The play "Raisin in the Sun" follows a black family living in the ghetto in the late 1950's. Throughout the play the Youngers go through trying times when they gain money, lose money, and become closer as a family. In the play there are many dreams, some are fulfilled, and some deferred. The poem on which the title was based relates to the play in many ways.
.
In the first line it asks the question does a dream deferred dry up like a raisin in the sun, is really suggesting, do you forget about it so it dries up. This can be associated with Mamma and Mr.Younger's dream to move out of their apartment. Although they only planned on living in the apartment for one year, they lived there for over thirty-nine years. Because they obviously did not have enough money to move into a house, they forgot all about it and it "dried up like a raisin in the sun".
In the second line it asks if it festers like a sore and then runs. This line is really asking does it annoy you for a while wear off, but you always remember it. This can refer to many instances in the play. The most major illustration of this is Ruth's dream to move out of the ghetto. Even though it is not directly stated in the play, we know she did because of her emotions when she found out they were going to move. After hearing the news, while she was going to beat Travis, she stated "I sure don't feel like beating no one today!" It bothered her for a long time and wore off, but she always had it in the back of her head. .
In the third and fourth lines it asks does it stink or does it sugar over because it is almost too good to be true. In the fifth and sixth lines it says does it sag like a heavy load or does it explode which is the most important line in the poem. This line completely describes Walters dream to be in the liquor buisiness. This is probably the most important thing to him in the world. He gets so close to it but then Willy Harris runs away with all of the money from his father's insurance.