I need to know the audience and purpose of A Raisin in the Sun.

Whenever we think about questions such as the audience or
purpose of a work of literature, often we need to infer the answer from the themes
within the play. This play was not written for a specific audience, but rather it was
for a general audience, consisting of both blacks and whites. The way that it presents
the struggles of a black Chicago family and argues for racial tolerance seems to suggest
that it was intended for a white audience just as much as a black
audience.

Certainly, the presentation of the Younger family
and the various trials they suffer due to their race indicates that race and racism are
key elements of this excellent play. Race is shown to impact almost every single act
they perform and their lack of opportunities and the struggles they face daily are a
direct result of the colour of their skin. Their poverty is shown partly through the
apartment where they live, which is not cared for properly by the owner. Travis is shown
to chase a rat and Ruth fights battles to eradicate the cockroaches there--both features
of life that many whites would never dream of experiencing in their own
homes.

However, most important to this theme is the visit
of Lindner and his attempt to dissuade the Youngers from moving to his neighbourhood.
Being willing to pay off the Youngers for not moving into his neighbourhood, that he
wants to be all-white, is a subtle and pervasive form of racism, made all the more
dangerous because of its non-violent form.

In this play,
therefore, Lorraine Hansberry seems to be presenting the realities of black life to her
audience but also arguing for a more tolerant approach to race and racism. The intended
audience, from what we can infer, was meant to be made up of both whites and
blacks.