A Study On The Female Images In A Raisin In The Sun From The Perspective Of Black Feminism

The multiracial American society has brewed colorful American culture.For a long time,African Americans have always been suppressed by the white people due to its special historical context.As a result,black culture is often in fierce conflict with the mainstream white culture.The Civil Rights Movement of the black in the 20 th century greatly enhanced their awareness.Since the suppressed blacks were discontented with their miserable experiences,they expressed their thoughts and feelings at the bottom of heart through literature.After World War II,the African American literature was gradually approaching its prosperity.Lorraine Hansberry,an African American female dramatist,is one of the greatest dramatists in USA in the 20 th century.Her representative work A Raisin in the Sun was first released by Ethel Barrymore Theatre in Broadway in 1959.The drama describes the story of a black family living with racial discrimination and seeking for survival in an unfair society in the middle of last century,and reveals the damage on American black society and families resulting from the racial discrimination and the gender oppression.After released,A Raisin in the Sun received a great number of good reputations and made people remember Lorraine Hansberry as the annual best dramatist evaluated by New York Drama Critic Association.Because of the complexion and gender,black women were always at the bottom of society.Lorraine Hansberry,a black female writer,has sufficient experiences about that.How to dig out the truth of black female life and how to make black women get rid of dual-other status become the most concern of Lorraine Hansberry.With the black feminist theory as a guidance,this thesis has made careful analysis on A Raisin in the Sun from the image of traditional black women,the images of black women in the drama and the identity of black women.By depicting the characters,spirit and pursuit of characters in the drama,the thesis points out that black women dare to resist racial discrimination and strive for the freedom of spirit.Without doubt,A Raisin in the Sun reflects the life dilemma of black women on the basis of the facts.But,Lorraine Hansberry did not give way to social prejudice and racial discrimination.She tried to express the heart words of millions of black women by the actions and words of characters in drama.She called on them to pursue for the equality of race and personality bravely and protect the cultural identity actively.It cannot be denied that the artistic attraction and trueness of A Raisin in the Sun has never faded with the time going even after more than half a century.It has stood in global theatrical circles reminding people not to forget the pain and helplessness of the African American,the pursuit of black women,and the efforts of black writers for equality and freedom with Lorraine Hansberry as a representative.