“a Raisin in the Sun”

“A Raisin in the Sun” 1.) In her play “A Raisin in the Sun,” Lorraine Hansberry illustrates the struggles and dreams of a black family living in Chicago. Taken from Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem,” which talks about “dream deferred,” the title of the play carries a connection between the poem and the play’s characters and their dreams. Each member of the Younger family had a dream of his/her own, yet, in order to realize their dreams, Mama, Walter Lee, Ruth, and Beneatha all depended on the money from their father’s insurance check. Lena Younger, Beneatha’s and Walter’s mother, wanted nothing but the best for her family. Mama recalls what her husband used to say, “Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams -- but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worth while” (1782). Mama also tells Ruth about her dream with a smile on her face. “Been thinking that we could meet the notes on a little old two-story somewhere, with a yard where Travis could play in the summertime, if we use part of the insurance for a down payment” (1782). Her dream of owning a house was not only for herself, but for her children and the future generations. Yet, because of their difficult financial situation, her dream was put on hold and the family lived in a small apartment where they had to share a bathroom with their neighbors. Just like in Hughes’ poem, “What happens to a dream deferred?…/Or crust and sugar over -- / Like a syrupy sweet?” (1771) If a sweet syrup is left opened for too long, the sugar hardens forming a crust, which is a sign that the product is no longer good for consumption. Same thing happens to a dream when it is left for too long. Nothing is done towards accomplishing the goal, so Mama’s thoughts would separate from her dream, thinking that it was becoming rather impossible to achieve. She becomes especially hopeless and disappointed when she finds out that Walter Lee has invested most of the money into his business with Willy