A major philosophy in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is how race, class, and gender affect the lives of different characters throughout the play. Ruth, Walter, and Beneatha, are the characters most affected by race, class, and gender in the play. The incapability of society to treat everybody equally, directly affects Ruth, Bennie, and Walter. At the time the play was written, The Klu Klux Klan was growing stronger, poverty was high, and women were still being treated as housewives. A Raisin in the Sun is set in the middle of all this turmoil. Being different is a scary thought to white people during this time period. Whites used prejudice and segregation, to defend their selves from anybody who was different than them. The struggle of equality is fought by Ruth, Beneatha, and Walter.

Walter works as a chauffeur for a white...