To explain, a decade after the fact, to a college class in American drama how neatly A Raisin in the Sun fits into a logical evolution within the theatre, to justify its dramatic viewpoint, and to praise its creator for her skill in writing a black … play without "blackness," remaining all the while a black writer who refuses to call attention to the fact, will raise instant challenges. The accusations are many. Is not Lorraine Hansberry an Uncle (Aunt?) Tom? Is not A Raisin in the Sun a sellout to the white power structure? Are not the Youngers really betraying themselves and their own? Is not their attempt to assimilate themselves into the white society, and to force themselves, however peacefully, into the neighborhood where they are so obviously unwanted, simply a gratuitous attempt to become white?… Therefore, to discuss, to attempt to teach the plays of Lorraine Hansberry in terms of the "colorless" world in which she at one time seemed to belong becomes a greatly complicated matter. To justify what once was regarded as part of a highly favorable development in the commercial theatre now raises spectres of pandering to the white viewpoint, avoiding the inevitable and necessary confrontation. (p. 160)
Structurally, Lorraine Hansberry remains essentially within the bounds of the conventional realistic well-made play, something almost anachronistic amidst the styles of the 1960s…. Plot in Miss Hansberry's plays is of secondary importance, for it is not her main dramatic purpose. Nonetheless, because the audience has considerable interest in what is happening as well as to whom, both A Raisin in the Sun and The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window are thoroughly enhanced by well-ordered revelation of the events which are so important in the lives of the characters. The straightforward telling of a story remains a thoroughly honorable literary accomplishment, and Miss Hansberry has practiced this ancient dramatic art with eminent respectability. Moreover, the scene, incident, and dialogue are almost Ibsenesque, avoiding overt stylization for its own sake and performed within the standard "box" set that progressively becomes more rare.
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