The Female Role in A Raisin In the Sun
Joe b. Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is the story of a struggling black family in Chicago. This story embodies Hansberry's use of strong black women, she was a realistic artist, fascinated by ordinary and real people with each one clearly and vividly drawn. In this play, Hansberry portrays courageous and revolutionary women who share struggles with each other and also with their men. Hansberry speaks loudly about the role women have played in the struggle for freedom. In A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry shows three major female characters in very different stages in their lives. Lena wants to save her family from dissolution by resolving conflicts, remaining righteous and being the …show more content…

night after night... come in ... and look at that rug... and then look at me... the red showing in his eyes... the veins moving in his head...I seen him grow thin and old before he was forty ... working and working like somebody's old horse ... killing himself ... and you - you give it all away in a day..." ( ). Lena just couldn't stand the thought of her husband working everyday for nothing. However, even though she didn't like what he did, she later scolds Beneatha for criticizing him because she doesn't want Walter to be hurt any further.

Ruth and Lena show tremendous understanding with Walter. In the story Hansberry describes Ruth by writing, "We can see that she was a pretty girl, even exceptionally so, but now it is apparent that life has been little that she expected, and disappointment has already begun to hang in her face" ( ). It is apparent by the way Hansberry describes Ruth that times have been hard for her. It is understandable though, black women were expected to do domestic work as well as work outside the home to complement their husband's income and effectively handle both major tasks. Ruth also displays a lot of strength when she deals with a pregnancy that the family may not be able to support. Through all of these responsibilities more stress is added on to the fact that Walter shuts her out emotionally. Ruth’s relationship with Walter becomes distant as the play goes on, Walter simply doesn't feel the support he needs from her and he