In The Street, by Ann Petry, Lutie and her son Bub, as well as most of the characters, are clearly portrayed as victims. One is ultimately led to believe that their victimization and the barriers they face are because of race. Race is clearly the main obstacle for Lutie and Bub. It is what holds them back from leaving “the street”. Born into prejudice, they are basically prescribed a future. The three characters which best …showed first 75 words of 1683 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1683 total…break this vicious cycle. This novel is a powerful portrayal of just how hard it was to get off "the street". Perhaps Lutie’s thoughts at the end of the book sum this concept up best, "Lutie tried to figure out by what twists and turns of fate she had landed on this train. Her mind balked at the task. All she could think was, it was that street. It was that god-damned street" (Petry436).