In Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking play A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha Younger’s hair is a powerful and evolving symbol of her personal journey. It represents her struggle with and ultimate rejection of assimilation into dominant white culture, and her awakening pride in her African heritage and identity as a Black woman. The audience witnesses a physical transformation that mirrors a deep internal change. She begins the play with her hair chemically straightened, a style that reflects the societal pressures of the 1950s. Later, she cuts it, embracing a natural, “close-cropped” afro that serves as a bold declaration of independence and self-acceptance.
This change is not instantaneous; it is a process that reveals the very nature of identity. The symbolism is not static, with one hairstyle simply meaning one thing and the second meaning another. Instead, the power lies in the act of changing it. At the start of the play, Beneatha is already questioning the world around her—her family’s beliefs, traditional gender roles, and her future as a doctor. Her straightened hair represents a starting point, an unexamined acceptance of the world as it is.
Through conversations and challenges, particularly from her Nigerian friend Joseph Asagai, she begins to see her hairstyle in a new light. The decision to cut her hair is the climax of this internal debate, a physical act that shows she is no longer just questioning her identity but actively defining it. This journey from one style to the other is a map of her growth from uncertainty to self-realization.
The Politics of Hair in 1950s America
To understand the weight of Beneatha’s choice, one must first understand the world she lived in. In the mid-20th century, a Black woman’s hair was not just a matter of personal style; it was a political statement loaded with social meaning. The 1950s were dominated by Eurocentric ideals of beauty, meaning that features associated with white people were considered the standard for attractiveness and professionalism. For Black women, this created immense pressure to straighten their hair to be seen as “well-groomed” and socially acceptable.
This pressure was not just about vanity. Straightened hair was often a tool for survival and upward mobility. In a society where natural Black features were devalued, conforming to white beauty standards could be necessary to get a job, secure housing, or simply navigate daily life without facing discrimination. The methods used to achieve this look, such as hot combs or harsh chemical relaxers, were often painful and damaging to the hair. This context is set against the backdrop of the early Civil Rights Movement, a time when Black Americans were beginning to challenge segregation and systemic racism on a national scale. Beneatha’s personal act of defiance with her hair reflects this growing consciousness and the cultural battles that accompanied the legal ones.
The play’s title, taken from a Langston Hughes poem that asks what happens to a “dream deferred,” provides a powerful lens through which to view this issue. Each character has a dream: Mama’s is for a home, Walter’s is for economic freedom, and Beneatha’s is for self-expression and a career. In this light, Beneatha’s straightened hair can be seen as a physical symbol of a dream deferred. The daily, often damaging, process of straightening her hair was a physical reminder of the need to suppress a part of her natural self to fit into an oppressive society. This act of conforming is a form of deferral—postponing the expression of one’s authentic identity in the hope of gaining acceptance. When Beneatha finally cuts her hair, she refuses to let that part of her dream be deferred any longer. She claims her identity in the present, a powerful answer to the play’s central question.
A Tale of Two Styles: From Mutilation to Liberation
The Assimilationist Straightened Hair
At the beginning of the play, Beneatha’s straightened hair is unremarkable because it was the norm. This style symbolizes a form of assimilation—the process of giving up parts of one’s own culture to fit into a more dominant one. It represents an unconscious acceptance of the idea that to be successful or beautiful, she must alter her natural appearance to align with white standards.
The turning point comes when her friend, Joseph Asagai, sees her hair and calls it “mutilated”. The word is jarring and forces Beneatha to reconsider a practice she had taken for granted. To mutilate something is to inflict a violent and disfiguring injury on it. Asagai’s comment reframes hair straightening not as a beauty routine, but as an act of self-harm—a way of damaging her natural self to conform to an unnatural ideal. This moment plants a seed of doubt, making her see her “assimilationist” hairstyle as a rejection of her own heritage.
The Natural Cropped Hair
In a pivotal moment that happens off-stage, Beneatha acts on this new understanding and cuts her hair. When she later reveals her new “close-cropped and unstraightened” afro, it is a quiet but radical act of defiance. This new style symbolizes a rebirth. It is a conscious and proud rejection of assimilation and a powerful embrace of her African heritage. She is no longer trying to hide or change who she is; she is celebrating it.
The reactions of the other characters highlight just how revolutionary this act is. Her sister-in-law, Ruth, is shocked, asking if she has “lost her natural mind”. Her wealthy boyfriend, George Murchison, is disgusted and embarrassed, wondering why she would want her hair “all nappy like that”. Their negative reactions underscore the courage of Beneatha’s choice. In a world that told her natural was ugly, she chose to see it as beautiful.
| Feature | Straightened Hair | Natural Hair |
| What It Meant in the 1950s | Conformity, “good grooming,” professionalism, acceptance of white beauty standards. | Unconventional, radical, seen as unkempt or “nappy” by mainstream culture. |
| What It Symbolizes for Beneatha | Unconscious assimilation, hiding her true self, trying to fit into a world that doesn’t fully accept her. | Pride in African heritage, anti-assimilation, self-acceptance, independence, a political statement. |
| Key Character Reactions | Asagai: Calls it “mutilated,” a sign of rejecting her roots. | George: Calls it “eccentric,” odd, and unnatural. Ruth: Is shocked, asking if she’s “lost her natural mind”. |
The Influencers: A Choice Between Two Worlds
Beneatha’s transformation is sparked by her relationships with two men who represent conflicting paths for her future: Joseph Asagai and George Murchison. They are more than just romantic interests; they embody the central debate within the Black community of the 1950s about how to respond to an oppressive society: assimilation versus cultural pride.
Joseph Asagai: The Call to Heritage
Asagai, a student from Nigeria, is the catalyst for Beneatha’s change. He represents an authentic, unapologetic connection to Africa and its history. He challenges her intellectually, bringing her Nigerian robes and giving her the Yoruba nickname “Alaiyo,” which means “One for Whom Bread—Food—Is Not Enough”. The name is a profound acknowledgment of her hunger for knowledge and meaning beyond simple survival. His critique of her “mutilated” hair is what forces her to begin her journey of self-discovery, as he directly links her hairstyle to a rejection of her identity.
George Murchison: The Pressure to Conform
George Murchison represents everything Beneatha comes to reject. He is a wealthy, educated Black man who has fully embraced assimilation as his path to success. He believes in adopting the values, dress, and attitudes of the dominant white culture to get ahead. He is dismissive of Beneatha’s intellectual curiosity and is openly hostile to her interest in their African heritage, which he mockingly calls “nothing but a bunch of raggedy-assed spirituals and some grass huts”.
His reaction to her natural hair reveals his entire worldview. He calls it “eccentric,” and when Beneatha argues that it’s natural, he replies, “That’s what being eccentric means—being natural”. For George, her hair is an embarrassing rejection of the “proper” way to look. He wants a quiet, beautiful accessory, not a partner who challenges norms and thinks for herself. By cutting her hair, Beneatha is not just changing her appearance; she is symbolically rejecting George’s philosophy and choosing the path of cultural pride offered by Asagai.
| Aspect | George Murchison | Joseph Asagai |
| Core Beliefs | Assimilation. Success is achieved by adopting the culture and values of the dominant white society. | Pan-Africanism. Pride and identity come from connecting with one’s African roots and history. |
| View on African Heritage | Dismissive and insulting. He sees it as primitive and irrelevant (“grass huts”). | Proud and foundational. He actively teaches Beneatha about her heritage and sees it as a source of strength. |
| Reaction to Beneatha’s Hair | Negative. Calls her natural hair “eccentric” and is ashamed of it. | Critical of her straightened hair, calling it “mutilated.” He encourages her to embrace her natural look. |
| What He Represents for Beneatha | A future of wealthy conformity, where she would have to suppress her intellect and identity. | A future of self-discovery, intellectual partnership, and a connection to a global Black identity. |
“Because I Hate Assimilationist Negroes!” – A Declaration of Independence
After George insults her new hairstyle, Beneatha’s frustration boils over. She declares passionately, “Because I hate assimilationist Negroes!”. This line is the climax of her intellectual journey. An “assimilationist” is someone who gives up their own culture to be absorbed into the dominant culture. For Beneatha, this is not just a difference of opinion; it is a profound act of self-betrayal.
Her hairstyle is also a powerful feminist statement. Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor is a rebellion against the 1950s expectation that women should marry and become housewives. Both George and her brother, Walter, try to tell her what to do and who to be. By choosing her own hairstyle—one that the men in her life disapprove of—she is asserting control over her own body, her appearance, and her identity. It is a declaration that she will not be defined or controlled by others’ expectations, whether they relate to her race or her gender.
In this single act, all the threads of Beneatha’s identity converge. The decision to cut her hair is not just about race or gender or intellectualism alone; it is about all of them at once. It is an idea that she learned through intellectual debate with Asagai, made manifest on her body as a Black woman, in defiance of the patriarchal control of men like George. Her natural hair is the symbol of her desire to be a whole person—a doctor, a proud Black woman, and an independent thinker—without having to sacrifice any part of herself to please others.
A Symbol Ahead of Its Time
Beneatha’s choice to wear a natural afro was incredibly radical for the 1950s. Her personal act of defiance on stage foreshadowed the “Black is Beautiful” and Natural Hair movements that would become major cultural forces in the 1960s. During that later decade, the afro transformed into a powerful political symbol of Black Pride, Black Power, and resistance to white supremacy. Lorraine Hansberry placed this revolutionary idea on the American stage years before it entered the mainstream consciousness. The original script even specified an afro, which would have been the first ever to appear on a Broadway stage.
Presenting this image in such a prominent play was a provocative act. For many audiences, both Black and white, Beneatha’s natural hair would have been a startling image that challenged deeply held beliefs about beauty, race, and identity. Ultimately, Beneatha’s hair symbolizes Hansberry’s profound message that identity is not something one passively accepts. It is something that must be actively sought, questioned, fought for, and claimed. The Younger family is full of characters struggling to define their dreams in a world designed to crush them. Beneatha’s journey is the most visible quest for identity in the play, and her hair is the ultimate symbol of that courageous and personal choice.