"A Raisin in the Sun"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the play, "A Raisin in the Sun", by Lorraine Hansberry. The paper looks at the way that the play is based on one of Langston Hughes's most famous poems, "Montage of a Dream Deferred" and the ways that even the title of the play is derived from this epigraph. The paper delves into the themes of the play and discusses the ways that these themes are expressed.

From the Paper:

"There are occasions in the play when we see all characters giving up their dreams even if temporarily only to pick them back up at a later stage. This is the essence of true faith. It never leaves you forever. You can curse your life but you must not abandon it or dreams will be deferred for good. Walter for example gives up his dream of becoming his own boss. He wants to be financially secure- enough to at least raise himself above the servant class. He wanted Travis to have a better future. But all his dreams vanish when he makes the unwise investment and loses money. His dreams have not vanished however from his spirit, they have only started consuming him. this results in extreme frustration as he turns to alcohol for some consolation. George describes him as someone "wacked up with bitterness." (85) Mama cannot see her son consumed by failed dreams and the situation becomes alarming when Walter doesn't take his wife's threatened abortion seriously. Walter becomes a bitter lost soul."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Signet, 1987 .
• Hansberry, Lorraine. "A Raisin in the Sun." Plays of Our Time. Random House, New York, 1967. pg 540-635.

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