Lorraine Hansberry's classic work, A Raisin in the Sun, takes its title from the infamous poem "Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes, and both works they discuss what happens to a person when their dreams - their hopes, their aspirations, their life - are continually set aside. For this analysis of dreams and the character of Beneatha Younger in Raisin, I would like to draw on another dreamy poem by Langston Hughes entitled “Dream Boogie.” Like all the characters in the play, Beneatha has dreams that are dear to her, but their deferral does not cause them to dry up, fester, rot, crust, sag, or explode. Rather, the deferral of Bennie's dreams is expressed in his "dream boogie": in his sarcastic and biting wit and in his perspective on life that to the outside world might seem a little naive or affected, in much the same way as jazz is described in “Dream Boogie”. Through Beneatha's relationships and interactions with her mother, Walter Lee, and Asagai, we see the effects of dream deferral on Bennie and the peculiar rhythm of his boogie. The mother-daughter relationship between Beneatha Younger and Lena Younger is one that, at first glance, appears to be the typical struggle between a rebellious daughter and her older, wiser mother. However, when we look deeper, we see the deferred dreams of both women emerge. One morning after breakfast, Bennie admits to his mother, “I don't believe in God. I don't even think about it. . . I am tired of being given credit for all the things the human race achieves through its own willful efforts.” (51) This brazen statement is immediately followed by some slapping from the mother, who is naturally horrified by the blasphemous things coming from her offspring's tender... middle of the paper...limina in her relationship with Asagai, who represents for she is the embodiment of his perceived identity: intellectual, cultured and culturally aware. For Asagai, Bennie's self-searching is a little funny, a little unrealistic, a little sad, and as misunderstood as the boogie beat to the untrained ear. As far as dreams go, few are realized in A Raisin in the Sun. For Beneatha Younger, her dreams – of understanding, of education, of self-esteem – are constantly set aside, postponed indefinitely. The tension of these postponements is expressed in Bennie's interactions with his mother, Walter Lee, and Asagai, and Langston Hughes's “dream boogie” metaphor runs throughout his story. Beneatha is not a dried-up, rotting, smelly, crusted dreamer. She's dancing her dreams to sleep, working her way through her feelings and creating her own rhythm for her life.