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Analysis Of The Street By Ann Petry: Chapter Summary

885 Words4 Pages

Poverty, sexism, and racism are all aspects of American life that dictate the lives of people, and each aspect affects the population in their own way. In the novel The Street, Ann Petry captures the setting and identity of Harlem in the 1940’s. The story explores the good and bad obstacles faced by Lutie Johnson, a young woman struggling to find a place to settle with her son. As a single mother Lutie battles to balance her home life and work life while facing monetary and social pressures. She must juggle all of these responsibilities while staying morally sound, a balance that is hard to maintain. Sexism, racism, and poverty all lead Lutie to a life of hopelessness despite having her intentions of being a productive member of society. …show more content…

Lutie’s determination to provide her son a better life is eventually squashed when a few different men attempt to take advantage of Lutie. When Lutie is about to get raped, she, “writhed and twisted in his arms, bracing her feet, clawing at his face with her nails. He ignored her frantic effort to get away…and pulled her nearer and nearer to the cellar door” (Petry 235). This scene represents Lutie’s never-ending fight against society and no matter how much she resists she will have to bow down eventually. Lutie is being dragged towards the cellar door, which represents the evil and darkness she is trying to avoid and keep her son away from. She can no longer keep the bad influences away and she realizes that her dream of a better life for her son is just that: a dream. Lutie’s dream is finally extinguished when she murders Boots. She was angry, fed up, and broken inside. “A lifetime of pent-up resentment went into the blows” (Petry 430). Lutie was tired of being oppressed and finally snapped, taking the life of someone trying to take advantage of her. Despite her best efforts, Lutie can no longer maintain the delicate balance of work, home, and mental sanity. Lutie realizes she’s had, “a one-way ticket… I’ve had one since the day I was born” (Petry 434). She finally understood that no matter how hard she fought the system, she couldn’t win alone and eventually cracked under the

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