Beneatha’s views are very different from the rest of the characters in “A Raisin in the Sun”, she has a progressive outlook on life and is considered a feminist protagonist because of this. When introduced to us in the text one description that stuck out was when Lorraine Hansberry explained Beneatha’s speech. It states that the way Beneatha talks is “…a mixture of many things; it is different from the rest of the family’s insofar as education has permeated her sense of English…” (Hansberry, 35). This stood out because right from her introduction her education has already made her different from the rest of the family which you could tell just from her speech. Her education has impacted her progressive views and has led her to figuring out what she wants to be in life which is a doctor. With her progressive views she also intends to stick to her roots which she fines to be a very important necessity in life. Her friend Asagai tells her that he would like to see her natural hair, but Beneatha says that it is too hard to handle natural. Asagai questions Beneatha’s view on her natural beauty and he says, “Assimilation is so popular in your country” (Hansberry, 63). After saying that Beneatha is upset because she doesn’t want to get lost in American culture and forget about where she comes from so from then on, she is very prominent on never assimilating. This is why her dream is to find her true self which includes not assimilating for a different culture. Beneatha’s progressive dreams of finding her true identity by being educated is challenged by generational differences and the assimilation surrounding her.
Beneatha decides to follow her dream of becoming a doctor by getting an education, but this also comes with ridicule from others who are from different generations. These generational boundaries are shown from characters like Mrs. Johnson who lives next door to the Younger’s. Mrs. Johnson who only comes in during Act II scene II has an interaction with Beneatha. She feels like Beneatha is blowing her off or being rude towards her even though Beneatha was just going to the bathroom which Mama argues. Mrs. Johnson then replies with this to Mama, “I know– but sometimes she act like ain’t got time to pass the time of day with nobody ain’t been to college. Oh– I ain’t criticizing her none. It’s just– you know how some of our young people gets when they get a little education”(Hansberry, 102). Mrs. Johnson is from a different generation so she feels like the younger generation who are getting an education think they are smarter than the older people. This also is probably a well-known way of thinking for the older generation since she says “…you know how some of our young people gets…”(Hansberry 102), meaning that Mama would understand where she is coming from. This affects Beneatha because due to these different opinions getting an education becomes a much harder process since she feels as though no one supports her. Since it seems that most people of the older generation have this perspective on the progressive idea of young people going to school, Beneatha’s dream of finishing her education and becoming a doctor can seem unattainable.
Another way Beneatha is trying to fulfill her dream of finding her place in the world is by staying true to her roots and not assimilating to American culture. After being educated by Asagai on how a lot of people who have come to America have assimilated to American culture Beneatha decides to embrace her culture. One of the first steps she takes in embracing her culture is deciding to leave her hair natural instead of straightening it. This stuns Ruth and George and they both react negatively towards Beneatha’s new hairstyle. Beneatha mentions that George doesn’t like it because he is assimilated to American culture and gives Ruth a definition of assimilation that is directed to George. Beneatha’s definition is that “It means someone who is willing to give up his own culture and submerge himself completely in the dominant, and in this case oppressive culture” (Hansberry, 81). In this Beneatha is trying to prove that George assimilating himself in American culture and forgetting his own is disgraceful. She emphasizes that the same culture he “submerges” himself in is the same culture that him and his ancestors have been oppressed in. Beneatha now after being educated wants to make sure that to achieve her dream of finding herself she will make sure to not assimilate to American culture.
Discussion Questions:
- Do you think that Beneatha does feel as though she is smarter than those without an education? Why or why not?
- Due to the play’s time period do you think that the Younger family will be able to achieve their dreams without assimilating to part of American culture?
Works Cited
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Vintage, 1994. Print.
Beneatha is a very interesting character because she does have those moments where she seems to have a superiority complex, but also tries to make it seem as though it’s for the benefit of those around her. For that reason, I don’t necessarily believe that this stems from the lack of education of those around her, so much as the way in which their social outlooks and philosophies differ from her own. The most prominent example of this would be from Act 1 when Beneatha and her mother argue about God.
Her religious philosophy differs greatly from Mama’s which becomes extremely evident when she says: “I’m just tired of hearing about God all the time. What has He got to do with anything? Does he pay tuition?” (Hansberry 50). Not only does Hansberry have Beneatha directly state that she doesn’t believe God should be given credit for any of the advancements of the human race, she also doesn’t capitalize the second use of “he” in reference to God which further shows Beneatha’s lack of faith. From my understanding of Beneatha’s character, this viewpoint on God’s existence doesn’t come from her education, it comes from what she has witnessed in the world including assimilation, financial struggles, racism, sexism, etc.. When she began this argument with Mama she did so boldly in one of her fits of superiority because she believes herself to see the world without rose colored lenses, unlike her mother who, based on the context of this conversation, seems to be a big believer in the “God has a plan” philosophy which is further proved in her conversation with Mrs. Johnson on page 99: “MAMA. (A little dirly, doubting the total sincerity of the Blesser) Bless God. JOHSON. He’s good, ain’t He? MAMA. Oh yes, He’s good. JOHNSON. I mean sometimes. He works in mysterious ways….but He works, don’t He! Mama. (The Same) He does.”
To me, it seems like Beneatha believes herself to be superior because she does not blindly put all of her faith and her future in the hands of any man, including God, and because she is not someone who will let her culture disappear. I don’t see her level of education or the level of education of those around her being the point of tension.
Hi Katherine! I really loved your blog post and am so glad you talked about the character of Beneatha. Beneatha is personally my favorite character because of how she challenges the boundaries that are put up between black and feminine achievements in comparison to that of white and male achievements. One thing that you brought up was that you think her education is looked down upon by the older generations. Yet, we see with mama that this could also be just a personal view on education. Mama, someone from an older generation, actually promotes and encourages Beneatha to pursue her career in medicine. She gives Walter some of the money from the check for his business and then wants $3,000 to be put away towards Beneatha’s schooling.
In response to your second question, I feel as though Beneatha will not want to assimilate. I’m not sure about Ruth and Mama but I feel like Walter will definitely assimilate. We see this with Walter’s long speech to Travis when he says “You won’t understand yet, son but your daddy’s gonna make a transaction… You just name it, son and I hand you the world!” (108-109). In this speech we hear Walter telling Travis how he will act and the things that they will have when he is rich. He mentions having a specific car (a plain black Chrysler) which can allude to the fact that he is a chauffeur and how he wants to be like the people he drives around. This speech shows that if Walter was rich, he would try to adapt and conform to the ways that a typical rich American lives.
Hi Katherine! I really enjoyed reading your blog post and thought you brought up some really great points about the character Beneatha. Beneatha is personally my favorite character in the play as she challenges the way many people viewed young black women during this time period. To answer your first question, I think there could be some truth to both sides, where sometimes Beneatha thinks she’s smarter than those around her who don’t have an education and other times she doesn’t. After arguing with Mama about religion, Beneatha says to Ruth, “You wouldn’t even begin to understand. Anyone who married Walter could not possibly understand” (Hansberry, 49). This shows how Beneatha could possibly be looking down upon Walter and Ruth. Furthermore, after talking about her hobbies and Mama making fun of her for all of them Beneatha says to her, “Don’t worry-I don’t expect you to understand” (Hansberry, 48). Although Beneatha seems to have respect for some of her family’s lifestyles and ideas, throughout the play we continuously see her tell her family how they could “never understand”.
In response to your second question about the Younger family living out their dreams without assimilating to life around them, I think parts of the family will assimilate while others won’t. Beneatha doesn’t want to forget her heritage and says to George after he insults how she was trying to learn more about her African heritage, “See there…you are standing there in your splendid ignorance…” (Hansberry, 81). This shows us how Beneatha doesn’t want to assimilate into society like many others. On the other hand, Walter dreams of having a “perfect” life for his family, like coming “home from [his] office job” and pulling up the driveway in his “plain black Chrysler” (Hansberry, 108). During this speech we see that if Walter had the money, he would want a typical rich American person’s life.
Works Cited
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Vintage, 1994. Print.
Hi Katherine, you did a very good job with this post! I definitely agree that Benetha has a very different view than all of the other characters. Hansbury did a very good job making sure that the audience or readers could tell that her view was different. I also believe that she is this way because her age is different from any other of the main characters in this story. I like how you included the information about how she left her hair natural unlike a lot of people who change it to fit in with the culture. Also when her parents acted negatively towards it just further implies that they have different values.
I do believe that because of the play’s time period that it’ll be harder for the family to reach there goals, but it definitely will not make it impossible. I think as the play goes on they will begin to assimilate to the culture more and more.