The Street (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Street is an African-American novel by Ann Petry
that was published in 1946. Set in Harlem
in the 1940s, it centers on the life of Lutie Johnson. Petry describes a world of trials and tribulations that came with being a single black mother living on 116th street in New York City
.
Ann Petry
Ann Petry was an American author who became the first black woman writer with book sales topping a million copies for her novel The Street.-Early life:...
that was published in 1946. Set in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
in the 1940s, it centers on the life of Lutie Johnson. Petry describes a world of trials and tribulations that came with being a single black mother living on 116th street in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Characters
- Lutie Johnson, the story's protagonist, is a single black mother who moves away from her family to live on her own in 1940s HarlemHarlemHarlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. She lives in a building with her son, Bub, and is constantly reading and thinking about Benjamin FranklinBenjamin FranklinDr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, who she considers a hero, and whose work-ethic she tries to emulate. - Mrs. Hedges is a madame who lives in Lutie's building. She pays off the police to make sure that she is not caught for running a whore house. She spends her days gazing out of her window and at the people passing on 116th street.
- Min lives with Jones, the abusive super. She has a cross above her bed, and sees Prophet David about ways she can make Jones a better man.
- Jones is the super of Lutie's building, who lusts after Lutie, and is a very lonely man. He was previously in the Navy, and he also worked as a night watchman.
- Junto owns Junto's Bar and Grill. Junto is a term originating in English politics of the 1640s and the early 1700s, that was made famous in America by Benjamin Franklin who founded a club in Philadelphia with the name Junto (c. 1730), and the Bar and Grill serves as a meeting place for the poor people of Harlem.
- Bub is Lutie's son. He is young, and dislikes being left alone. He is scared of the dark.
See also
- Their Eyes Were Watching GodTheir Eyes Were Watching GodTheir Eyes Were Watching God is a 1937 novel and the best-known work by African American writer Zora Neale Hurston. Set in central and southern Florida in the early 20th century, the novel garnered attention and controversy at the time of its publication, and has come to be regarded as a seminal...