A Raisin in the Sun Theme of Dreams, Hopes, and Plans

In A Raisin in the Sun, the Younger family is given an opportunity to actualize its various dreams, hopes, and plans when a $10,000 check comes in the mail. The play explores the complications inherent in turning dreams into reality. In particular, A Raisin in the Sun creates a situation where the Younger family is asked to put its dreams on hold in exchange for money, setting up the play’s central conflict.

1. In "What’s Up with the Title?" and "What’s Up with the Epigraph?" we give our analysis of Hansberry’s use of the Langston Hughes poem. What’s your analysis? Why "a raisin in the sun"?
2. Is there a possibility that any of the deferred dreams in A Raisin in the Sun will explode, as so eloquently described in the epigraph?
3. What is Mama’s dream for the family? How is it different or similar to Walter’s dream for the family?

At its core, A Raisin in the Sun is a family drama about the importance of sharing a collective dream.

In A Raisin in the Sun, dreams are kept alive for the benefit of the younger generation.