A Raisin in the Sun has earned its place in the American literary canon, in my opinion, far more than many other texts that claim the same honor. Hansberry combines the realities of post WWII African-American life with the highest level of literary craft to produce a final product that reads as both a wonderful novel and stage play.
The text of the play is filled throughout with little stage directions gems, like “(Maximum indifference)” and “(Affecting tea-party interest),” that someone viewing the play would never get to experience. Though I have only read this piece not seen it acted, it is easy to see how rich the stage production has the opportunity to be. The characters each serve a purpose and highlight a different aspect of African-American history, and through their dialogue they make these concepts accessible to all readers.