A Dream Deferred and Actualized: A Study of Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun"

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A Dream Deferred and Actualized: A Study of Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun"

Langston Hughes' question from "Harlem (A Dream Deferred)," "What Happens to a Dream Deferred?" has resonated widely throughout literary culture with different interpretations and responses being proposed; one such response can be found in Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning production "A Raisin in the Sun." Hansberry's play addresses this complex issue by taking its audience on a journey with an African American family living in Southside Chicago. She explores how once achievable dreams are now hindered by systemic obstacles that must be surmounted before success is possible. This essay asserts that "A Raisin in the Sun" responds thoughtfully to Hughes's query regarding postponed plans. Furthermore, this dialogue-enhancing book depicts despair, resilience, and the transformative potential of dreams. Analysis suggests that Hansberry's play reflects Hughes's poems with themes of frustration and desperation. Yet, simultaneously, it demonstrates resilience within dreams and the human spirit, showing that deferred plans can provide opportunities for transformation instead of signifying failure or stagnation.

"A Raisin in the Sun" chronicles the Younger family's quest to leave their cramped, dilapidated apartment in Southside Chicago for better neighborhoods - yet their dream is derailed by racism and socio-economic disparity. This serves as a metaphor for their quest toward American Dream itself, which many African Americans have found impossible due to systemic racism and socio-economic disparity. Additionally, younger family members each possess individual goals that remain unfulfilled: Beneatha desires to become a doctor, but the financial constraints of her family threaten her dream; Walter wishes to invest in a liquor store as an avenue to improve the family's financial status, but this dream remains dormant due to a lack of capital and then later, due to an unethical business partner.

Hansberry uses these characters' deferred dreams to accurately portray Hughes' frustration and despair, as shown in his poem. Each character experiences their dreams "drying up," likening their ambitions to a "raisin in the sun,"...