A Raisin in the Sun

The fact that the title of A Raisin in the Sun is taken from Langston Hughes's description of a dream deferred in his short poem "Harlem" is well known. Less often appreciated, perhaps, is that the raisin is not Hughes's only simile. That poem also suggests that the deferred dream can fester, stink, crust like rotten meat, or explode (Hughes). Further, in his poem "Dream Boogie" Hughes expresses the explosion implicit in the poem that poses the question about what happens to a dream deferred, citing "The boogie-woogie rumble / Of a dream deferred?" Hansberry's play takes up the theme of what happens and vividly demonstrates that deferred dreams are also inchoate ones that are punctuated with rumble and confusion, frequently motivating behavior that works against the dreamers' best interests. Walter puts it trenchantly after his foolish business venture fails: "want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy" (Hansberry 60).

A dream that all of the Youngers share is to leave their overcrowded Chicago slum, but no two Youngers share the same dream content where escaping their present reality i

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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1111
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page)

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