In the 50’s the “American Dream” revolved around materialistic values. Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, focuses on the Younger family with each member possessing a distinct dream and their struggle in a prejudice society. The title of the play is based on Harlem by Langston Hughes, a poem that raises the question about a dream deferred. “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?.... Or does it explode?”(Hughes 1-10). The difference in Mama’s, Walter’s, and Bennie 's Dreams divide them apart, creating conflict among each other.
When Mama got married to her late husband and moved into her “rat-trap” of an apartment, she had the goal in mind to move out. As she grew older, Mama’s dream of moving diminished to a dying aspiration.
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However, Walter cannot achieve his goals due to the fiends of poverty and racism. Another way of explaining Walter’s dream is he wants to rise above his social status and gain dignity, self-worth, and esteem. Walter believes that if he were to use the $10,000 his mom has to create a liquor store he can achieve his dream. However, when Mama’s dream of spending the money on a house conflicts with his Walter lashes at Mama and says,“What you need me to say you done right for? You the head of this family. You run our lives like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what you need me to say it was all right for? So you butchered up a dream of mine—you—who always talking ‘bout your children’s dreams.” (Hansberry 94-95). Mama now realizing that she was ruining her own son’s dream gave Walter $6000, to put into a bank account. The money was supposed to be split up between Walter and his sister Bennie, but Walter gave all the money to a deceitful investor who ran away with the money. This moment in Walter’s dream is just like the question Langston Hughes asks in his poem, Harlem, “Or does it explode?”(Hughes 11). Not only did Walter’s dream get blown up, but he also blew up his sister 's dream as well, creating a huge conflict between the