Dreams “Deferred” but Identity Affirmed and Manhood Restored: A New Look at A Raisin in the Sun

This article explores how Hansberry handles blacks’ dreams masterfully and uniquely in her play A Raisin in the Sun. Distinctively different from the other black writers who dealt with the issue, she points out that the deferment and collapse of these dreams can be positively exploited to strengthen blacks and help them restore their long absent manhood and dignity in America. She has pigmented her characters with doggedness and insistence. They wholeheartedly do their best to fulfill their dreams and when these dreams are thwarted, a character, either independently or with the help of other characters, gains further strength and is markedly transformed to the better. To bring this view to light, the article concentrates on the long deferred dream of the mother Lena, the thwarted dream of the son Walter, the difference between the two dreams and how the former has been meticulously manipulated by the mother to affirm her identity and help her son restore manhood and dignity in a racist and hostile society.Key words: Lorraine Hansberry; A Raising in the Sun; Identity affirmation; Deferment of dream