A Raisin in the Sun What’s Up With the Epigraph? Essay

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? Harlem by Langston Hughes. Lorraine Hansberry, playwright, author, and activist seemed to have gotten inspired by Hughes poem as well as her own life experiences and decided to write A Raisin in the Sun. A Raisin in the Sun is a play about an African American family living on the South Side of Chicago during the 1950s. In the play, Lorraine essentially focuses on the dreams of the characters and the obstacles in their life they try to overcome to fulfill them. Each member of the Youngster’s family has a dream he or her wants to accomplish. Lena Younger (Mama) has always dreamt of moving her family into a nice neighborhood with a big backyard so her children can play and she can attend to her garden. Mama is a strongly religious woman who takes care of her family like a mother should. She wants the best for them, Mama’s dream was not a dream she wanted for her family it was also what she and hate husband Big Walter always wanted. Big Walter worked extremely hard to provide and support for his family. So hard it resulted in his death as Mama says â€Å"he finally worked his self to death†. Since Big Walter’s passing Mama has received a life insurance check for ten thousand dollars. Taking to opportunity so that she can fulfill both her and Big Walter’s dream Mama decides to use that money to buy a house in an all-white neighborhood. Big Walter’s life insurance check cause a conflict within the family Ruth Younger dream is quite similar to Mamas. She wants to build a happy family for herself and believes getting away from their cramped apartment will do so. Ruth works very hard to take care of her family but with being overworked, financial problems, a downfall in her relationship with her husband, and an unexpected pregnancy Ruth can’t seem to find any sort of happiness in her life. That’s why she feels a new beginning will change all that. Beneatha Younger dream is to go to medical school to become a doctor. Beneatha is a better educated than the rest of her family and is determined to use her knowledge to make a difference. Throughout the play, it seems as though Beneatha is struggling to find herself. With the changes in hobbies such as horseback riding and playing the guitar also she’s struck an interest in learning more about her African heritage. She is determined to be more than the others around her. Living in a time where women jobs are mostly cooking, cleaning. Walter Lee Jr. the dream is to invest in a liquor store so that he’s able to provide for his family. Walter is not so happy with his dead-end job as a chauffeur and feels this investment will help him make his own money so he can become his own man. Everyone tries to warn Walter that investing into a liquor store is not such a bright idea Throughout the play, A Raisin on Sun