Does she find any one of these forms of oppression more intolerable than the other, in your view? Lutie experiences racism, sexism and poverty throughout her life.What sort of figurative walls, or obstacles, does she come up against throughout the book? “I can’t see anything ahead of me except these walls that push in against me,” Lutie thinks at one point.How does Petry utilize details of place and setting - such as the weather, or descriptions of Harlem and the apartments in Lutie’s neighborhood - throughout the book? How does setting play a role in the life Lutie envisions for herself?.Hedges’ work with Junto, or is she simply looking out for own financial well-being? Hedges each represent a different embodiment of the American dream? Were you critical of Mrs. Chandler’s brother’s suicide make Lutie realize about the relationship between money, class and race in the U.S.? How does she criticize the white community’s emphasis on money? What about the importance of money in American society at large? Why does the story of Benjamin Franklin resonate so strongly with Lutie? How does her vision of the American dream change throughout the book?.Why do you think Petry chose “The Street” as the title of the book? What does the street symbolize for Lutie Johnson?.WARNING: Spoiler alert on questions further down Jones will answer reader questions about the enduring relevance of “The Street” which was originally published in 1946, on the PBS NewsHour at the end of the month.

You can also submit your own questions for Tayari Jones, author of an “An American Marriage,” on our Google form. Learn more about the book club here.īelow are questions to help guide your discussions as you read the book over the next month. Our May 2020 pick for the PBS NewsHour-New York Times book club is Ann Petry’s “The Street.” Become a member of the Now Read This book club by joining our Facebook group, or by signing up to our newsletter.

The street ann petry sparknotes