"Harlem" by Langston Hughes reflects the dreams of the characters in Hansberry's, A Raisin in the Sun. At the beginning of the play, Hanberry had the producers flash the lines of Harlem over the screen because the lines go with the play. Both pieces of work describe what can and does happen to dreams. A Raisin in the Sun is a play with an African-American family whose struggles affect their dreams. .
Grandmas dream reflects on the poem with the quote "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a soar - and then run?" Grandmas dream was to live in a house and own a garden where she could grow tomatoes and flowers. Grandma had dreamed this ever since she was married. When her husband died, her dream seemed to dry up like a raisin in the sun. Later she receives a check for ten thousand dollars from life insurance provided by her husbands death. Her dream festers like a soar then runs. She has money to buy a house with a garden and help other people fulfill their dreams.
Ruth, grandmas daughter, is young, has two boyfriends, and has a big dream. Her dream is to g to medical school and eventually become a doctor. There has never been an African-American female who has done this. Her dream reflects on the poem when it says, "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load." Her dream is similar because the money she needs to go to medical school is not able to be produced and kept. Her brother lost the money and her dream could not come true. Her dream sagged like a heavy load and couldn't get the chance to explode.
A dream similar to Ruth's, was taken away from Walter, grandmas son. Walters dream he worked very hard for, was that one day he would own a liquor store and always found more bills which stalled the slow progress. His dream was like the rotten meat from Harlem. When Grandma received the ten thousand dollar check, Walter just had to make his dream come true. He spent most of the money when he made the trade for the store.