Dreams and Reality in A Raisin in the Sun

Introduction: The Younger Family and Their Dreams

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry tells the story of the Younger family — Walter, Mama, Ruth, Beneatha, and Travis — a Black family living a hard life defined by poverty and the limited opportunities available to African Americans in 1950s Chicago. Mama receives $10,000 in insurance money following her husband's death, and with that money she hopes to buy a real home in the suburbs so her family can leave the tenement apartment they have shared for years. The other characters, however, each harbor their own dreams that do not always coincide with Mama's plans. Walter wants to invest the money in a liquor store, Beneatha wants it for medical school tuition, and Ruth dreams that she and Walter can rekindle the love they once shared.

Each character's hopes and dreams form the backbone of this play, and together they demonstrate that with hope and courage, some dreams really do come true. The play invites its audience to consider what it costs to keep dreaming under conditions of racial and economic oppression, and what it means when those dreams are finally — even partially — realized.

Langston Hughes and the Theme of Deferred Dreams

The title of the play comes from a Langston Hughes poem, "Montage of a Dream Deferred." Hughes writes:

"What happens to a Dream Deferred / Does it dry up / Like a raisin in the sun? / Or fester like a sore — / And then run? / Does it stink like rotten meat? / Or crust and sugar over — / Like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags / Like a heavy load / Or does it explode?" (Hughes)

Walter's Grand Ambitions and Hard Lessons

This preoccupation with dreams continues throughout the play, and each character harbors their own aspirations and hopes for the future. Ultimately, some of the family's dreams will indeed have to be deferred, but others genuinely do come true.

Walter is the main character of the play and the one whose choices cause several of the family's dreams to be deferred. Walter works as a chauffeur, is married to Ruth, and is the father of Travis. He is among the biggest dreamers in the play, and his ambitions are extremely grand. He not only wants a home in the suburbs; he wants servants, a fine car, and the respect of those around him. He shares his vision with his son: "You wouldn't understand yet, son, but your daddy's gonna make a transaction . . . a business transaction that's going to change our lives" (Hansberry 92). Like most parents, he dreams of giving his son more than he himself had growing up — a good education at one of the finest schools, and enough money to keep the family in comfort. In other words, he wants it all, but like many young people, he is unwilling to wait. His impatience drives him to pursue the liquor store investment, seeking to get rich quickly — which is, of course, exactly the opposite of what happens.

Walter ultimately learns from his mistakes and comes to understand that there is no real get-rich-quick scheme that works; it is hard work and patience that pay off in the end. He demonstrates this growth by continuing to work and, more importantly, by standing up for his family after Mama puts a down payment on a house in an all-white neighborhood. Mama recognizes the significance of this moment: "He finally came into his manhood today, didn't he? Kind of like a rainbow after the rain..." (Hansberry 135).

Unfortunately, for most of the play Walter has allowed his dreams to die and has grown so hopeless that he does not even attempt to dissuade Ruth from having an abortion. He becomes bitter and angry, all because he has lost his ability to dream and to hope. He confronts his mother: "So what you need for me to say it was all right for? So you butchered up a dream of mine — you — who always talking 'bout your children's dreams..." (Hansberry 79). It is only when he finally stands up to Mr. Lindner that he recovers his sense of purpose and demonstrates that he has the strength to carry his family forward.

Conclusion: Dreams as the Heart of the Play

The theme of dreams fills this play and the lives of its characters. When Joseph Asagai, Beneatha's boyfriend, speaks to her about her dreams, he observes: "Then isn't there something wrong in a house — in a world — where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of a man?" (Hansberry 119). His question points to something true about the entire Younger family: all of these characters are, in one way or another, basing their dreams on the sacrifices of the father who took out the insurance policy so that his children could have more than he did — the same dream Walter now carries for his own son Travis.