Clybourne Park: Analysis of Major Characters
Clybourne Park is a dramatic play that explores complex themes surrounding race, grief, and community through the interactions of its characters in a single neighborhood over different time periods. The central figures include Bev and Russ Stoller, a couple grappling with the tragic suicide of their son, which underscores their journey as they prepare to leave their primarily white neighborhood. Bev's attempt to maintain social norms becomes complicated when her biases are inadvertently revealed, particularly in her interactions with the African-American family moving in next door.
Other notable characters include Francine, the Stollers' housekeeper, who navigates her role with grace but also recognizes the complexities of her position. Karl Lindner, a neighborhood representative, embodies a facade of progressiveness that crumbles under scrutiny, exposing deep-seated prejudices. Lena, the niece of the new African-American homeowners, expresses a profound emotional connection to the neighborhood and its history, contrasting sharply with the dismissive attitudes of others regarding the significance of the homes.
Throughout the narrative, the characters' interactions reveal the tensions of racial dynamics and personal grief, prompting audiences to reflect on the intersections of identity, community, and legacy. Clybourne Park serves as a critical examination of how past tragedies and societal biases shape individual and collective experiences.
Clybourne Park: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Bruce Norris
First published: 2011
Genre: Play
Locale: Chicago, Illinois
Plot: Historical fiction
Time: 1959 and 2009
Bev Stoller, middle-aged woman. Worried about her husband's bitterness and grief following their son's death, Bev contacts the minister to visit them as they are preparing to move away from the neighborhood. Her hopes are crushed, however, when the conversation turns hostile, exposing the racial prejudice within their community. She is deeply hurt when Jim and Karl suggest their home sold so easily to an African-American family because the Stollers'son had committed suicide there. Ironically, Bev exposes her own prejudice when she insists on paying Lena's husband, Albert, a tip for moving a heavy trunk for them.
Russ Stoller, still grieving over his son's suicide, Russ is angry with his community over how they treated him and Bev following their son's death. He is also angry about the under-current of racism in his neighborhood, brought to light once he and Bev sell their home to a young African-American family.
Kenneth Stoller, Russ and Bev's son. Overwrought with guilt for his actions in the Korean War, where he killed innocent women and children, Kenneth hangs himself.
Francine, the Stollers' African-American housekeeper. Always polite and respectful, Francine has been with the Stoller family for years. While she has some fond memories with the Stollers, she keeps a solid boundary, recognizing her place as an employee in the household of her employers. She tries to dissuade her husband from getting involved in the conversation, or offering his help to move a heavy trunk.
Jim, a minister. Jim is a remarkably bad listener for someone whose profession would have him comfort those who need his support. He tries to maintain the demeanor of a peace-maker, but reveals his own prejudice as he enters the confrontation between Russ and Karl.
Albert, Francine's husband. Having arrived on the scene to pick up his wife, Francine, Albert is polite and makes every attempt to stay out of the discussion under way in the Stollers' living room. However, he misses some important cues from Francine when he offers to bring a heavy trunk down the stairs.
Karl Lindner, a representative for Clybourne Park neighborhood. While Karl believes himself to be quite progressive and logical, his racist sentiments become all too clear as he speaks in broad generalities about race, and tries to bring Francine and Albert into the fray, asking them if they would want to live in the all-white neighborhood. (Karl Lindner originally appears in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun.)
Betsy Lindner, Karl's deaf and pregnant wife. Though she is largely unable to participate in the conversation, Betsy notices the atmosphere in the room growing more and more hostile. Her husband tries to keep her out of the controversy, finally sending her to the car.
Tom Driscoll, a representative for Lena and Kevin. Tom tries—and fails miserably—to keep the meeting between the two couples on task.
Lindsey, Steve's wife, fails in her attempts to keep the conversation friendly and light
Steve, Lindsey's husband. Steve concerns himself with the minutiae of the neighborhood petition, trying to understand every detail. His focus on legal definitions contrasts significantly with Lena's emotional attachment to the house and neighborhood. In this way, Steve seems almost cavalier about the feelings of others, which gets him into trouble when he starts to tell a racially charged joke, leading to a heated confrontation that encompasses the entire room.
Kathy, Steve and Lindsey's legal representative. In general, Kathy tries to keep the conversation light and cordial, talking about trivial matters like past vacations abroad. With an undercurrent of condescension, Kathy reveals her small regard for Lena when she calls Lena's petition a “neighborhood thing” and a “property owner's thing.” Likewise, she seems to dismiss Lena and the neighborhood's concerns by telling the architect over the phone, “I won't let that happen.” We never know what “that” is, but she suggests it is nothing to be concerned about.
Lena, the niece of the African-American buyers in Act I, Lena feels a genuine connection to the house, (where she spent many childhood years) and the Clybourne Park neighborhood, and she is angered that the houses are being bought only to provide a foundation for a larger home. She feels the houses have historical significance, and altering them is disrespectful of the rich culture in the neighborhood.
Kevin, Lena's husband. Kevin makes every attempt to keep the conversation light, focusing on what the two couples have in common; however, when tempers start to rise and the issue of “racism” is bandied about, he comes to Lena's defense.
Dan, a contract/construction worker who finds a large trunk buried under the crepe myrtle tree in the backyard.