A Raisin in the Sun

Women in this play are portrayed as full round characters; moreover they are more responsible than the men. The men, as typified by Walter, suffer from a shattered ego form the circumstances of their lives, and are in a sense reduced to a poignant caricature by their unrealistic dreams. It is also interesting to see how women, though living under worse circumstances than men, they deal more effectively with life. This shows that “effective” male patriarchy is an illusion. However, from simple observation, American lifestyle is very much influenced by male patriarchy. Yet, in this play matriarchy represents the strongest subversion of the structure, actually showing that it is more stable than the illusory male patriarchy.