A Rasin In the Sun

    When artists, writers, and playwrights develop a storyline, they often reflect issues that directly applies to them. In Lorraine Hansberry's, A Rasin In the Sun, she confronts two very huge issues during the 50s, women's changing roles in society and racial tension.
    Racial tension was probably the biggest issue splitting the nation during the 50s. In Hansberry's book, when the Younger Family want to  move into their new home, Mr. Lindner stops by to offer the family money to not move into their new neighborhood. Mr. Lindner tries to convince the Younger Family that, "...Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities"(91). Even when laws were put in place to stop this kind of segregation, the people living in the whites communities would just anything to keep the African American families out. Secondly, every person in the Younger family had horrible, low-paying jobs. Walter, for example, has a job as a limo driver. Sounds like a pretty good job, but unfortunately, a job like that, "...that ain't no kind of job...that ain't nothing at all"(54). Even during the Civil Rights Movement, Black people couldn't acquire decent, well-paying jobs and the jobs they did have, were lots of hard work with minimal payment. African American Men suffered greatly, but not nearly as much as African American women.
    Women's roles were changing no matter what race you were. The first indication of it in Hansberry's book is when Walter comments to Benetha that, "...ain't many girls who decide--to be a doctor"(18). In the past, women's roles were purely to be a mother to the children and get the house clean. If a woman had a job outside the house, it was either a secretary, a teacher, or a nurse. Benetha questions this when she seeks to be a doctor. Secondly, women getting abortions was, simply, unheard of. It just wasn't allowed, mainly for religious reasons. When Ruth finds out she is pregnant, she considers,"...getting rid of that kid"(56), because the family can barley support themselves; the last thing they needed was another baby. For centuries, when a woman got pregnant, not only was there no procedure for an abortion yet, but it was very highly frowned upon. Lastly, many times women were persecuted for speaking their minds. When Walter finally hits rock-bottom, Benetha strongly proclaims, " that is not a man. That is nothing but a toothless rat"(117). For hundreds of years, women were viewed as the lowest in society. If a woman were to ever speak her mind, she was often consider a witch. It wasn't until WWII that women were allowed to have real jobs and, eventually, allowed to speak their minds.
    In conclusion, Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Rasin in the Sun, confronts many issues like racial tension and women's changing roles. Hansberry's play represents these issues and how they were dealt with during the 1960s.