Compare and contrast Walter in A Raisin in the Sun and Troy in Fences.

Walter Younger and Troy Maxson are quite different
characters, but do share some similar challenges regarding family and regarding race. Of
the many differences that distinguish these two characters, the most significant
difference lies in the fact that Walter achieves redemption and Troy does
not. 

Looking at the character's similarities: Dignity is
an issue for both Walter and Troy. Walter feels demeaned by his position as a
chauffeur. 

He
works as a chauffeur, a job he finds unsatisfying on a number of levels but most
particularly because he does not desire to be anyone's
servant.

Troy has a similar
attitude about his job as a garbage collector. Both men also reflect on their father's
professional lives before them, lives characterized by endless toil under
spirit-breaking circumstances. The bitterness involved in these reflections connects the
four men, Walter, Troy and their fathers, in a cycle of hardship (and family
responsibility). 

Both Troy and Walter look for an escape
from the undignified drudgery of their daily lives, longing for something better. Also,
throughout, both Troy and Walter seek improvement for their families; their status.

Looking at the character's differences: Troy manages to
get a promotion on his job, however, he does not improve his family's
situation. 

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While he realizes the financial responsibility of
being the head of a family, he fails to grasp the emotional part of the
job.

Troy is overwhelmed by
his family obligations. He speaks often of the unvarying routine of his life as he works
his way from Friday to Friday, experiencing little or no joy. Accompanied by his
bitterness regarding his baseball career, Troy is led to cheat on his wife and treat his
sons without affection. 

Troy is unable to overcome the
bitterness he feels and the obstacles that face him. He is unable to find any emotional
success, though it is available to him despite his circumstances just as it is available
to Walter Younger. 

This is the greatest difference between
the two men. Each fosters an ambition for personal improvement as the play begin, but
only Walter is able to find a way to align his own interests with those of his family.

At the play's end, Walter "achieves a sense of himself as
an adult and leader of his family", while Troy, oppositely, becomes isolated from his
wife and estranged from his son.