A Raisin In The Sun: Poem Analysis

As people go through life they are hopeful for their dreams to come true, but a person can change based on a dream that is deferred. When a person’s dream is deferred they start to act differently. They make choices that not only affect themselves, but people they care about. Throughout a Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry illuminates the truth of Hughes’s poem. Langston Hughes poem reveals the determinacy of a dream deferred. Dreams that people have can be related back to the Maslow hierarchy, and they also reveal how possible dreams are for everyone in society. In the play a Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry demonstrates that people can respond differently to a dream deferred through her symbolism and characterization.

Walter is someone who desperately seeks to be the man of the house, but he becomes very angry and isolated. Walter believes in his dream but gets caught up in it and sees himself as “a giant surrounded by ants”. He focusses on the material wants, but it’s ironic that he thinks so highly of himself, but he has

been absent in the emotional effort of his family. He has neglected his family which has made his family not respect him and not support his dream, they don’t want him to focus on money. They don’t agree with how he thinks so highly of himself, because they want someone to be able to support the family. Walter felt isolated from his family; the idea that he has failed as a man has started to eat away at him. In the poem Hugh has inferred that a dream deferred can cause a person to explode. Walter is someone who is seen as an angry person who has been consumed by his anger. When Walters dream is unsupported by everyone he lashes out on his family causing him to be angry all the time. The idea that Walter has failed as a man has started to eat away at him
Beneatha has always looked forward to her dream, but as it brought up many uncertainties, it frustrated her to the point where her dream became undesirable. Although her dream has become undesirable, she has made it clear that the reasoning behind her dream “[was] to cure… [and] it used to be so important… it used to matter”. She had so much hope for her dream, but as it continued to seem unattainable it became something she didn’t want anymore. In the poem, Hugh reveals that a dream deferred can turn from something good into something that is repulsive. He explains that sugar starts off as something that is desired, but over time it turns into something gross and intolerable. Her dream that was deferred has caused her to see her dream as something she doesn’t want anymore. The frustration she had with the thought of her dream failing has caused her to resent what her dream once was.
Ruth’s has been mentally, physically and emotionally drained from her dream that has been left behind.

Ruth’s dream has been set aside for such a long time that she has come to the conclusion about her life being a disappointment. Her dream has turned into something that has dried up and has completely vanished. It has caused her to change her views on dreams in general. She had so much hope for her dream at one point in her life, but as her life continued to go in the opposite direction of what she was expecting she lost hope. Throughout a Raisin in the Sun She frequently is judged by her choices and decisions in her life, but her dream dying out has affected her views on life tremendously. Hugh reveals that a dream that was deferred can dry up like a raisin, and Ruth’s dream can be a representation of something drying up. Ruth as a person not only represents a raisin in the sun, but her relationship with Walter also relates to it as

well.
Even though mamas dream have been put down her whole life, she continues to have hope, and fight for what she wants. Mama perceives situations in an optimistic way and believes that there is always something more. Mama wants Walter to understand that life isn’t always about being the man of the house or being the richest person, its being able to stick up for what they believe in, and having pride in yourself. She wants her own kids to fight against the judgment and the challenges against what people believe they are limited to do. Mama wants her kids to see the bigger picture about life, and even when dreams seem unattainable not to give up. Mama’s dream has been something she has wanted all her life but it has continued to hang over her. In Hugh’s poem he mentions that a dream deferred can turn into something that can fester like a sore. The idea is that Waiting is painful, and it has affected mama throughout her life. Even though mama has not been able to achieve her dream early in her life, she wants her kids to achieve reasonable dreams that they can be proud of. Lena’s plant symbolizes how dreams need specific things to survive. Mama relates back to her plant because they both are barely alive, and desperately waiting for something to bring them hope.
People are always hopeful for their dreams to come true throughout there lives, but a person can change based on a dream that gets deferred. A dream deferred can lead to someone wanting more in life, and when it’s deferred it can cause someone to explode with the frustrated and anger. Also when a dream is deferred it can turn into from something that was once good into something undesirable that causes a lot of resentment towards a ream. Just like Ruth’s a dream deferred can make someone realize that a dream can dry up and vanish completely. Lastly, a dream that has been deferred can make someone realize the importance of life and the true meaning of someone and pride. Hansberry demonstrates that people respond differently to a dream deferred through her symbolism and characterization throughout the play, and throughout Hugh’s poem.