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Bev Stoller
A white man in his thirties. He is married to Betsy, and is the father of Kathy. Karl is the only character to appear onstage in both A Raisin in the Sun and Clybourne Park. He is the one to discover that the Younger family who has purchased Bev and Russ’s house is black, and he goes to their home to try and bribe them into giving up their new house, events which occur in Raisin and serve as a backstory for the plot of Clybourne. Karl is a doting, protective husband who so deeply cares about this wife’s wellbeing that his behavior toward her becomes patronizing. He likes to talk but hates to listen, and so arguments with him are aggravating for all parties involved. He is an aggressive opponent of integration in the neighborhood, and has come to Bev and Russ’s house in an attempt to convince them not to go through with the sale. Of all the characters that appears in the play, he is the most openly racist, although his racism is couched in genuine (if misguided) concern for his community. Karl is played by the same actor who plays Steve in Act II.
Karl Lindner Quotes in Clybourne Park
The Clybourne Park quotes below are all either spoken by Karl Lindner or refer to Karl Lindner. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1 Quotes
Now, Russ, you know as well as I do that this is a progressive community.
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Karl has recently discovered that the family moving into Russ and Bev’s home is black. He is upset by this, and has come to Russ and Bev to try to convince them to halt the sale. Karl doesn’t want to come across as racist, and truly believes the neighborhood is “a progressive community,” an ironic statement seeing as it comes in the middle of Karl’s argument that Clybourne Park should remain a racially segregated community. Karl does not see himself as a villain. Instead he sees himself as a kind of protector of the neighborhood. He claims his resistance to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a
Karl: It’s a colored family.
Jim: Sorry, don’t we say Negro, now?
Karl: I say Negro —
Jim: Well, it’s only common courtesy, and I’m —
Karl: — I say them interchangeably —
Jim: — not trying to tell you how to conduct your business.
Karl: — and of course I said Negro to them — No I think we both know what you’re doing.
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After Karl has come to Russ and Bev’s house to announce that he has discovered the family about to move into their home is black, Jim immediately pushes back. However, Jim’s stance on integrating the neighborhood is not initially clear. He seems to be offended by Karl’s treatment of the black family, but also shocked that Ted Driscoll would sell a Clybourne Park home to a black family. By picking on the term “colored” versus “Negro,” Jim derails Karl’s argument, and makes him out to be racially insensitive. Karl’s insistence that he used the correct term to the Younger family’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis.
Karl: Bev, they are one hundred percent. And if I don’t know how much time any of you have spent in Hamilton Park, but Betsy was waiting in the car and I can tell you, there are some unsavory characters.
Russ: Karl?
Karl: But in the case of Gelman’s: I think there was some mistrust at first, having been Kopeckne’s Market for such a long time, but in the end of all Murray Gelman found a way to fit in.
Bev: And they hired the Wheeler boy.
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Karl argues that his primary opposition to the Younger family moving into Clybourne Park is not racial. Instead, he claims to believe that they will not fit into the neighborhood. He points to Gelman’s grocery store as an example of an outsider (Gelman) who managed to fit in. Gelman is presumably Jewish, as opposed to Kopeckne who was not. Gelman managed to “fit in,” partially by hiring Mr. Wheeler, of whom the residents of the neighborhood are fond. By contrast, the Younger family’s race makes them too different, in Karl’s mind, to fully belong. At its core, therefore, Karl’s opposition Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollit
And fitting into a community is really what it all comes down to…Now, some would say change is inevitable. And I can support that, if it’s change for the better. But I’ll tell you what I can’t support, and that’s disregarding the needs of the people who live in a community.
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Karl claims that his opposition to the Younger family moving into Clybourne Park is that he worries they will not fit in. He also worries that their presence will change the neighborhood for the worse. He reveals later in the act that he fears the arrival of a single black family will trigger white flight, and eventually the neighborhood will be entirely composed of black families and white families like his, who are too poor to leave for the suburbs. Karl does not want this to happen, and so sees it as his duty to act as a kind of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accus
Karl: And what happened to love thy neighbor? If we’re being so principled.
Bev: They would become our neighbors.
Karl: And what about the neighbors you already have Bev?
Bev: I care about them, too!
Karl: Well, I’m afraid you can’t have it both ways.
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As Karl, Jim, and Bev debate what to do about the Younger family (who recently purchased the Stoller home), Bev tries to be a peacemaker. While Karl is vehemently opposed to the Youngers moving in, and Jim supports segregation but less vocally, Bev tries to argue for the neighborhood’s integration. Karl sees allowing the Younger family to move in as an act of hatred toward the community on Bev and Russ’s part. A good neighbor, he believes, would do everything in their power to keep the neighborhood white. Bev argues that loving her neighbors means loving all her neighbors, even Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit.
Bev: Francine and I have, over the years, the two of us have shared so many wonderful—remember that time the squirrel came through the window?
Francine: Yes, I do.
Bev: That was just the silliest—the two of us were just hysterical weren’t we?
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Karl and Jim argue that a black family would feel uncomfortable in Clybourne Park because they are inherently different and live inherently different lifestyles. Bev tries to make the point that she and Francine are friends, and have shared wonderful moments together as friends, and therefore black and white people are not so different after all. Unfortunately, Bev’s argument falls flat. Firstly, her anecdote doesn’t create a compelling portrayal of a true interracial friendship. Secondly, Francine herself doesn’t seem to think of Bev as a friend. Although she indulges her employer here, Francine makes it clear in her conversations with Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explica
Karl: I think that you’d agree, I’m assuming, that in the world, there exist certain differences. Agreed?
Francine: What sort of difference?
Karl: That people live differently.
Francine: …Yes?
Karl: From one another.
Francine: I agree with that.
Karl: Different customs, different…well, different foods, even. And those diff—here’s a funny—my wife, Betsy, now, Betsy’s family happens to be Scandinavian, and on holidays they eat a thing known as lutefisk. And this is a dish, which I can tell you...is not to my liking at all. It’s...oh my goodness, let’s just say it’s gelatinous.
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Karl makes many arguments on the same theme. He believes black and white people are inherently different, and tries to get Francine and Albert to agree that they are not like white people, and would not fit in were they to move to Clybourne Park. Francine does agree that different people live differently, a vague statement that most people would agree with, but is hesitant to take Karl’s side, a side which is inherently racist, and equally hesitant to offend any of the white people in the room. Karl uses the example of lutefisk (a traditional Scandinavian dish) as a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus ea
Jim: —You do find differences in modes of worship. If you take First Presbyterian. Now, that’s a church down in Hamilton Park and I’ve taken fellowship there and I can tell you, the differences are notable.
Bev: Jim?
Jim: Not a value judgment. Apples and oranges. Just as how we have our organ here at Saint Thomas, for accompaniment, whereas at First Presbyterian, they prefer a piano and, occasionally…well, tambourines.
Bev: What’s wrong with tambourines?
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Karl and Jim attempt to come up with reasons why black and white people couldn’t live together peacefully. Many of their examples seem petty—for instance, citing differences in dinner preferences, or here, differences in the instruments they use in church. Jim and Karl do their best, at first, to use coded language to convey the difference between black and white people. They do not want to outright say that they do not like black people and do not want them in their neighborhood. Instead they try to come up with cultural reasons that a black family would be unhappy if Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corru
Bev: And for all we know this family could be perfectly lovely.
Karl: Well, that’s hardly the point, is it?
Bev: Maybe it’s a point to consider.
Karl: Bev, I’m not here to solve society’s problems. I’m simply telling you what will happen, and it will happen as follows: First one family will leave, then another, and another, and each time they do, the values of these properties will decline, and once that process begins, once you break that egg, Bev, all the kings horses, etcetera—
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As she discusses the possibility of the Younger Family moving into her vacated home, Bev feels obligated to treat all people kindly and to give everyone a chance to prove themselves. Karl, meanwhile, is set against any black family moving in. He is set in his convictions, and refuses to entertain the idea that any non-white family could be “perfectly lovely.” Karl is correct in his prediction about white people leaving the neighborhood, but that doesn’t make his opposition to the Younger family any less racist. He doesn’t want them to move in because he worries more black families will Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium
Russ: If you honestly think I give a rat’s ass about the goddamn—
Jim: Okay. Okay.
Russ: —what, ya mean the community where every time I go for a haircut, where they all sit and stare like the goddamn grim reaper walked in the barber shop door? That community?
Karl: My wife is two weeks away from giving birth to a child.
Russ: Where, Bev stops at Gelman’s for a quart of milk and they look at her like she’s got the goddamn plague? That the community I’m supposed to be looking out for?
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After Karl argues that Russ should consider the community when allowing a black family to move into his house, Russ responds angrily that he doesn’t care about the community. When Kenneth was discharged from the military the community was unsupportive of him, which Russ thinks led to Kenneth’s death. Now, in the wake of Kenneth’s suicide, Russ himself feels like an outcast. In both cases, the community’s treatment of the men stemmed from a lack of understanding of difference and mental illness. Kenneth was ill in some way, which is perhaps even the reason why he committed war crimes, was Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque err
And Francine walking in at nine in the morning to find him there. You be my guest, Karl. You go ahead and tell those people what kind of house they’re moving into and see if that stops ‘em, because I’ll tell you what, I don’t care if a hundred Ubangi tribesman with a bone through the nose overrun this goddamn place, ‘cause I’m through with all of you, ya motherfucking sons of bitches. Every one of you.
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Karl and Jim invoke the community as a reason Bev and Russ should reconsider selling their house to a black family. This causes Russ to snap, as he wonders what role the community played in caring for his family when it was in crisis. He believes that if the community had been more accepting of Kenneth, his son might not have killed himself. However, in the wake of Kenneth’s death, Russ has cut all ties with his neighborhood. He no longer feels obligated to protect it, or to act as gatekeeper in the way that Karl does. Although this apathy Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus
I think they’re all a buncha idiots. And who’s the biggest idiot of all to let yourself get dragged into the middle of it? Whatcha gonna be now, the big peacemaker come to save the day?...Let ‘em knock each other’s brains out, for all I care. I’m done working for these people two days from now, and you never worked for ‘em at all, so what the hell do you care what they do? And now I am going to the goddamn car.
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Francine and Albert have been forced to stay in Bev and Russ’s house long after Francine’s work has ended to help settle an argument on whether a black family could potentially fit into Clybourne Park. The conversation is offensive, with Karl and Jim arguing that black people are too different from white people to live in the same neighborhood—an opinion which they try to get Francine and Albert to agree with. The couple has been polite and agreeable, because it is dangerous for them to act any other way, but in this private moment between them Francine makes it clear Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. N
Act 2 Quotes
Steve:… Are you “offended”?
Kevin: Nope.
Steve: Neither am I.
Lindsey: You can’t be offended, you moron —
Steve:…I can’t?
Lindsey: — because you’ve never been politically marginalized, unlike the majority of people in the world —
Steve: How can a majority be marginal?
Lindsey: — and, by the way, all women, everywhere, and it’s your classic white male myopia that you’re blind to that basic fact.
Lena: Why is a white woman like a tampon?
Lindsey: Why is what?
Lena: It’s a joke.
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Steve tells a racist joke after being encouraged by Lena and Kevin, who goad him into telling it after he complains that the world is too politically correct. Like Karl in Act 1, Steve likely believes himself to be a good, progressive person, but he has no awareness of how his actions or beliefs affect other people, and no sense of how other people’s experiences are different than his. Because he is not marginalized, and is therefore rarely attacked for his racial or sexual identity, he cannot imagine how it feels. Because he is rarely offended by jokes, he cannot Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a.
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Karl Lindner Character Timeline in Clybourne Park
The timeline below shows where the character Karl Lindner appears in Clybourne Park. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1
...and Francine answers. Her conversation with the man on the phone, who announces himself as Karl Lindner, a neighbor, is interspersed with Bev and Russ’s conversation. Bev tells Francine that she’ll...
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Bev takes the phone from Francine and tries to convince Karl not to come visit, explaining that the house is in disarray and Russ is feeling...
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...Russ about the state of the house. Russ, listening in on Bev’s phone call with Karl, is distracted as Jim tells a long anecdote about how he injured his back moving...
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Russ asks Bev if Karl is coming over. She ignores the question and starts talking to Jim about Karl’s wife,...
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Alone again, Jim and Russ make small talk. Jim overheard Bev tell Karl that Russ was under the weather, so Jim asks Russ what’s wrong. Russ explains he’s...
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...once again she declines. As Albert and Francine exit through the front door, they pass Karl Lindner, who was about the ring the bell. Outside, Albert quietly asks Francine “What is...
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Bev invites Karl inside, but he hesitates, revealing his wife is in the car. Bev tells him to...
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Karl and Betsy return. Betsy is visibly very pregnant, and Bev coos over her stomach. Betsy...
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...Jim responds that he must have rusty fingers, which Betsy doesn’t understand at first, and Karl must translate. Betsy responds that Jim must need soap, and Jim laughs politely. Bev then...
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...but she ignores him. He acknowledges Betsy because she says hello to him, but ignores Karl. Albert and Francine enter through the front door and go upstairs to deal with the...
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Karl tells Russ he has something he needs to talk to him about. Jim tries to...
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...go to the dining table where they communicate by writing on a pad of paper. Karl resumes speaking, and explains he’s been so concerned about Betsy because her last pregnancy, two...
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Karl announces that the neighborhood Community Association has uncovered that the buyers of the Stollers' house...
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Jim interrupts Karl, asking if he should be saying “Negro” instead of “colored.” Karl responds that he says...
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Karl continues to talk, saying that he’s gone to meet with the family, and although he...
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Karl doesn’t think integrating will lead to positive change, and argues that to let a black...
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...He wants to know how they would feel moving into a neighborhood like Clybourne Park. Karl tries to interrupt, arguing they should ask “those who stand to lose,” but Jim presses...
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...she and Francine “over the years […] have shared so many wonderful” memories, a reverie Karl interrupts.
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Karl shares that he believes different groups of people have different customs, for example Betsy is...
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Russ returns, calmer, from the basement, in time to hear Karl bring up skiing as a point of racial division. Karl has never seen a black...
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Russ interrupts Karl, and reminds him the house is sold, and that he and Bev are moving on...
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Karl then asks Francine and Albert how they would feel, if white people moved into their...
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...leave, and Francine asks Bev if it’s okay to go, but before anyone can move Karl bursts back in through the front door. He threatens to tell the new family moving...
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Russ, fed up, begins an explosive monologue. Throughout, Karl tries to cut him off for the sake of pregnant Betsy, whom he tells to...
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...was accused, and remembers how he was a gentle boy, calling on Francine to corroborate. Karl begins to apologize for bringing up this fraught family history, but Bev accuses him of...
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Russ sarcastically tells Karl he can make copies of the letter and hand it out at Rotary, saying “Rotary...
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...and Russ threatens to punch him. Jim backs up and trips over a moving box. Karl, afraid for Betsy’s safety, sends her running out of the house to the car.
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...shoulder. Russ then turns on him, offended that Albert touched him in his own home. Karl and Jim take this moment to leave. Albert backs away from Russ, and Francine reprimands...
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