Suspense in this play, unlike others, is not caused by the withholding of information from the audience or characters, because everybody knows just about everything that goes on. Rather, the suspense is created from the poem from which the play takes its name. "A Dream Deferred" is utilized as throughout the play, tension is created from the chasing of the dreams of the family. Each person's dream is put off for some time, such as Walter's dream of owning a liquor store, Mama's dream of owning a nice house, and Beneatha's dream of becoming a doctor which causes tension to steamroll, especially with Walter. Sometimes the scene is joyous and then swiftly changes to moody and reflective. It is in these shifts too that suspense is created. The realistic portrayal of a poor African-American family in itself also causes some suspense in that at the time, it may have been a taboo topic in plays, and when applied to modern times, is still often a sore spot as a large percentage of the poor are minorities which plays into their mistreatment Pre-Civil Rights Movement.
Now THAT'S a "Dream Deferred"
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