Mama Archetype Essay

Furthermore, her characteristics align with that of the ‘Mammy’ archetype, and she is portrayed as an elderly, loving motherly figure, providing to her family’s needs. However, she is also depicted as somewhat uneducated and bound by the traditions of her past, which reinforces the ‘Mammy’ archetype, of a women who despite being a caring motherly figure, does not know much outside of her household duties due to a lack of opportunity to further educate herself. This ‘uneducated’ attitude can be particularly seen through Mama’s interactions with Beneatha, a more educated and modern young female characters, in their discussions regarding heritage and education. Mama is unable to understand Beneatha’s refusal to assimilate and need to express herself as an African-American women who is proud of her heritage, asking her continuously ‘what is it you want to express?’ This creates a sense of irony around the situation by displaying Mama’s lack of understanding towards Beneatha’s desire to destroy societies black stereotypes, whilst allowing Hansberry to simultaneously reinforce the concept that Mama is a stereotypical character stuck in the ‘Mammy’ archetype and unable to break out of it.
The demand for Beneatha to accept the God which Mama believes in regardless of her own personal views further highlights Mama’s traditional values and her lack of willingness to change them. This allows for Hansberry to show that Mama is not a progressive character which, particularly in the context of when the play was written, was done purposefully to portray Mama as the ‘Mammy’, archetype. Mama is therefore seen as an elderly woman, stuck in old traditions and bound by her past, showing that in ‘A Raisin in the Sun’; stereotypes are fleshed out rather than