Mr. Lindner represents the racial people in society. He defines himself as the one in charge of Clybourne Park's development and welfare. During this introductory part, he seems polite and has visited with good intentions; he even tries to reason with the Youngers the reason as to why they should not move to Clybourne. But this is not well received by the Youngers, who genuinely understand his racial reasons and the true meaning of the 'welcoming committee' (Hansberry p.94). He explains to them that the estate does not prefer people of color living among them. According to them, society is a better place if Whites stayed with Whites and people of color with their colored fellows.
Hansberry uses him also to show the racism barrier that exists between Americans and African Americans. The Americans believe that for there to be development and peace, they should not mingle. This, therefore, leads to Mr. Lindner going to the extent of wanting to purchase back the house the Youngers had bought to prevent them from living with Americans (Hansberry p.95). He portrays Americans who do not show that they are racist and believe they are not, but in real-life encounters with people of color, racism is exhibited. Mr. Lindner is the only White character in this text; therefore, his inclusion represents the extension of Whites who control things in America, leaving African Americans in extreme poverty. These actions portray the reasons why African Americans can barely climb the social ladder due to the impended racial preconception.
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Mr. Lindner also shows the structural barriers to opportunity that people of color like the Youngers are likely to face. One structural barrier revealed includes beliefs, where the Americans' residing in Clybourne do believe that African Americans should stay in their community while Americans remain in their own separately, (Hansberry p.95). This comes out as a barrier to the opportunity that the Youngers have of moving from their old unfurnished house to a new one. The Americans view them as a source of threat over what they have allegedly worked for long. Belief considers some actions as acceptable while others are not; therefore, it can become a structural barrier to exploring an opportunity.
Rules and regulations of a certain environment are also paused as a structural barrier to opportunity. This is revealed when Mr. Lindner explains to them how the community organizes things such as estate upkeep and other essential projects (Hansberry p.92). This gives the Youngers the picture that for them to utilize the opportunity of a new house, they have to abide by the rules and regulations which involved money. Another barrier is the number of people in support of a certain notion. In Clybourne, a majority of people felt it better that people sharing common backgrounds have the same interests and easily get along (Hansberry p.94). This was a barrier for the Youngers not to expect any association in community work or development.
Despite the constitutional amendments made after the Second World War, racism still existed. In the play, the Youngers struggle with racism after acquiring an opportunity to move to a new house. Before this, racism is displayed through poor living standards, where they all work casual jobs for whites (Hansberry p.37). These jobs were left for Negros and showed how much they had to accomplish before being accepted into society by the Whites. Moreover, the areas they lived in also showed discrimination; the houses were poorly structured like the Youngers' house, which was old, and the Americans lived in well-structured houses. Even today, racism still exists in some parts of the U.S. amongst African Americans and Whites.
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