about their money (even though Ruth is the one who handles the finances and actually knows how much money they have). Walter does all of this for show because Ruth emasculated him in front of Travis, which is further proven when he sheepishly has to ask her for money at the end of the scene. 

After Travis leaves, Walter attempts to convince Ruth that his investments are a good idea, naming three different men who agree with him and want to do the same thing. When she says a single word in question of his decisions, he immediately bites back with “see there, that just goes to show you what women understand about the world” (9). This shows that Walter does not value the opinions of the women in his life and would much rather take advice from random men over his own wife. Walter also blames Ruth (and black women in general) for his shortcomings by accusing her/them of being unsupportive. He laments that this is “just what is wrong with the colored woman in this world . . . don’t understand about building their men up and making ’em feel like they somebody. Like they can do something” (10). When Ruth argues that there are successful black men, he responds “no thanks to the colored woman” (10). It is much easier for Walter to blame women for not being encouraging or nurturing enough than it is for him to face his own failures, so he is comfortable making Ruth the scapegoat for what his life has become. This exchange reveals Walter’s negative views towards women in general, not just the ones around him, and his unwillingness to take accountability for his own mistakes.

Later in the scene, Beneatha enters and Walter shows his unique distaste towards her. Beneatha is ambitious and well-educated, traits that Walter does not associate with femininity, and thus he is both intimidated and disgusted by her. They start to argue about Mama’s incoming money and Walter implies several times that Beneatha does not deserve it. Eventually, the argument comes to a head and Walter blurts out “who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ’bout messing ’round with sick people—then go be a nurse like other women—or just get married and be quiet” (13). This exclamation reveals Walter’s true feelings: he feels more entitled to the money than Beneatha because she is a woman attempting to have a career. Because Walter sees women as inferior, he resents that Beneatha might humiliate him by making something of herself before he does. 

Walter feels that simply because he is a man, he deserves respect and submission from the women in his family, even his own mother. In scene two, Walter comes home ravenous for the newly received check, and he is furious when Mama wants him to instead discuss a serious matter with Ruth. In a rage, he shouts “WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE LISTEN TO ME TODAY!” (35), which indicates that he takes out the stresses of his day on his female family members when he arrives home. Walter does not feel seen or heard in his life outside of the house, so it makes him feel stronger when he forces his wife, mother, and sister to cater to him. Ruth, distraught by her husband, tells Walter he makes her sick to her stomach and leaves. Walter, never one to miss an opportunity to make his wife feel small, calls after her “and you turn mine too, baby!” (36). Walter takes every chance he gets to insult and belittle Ruth in order to keep her subservient to him. 

Walter’s attitude towards women is consistently condescending, rude, and dismissive. He, by his own admission, believes that men are superior to women, and yet he relies intrinsically on the women around him to feed his ego and protect his masculinity. Walter Lee’s character is an excellent example of a misogynist who makes himself feel better and more worthy by putting women down. 

1. Do you sympathize with Walter because of his unfortunate circumstances, or do you feel that his behavior is irredeemable?
2. If you were Ruth, considering everything about the position that she is in, would you stay with Walter?

Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun: A Drama in Three Acts.

Hello, my name is Alexander Evan Rash and I am a sophmore here at cortland and I am studying biochemistry. I have yet to take a class like this that is focused on literature and prejudice as opposed to like cells or other science stuff. I am excited for this class because I do really enjoy looking at the deeper meanings of stories and relating them to my personal life, or current events. So excited to meet and learn with you all in this upcoming semester.

My name is Ally Manicone and I am a sophomore here at SUNY Cortland. I am currently majoring in communications and can’t wait to see where it leads me. I am from Syracuse, New York so I don’t live far from here. I was not sure what I was getting into before joining the class as it was last minute, but it seemed like something I would be interested to learn more about. I have always loved writing and reading poetry. I recently have began to enjoy reading when I have some time to myself. I am super excited to get to know all of you over the semester!

Hi everyone I’m Lauren Abarno. I am a freshman and my major is adolescent ed: English. I am from Dix Hills which is in Suffolk county. I really love reading and writing so I am very excited to get into this class and start all of the wonderful books. I also enjoy watching hockey as well as spending time with my friends, family, and of course my two cats. I can’t wait to get to know all of you 🙂

My name is Ella Campbell and I am a freshman here at Cortland. My major is psychology and my minor is in creative writing. I am from Northport, Long Island. I have always enjoyed writing and poetry and I hope this class can help me fall back into my love for reading too. I am looking forward to learning a lot in this class and expanding my knowledge as well as connecting with all of you.

Hello! My name is Cassidy Solina, I am a sophomore here. I am from East Patchogue New York which is on Long Island. I transferred here this fall from Flagler College in Florida after my freshman year there. I love to sing, spend time in nature, write poetry, and play sports/ go on runs. Looking forward to meeting and working with all fo you!!