Society perceives the role of women differently all over the world. Throughout most of history, women have been presented as objects of men’s desire and to always submit to the patriarchal norms. Despite the different races, it is apparent that they all agreed at some point, the role of a woman was raising children, taking care of the household, and being a submissive wife. However, modern trends see women as advocates of peace in the world, using their feminine qualities to make the world a better place. Lena and Dana are two exceptional characters from the novels, “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Kindred,” respectively, who exhibit strong roles as black women. Herein is an analysis of their position and power in society, how they interact with others, especially men and relationships they formed with them.
Dana’s tale is quite extraordinary. She was a 26-year old in 1976, and her life then was nothing promising. Languishing in poverty and earning just enough to get by, her future seemed bleak. However, her life takes a massive turn for the worse when she travels back in time to 1815, a period notorious for black slavery. As a modern black American woman, a trip back in time to the most unfavorable time for her race and gender was a significant drawback (Behrent, 795). Fear and pain were her daily portions alongside other slaves at the time. Her mission was to save her ancestor, a white slaver, whose life was in constant mortal danger. She needed to do so to ensure that years later, she would be in existence. Fulfilling this mission proved harder than it sounds, as she could not reveal her true identity and intentions without compromising the whole mission. Therefore, she has to suffer in silence to ensure she lives in the future.
Lena, on the other hand, has her life fixed in the post-world war II era. She is in her sixties, living as a single mother and grandmother to her daughter and her son’s family. They live in a time where racial tensions were strong and were constantly at the mercy of black prejudice (Kousar, Rehana, and Nida, 65). Aside from that, they were poverty-stricken, cramming themselves in a two-bedroom apartment with barely enough space for all of them. She struggles to take care of her family, often making hard decisions. As a mother, she does her best for her children to live their dreams despite the pressure surrounding them. Financial constraints were wearing them down immensely, and when they received ten thousand dollars from the mail, they became hopeful. Everyone wanted something, but it was up to Lena to decide the best actions to take.
Both these characters sacrifice a lot for the greater good of others. Despite the lingering fear and unpreparedness of future implications from their sacrifice, they still go-ahead to do what they think is right. Dana was sure of what to expect by traveling back in time, almost a hundred years ago at the time. She knew there would be pain, but nothing prepared her for the actual reality of the brutality black people experienced at the hands of white men. The levels of violence were profound, as she would face beatings, slandering, and rape. It was virtually impossible to avoid such horrors, and standing for oneself was out of the question. It would only result in more punishment. Surprisingly, she had the option to abandon the mission and let her ancestor die prematurely (before her lineage starts) but decided to push on. She realized that the pain she experienced grounded her at the time as she said, “pain was now a friend. It had never been a friend before, but now it kept me still, forcing reality on me” (Behrent, 796). Therefore, she sacrificed her freedom and security even when she had the alternative not to.
Similarly, Lena is ready to sacrifice everything for her family. Living an impoverished life is usually accompanied by dissatisfaction, disappointment, and hopelessness. However, Lena is no put off by this but always hopes and dreams of improving her family’s life. She still works menial jobs along with her much younger family members and desires buying them a bigger house that would improve their living conditions. Socio-economically, the family was well below the ladder; thus, when they received news of the $10000, they were ecstatic (Kousar, Rehana, and Nida, 67). She instinctively divided the money to suit their immediate demands. Therefore, she purchased a new house in a white neighborhood and entrusted the rest of the money to her son, who was to save it for his sister’s education. Unfortunately, he lost all the money and drove their morale to a shallow point. But, what is evident from this is that Lena put her family first as she barely rewarded herself any money that would improve her own life.
These women had mixed and struggling relationships with the men around them. Dana was subjected to immense suffering at the hands of men. Her entire life changed after encountering her ancestor, Rufus Weylin. As a socially-progressive woman who is fully aware of how the future looks like, she was unable to crack the system at that time. She possessed knowledge of over 150 years later, but it was all invalid when it came to this man. He was tyrannical, narcissistic, and blood-thirsty. After causing the death of Alice, Dana’s ancestor, who she had grown fond of, he tries to comfort himself by raping her. It was at this point that she could not take it anymore and grabbed a knife and plunged it into the vile man. On the other side, she had a unique and loving relationship with her white husband, Kevin. He supported her throughout the mission, although he could not stand up for her during the slavery era. Their mixed-race marriage was working well, and he was very pleased upon the demise of Rufus, a man who had brought a lot of suffering to his wife.
Lena was no exception to the instability men brought in her life, especially her son Walter. She struggled to form an amicable relationship with him due to his disparity in life. He was a hard man to get along with, as he felt disappointed by his life and poverty. For the most part, he could barely get along with his sister, wife, and mother. The only time he seemed happy was upon the news of the money, and he wanted to invest it in a liquor store despite the warnings he received. When she divided the money and bought a house, Walter was hurt, and this sent him on a three-day drinking spree. The remainder of the money was to be invested. At first, Lena condemned the idea of a liquor store as sinful, being a devoted Christian, but later gave in for her son’s happiness. He was to take a small portion and save the rest. However, he ended up losing all the money in a deal gone sour much to the family’s dismay. They were then faced with a proposition to sell their house to a white buyer and return to their impoverished state. But, to their delight, Walter made the right decision of reusing to give in and saving his family’s dignity and future.
In conclusion, racism and gender have played a critical role in the position and relationship these characters have in society. They are depicted as strong-willed African American women who are weighed down by the injustices in the community. Both women have taken a position of great sacrifice in society, often with the power to make decisions that will benefit them but opting not to. Consequently, they have complicated relationships with men, whereby they receive pain and disappointment. Alternatively, the receive hope and love, as in the case of Dana from her husband. What is most apparent is that they advocate for peace and progress for others and are willing to bear the burden of attaining this. Therefore, they have empowered women who participate in positive change.