The story of Lutie Johnson, an African American single mother in 1940s Harlem who strives to better her life and that of her little son, Bub, is told in Ann Petry’s The Street. The book provides an engaging analysis of institutional oppression, racism, and the challenges of trying to break free from societal norms.

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Lutie Johnson, who recently got divorced from her infidelity-prone husband Jim, is determined to give her eight-year-old son a better, safer life. Jim’s betrayal began when Lutie agreed to work as a maid for a wealthy white family in order to support their household. Jim had an affair because he felt abandoned in spite of her hard work. Hurt and disillusioned, Lutie decides to leave him, taking Bub with her. However, her choice has left her financially and socially isolated.

At the beginning of the book, Lutie is searching for a place to live. She finds a little apartment on 116th Street in Harlem. The apartment is cheap, which is a good thing, however the neighborhood is dangerous and the building is dirty. Lutie is wary of Jones, the superintendent of the building, because of his unsettling behavior. However, she feels she has little choice because the rent is affordable and it’s nearly impossible for a Black woman to find acceptable housing on her own.

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As Lutie tries to adjust to her new life, the story looks at the individuals in her nearby neighborhood, especially Jones, her landlord. Jones suffered from profound psychological wounds from his time in the Navy, and his repressed desires manifest as an obsession with Lutie. He treats Min, his live-in partner, badly; he doesn’t show her any love and regularly mistreats her emotionally. Feeling trapped in this unstable relationship, Min eventually seeks help from an African witch doctor to defend herself against Jones’s brutality.

Another significant figure in the building is Mrs. Hedges, a brothel madam who suffered significant damage in a prior fire. Despite her appearance, Mrs. Hedges is quite powerful in the town, mostly because to her association with wealthy white businessman Junto. After helping Mrs. Hedges after the fire, Junto fell in love with her, but she turned him down. Their relationship evolved into one of mutual advantage as Mrs. Hedges ran her company and Junto gave her financial assistance.

The fact that Junto thinks Lutie is lovely is one of the reasons Mrs. Hedges exhibits interest in her. She provides Lutie with possibilities to obtain money through Junto, but these opportunities impliedly require Lutie to transgress her morals. Due of her pride and determination to accomplish her goals on her own terms, Lutie turns down Mrs. Hedges’s proposals.

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Lutie puts in a lot of effort and takes on jobs to support herself and Bub, but her income barely covers their expenses. She wants to provide Bub with a better future by escaping the oppressive environment of Harlem. Despite her hard work and determination, Lutie begins to see how systemic racism and sexism create seemingly insurmountable barriers.

Lutie attends a nightclub one evening in an attempt to escape her daily troubles. There, she runs across charming guitarist Boots Smith, who shows interest in her. When Lutie finds Boots appealing, they begin a shaky relationship. However, Boots is connected to Junto, and his actions are often influenced by Junto’s wants.

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Meanwhile, Jones is becoming increasingly obsessed with Lutie. He begins taking her rejection of him personally as his annoyance and jealousy grow. He intends to target her son, Bub, in the interim in order to do her indirect harm. Jones convinces Bub to participate in a scheme to steal mail from the building by giving the child money in return. Because he wants to help his poor mother, Bub agrees. But Jones accuses him of stealing and betraying him, so he contacts the police. When Bub is arrested and sent to a juvenile detention center, Lutie is distraught.

Desperate to protect her child, Lutie tries to hire a lawyer, but the cost is much beyond her means. She feels trapped since the legal system appears to be biased against her. Mrs. Hedges and Junto approach her again and offer to help, but Lutie doubts their motives and fears that agreeing to their help will force her to make concessions.

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As her situation worsens, Lutie seeks help from Boots. She thinks Bub can assist her in navigating the connections to Junto in order to secure his release. However, Lutie’s hopes are crushed when she discovers the reality of Boots’s true intentions. By trying to harm her, Boots betrays her and shows that he is complicit in Junto’s scheming.

In an attempt to protect himself, Lutie kills Boots by striking him with a candlestick. She decides to flee since the consequences of her actions overwhelm her and she fears getting imprisoned. Lutie travels from Harlem to Chicago via train, leaving behind the constrictive environment that has dashed her dreams and stripped her of her child. Although she manages to flee at the end of the novel, her future remains uncertain, symbolizing the ongoing struggles faced by those ensnared in an oppressive system.

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