A raisin in the sun

Strength of Women Explored in Hansberry's

A Raisin in the Sun

Brainstorming

It takes all kinds of strong women to help make the world go round.

Title of Work: A Raisin in the Sun

Lena and Ruth are illustrations of the many types of strong women it takes to move humanity forward.

Type of Theme: Universal

Significance of Theme: Everyone, at some point in his or her life, has been influenced by a strong female. This does not necessarily need to be a mother; it can be a wife, a sister, friend, or relative.

Lena is the stronger, older, wiser patriarchal figure that provides the anchor for the family. She reminds her children to mind their manners and she even argues with Walter over what to do with the money.

Ruth is a strong woman but not in the same way as Lena. She is not as old and wise as Lena but she still has a good amount of strength to help her get through the tough times with Walter. She does not want to leave him and tried literally everything she can to make him happy. Even when she realizes that what he needs she cannot give him, she still wants to make things work with him.

Thesis: Lena and Ruth demonstrate the power of women is limitless and priceless.

A. Lena is the strong patriarchal figure in the play.

1. She is full of hope and she sees greater hope in a new home for her family.

2. She forgives Walter after he has been duped, allowing him to approach manhood and responsibility.

B. Ruth is strong like Lena but in a different way.

1. She loves Walter enough to let him treat her badly and she never considers leaving him.

2. She demonstrates her love by expressing hope that her marriage can survive.

Conclusion: Lena and Ruth are examples of the modern-day women and how their strength is essential to their family's survival.

Strong women make the world go round. One play that demonstrates this point is Lorraine Hansberry's, a Raisin in the Sun. Lena Younger emerges as the strong patriarchal figure of the family because she is the glue that holds the family together, keeps it from unraveling at the ends, and rescues the family at the end of the play. She is wise and she knows that her son is just like his father in that he has pipe dreams that will get him nowhere. Ruth Younger is less dominant than Lena and this is best demonstrated with her relationship with Walter. She allows him to treat her badly sometimes and this has worn her down over they years. However, she is like Lena in that she is strong and does not give up on the people that she loves. Without these two women in his life, Walter would have ended up in a place far worse than where he was without any stability on which to fall back. These two characters demonstrate the power of women is limitless and priceless.

Lena is the patriarchal figure in the play as she provides the anchor that the family needs through their tough times. She is older and wiser and tries to be a good role model for her family. She realizes that she is limited with what she can do for the family so she does not want to spend the money on anything but a home. She has a simple dream for her family and it is that they may live in a decent home that sits in a decent neighborhood. She tries to explain this to Walter by indicating that they should always be attempting to move forward and "do something different, push on out and do something bigger" (Hansberry). Lena is worn by life. She expresses her frustrations with Ruth but she has a big heart and wants the best for her family L.M. Domina asserts, "Mama cares for all living things, even those that do not seem to thrive" (Domina). This does not always include being on everyone's good side as demonstrated in the issue over the money. The fact the turns out to be right and offers forgiveness to Walter demonstrates her strength. Domina adds, "Throughout the play, Mama has been trying to lead Walter into the realization of his own dignity, and it is finally through her forgiveness and trust that he achieves it" (Domina). Lena is the strength that the family needs to keep moving forward.