The actions each character took and all the struggles they faced and overcame symbolized the issues of racial and gender discrimination in society as a whole. References to the Ku Klux Klan, Chicago, and the 1950s represent a time when black people were fighting against slavery to make their way to freedom and equality in America. Issues of race and gender throughout the play played an important role. No hope was seen heading south until scene two of act two. This section revealed that the Youngers are a family full of pride who have struggled and hope to seek a better place to improve their lives and omit the corruption around them.